Anesthesiology & Pain Management

Many variables affect anesthesia including the patient, the sedative and anesthetic agents used and the anesthetist.

A new study examines how an accelerometer-based activity monitor may help researchers objectively measure a cat's mobility. This type of monitoring has potential in assessing the effectiveness of pain-relieving therapies for conditions such as osteoarthritis.

Denver, Colo. - 3/7/08 - The Morris Animal Foundation will sponsor a live animal pain management Web cast for veterinarians on Thursday, March 13.

"Early feeding through a nasogastric tube is definitely something that I advocate for parvo cases, as long as you can control emesis."

Osteosarcoma is a common cancer to see in larger, middle-aged to older dogs. One of the challenges in treating these patients is pain management. Amputation effectively relieves bone pain and is the standard of care for patients, but may not be an option for all dogs.

We are always looking for a way to free up our hands when administering mask anesthesia to our exotic surgical patients.

Q How can we prepare clients for unexpected costs that result from problems found during dental cleanings?

Relief of acute and chronic pain in animals is an important part of the practice of veterinary medicine. Human pain medications frequently are used in small-animal and equine practice. However, food-animal practitioners must follow the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA), which limits extra-label drug use to treatment when an animal's health is threatened, it is suffering or death might result from failure to treat.

Oral surgery in canine and feline patients often requires extended periods of anesthesia necessitating optimal anesthetic management.

Minneapolis - Dr. Carl Seemann plans to appeal an administrative law judge's ruling that backs state regulators' efforts to suspend his license for not administering drugs to manage a surgical patient's pain.

I am absolutely convinced that veterinarians will be faced with more intrusive government rules and regulations than ever before. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's going to get worse.

The American Animal Hospital Association and the American Association of Feline Practitioners have just put together new guidelines for pain management, which cover types of pain, recognition and assessment, and intervention.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- He's been preaching about pain management for more than a decade. CSU ethicist Bernard Rollin found a choir with the release of AAHA and AAFP guidelines.

Denver, Colo. - 10/4/07 - A public service announcement campaign to promote awareness and accreditation standards kicks off on the worldwide web this month, sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Sacramento, Calif. - Invite Dr. Wade Himes to shed light on the inner-workings of state regulatory agencies and he pauses, then laughs and asks, "Do you want me to lose my license?"

Denver, Colo. - Changing viewpoints on addressing companion-animal pain and the benefits of doing so are highlighted in newly created pain-management guidelines - the product of a partnership task force between the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP).

Minneapolis - For 59 years, Dr. Carl Seemann practiced as northern Minnesota's surgical "spine man," a solo generalist who, at age 84, saw three clients a day until Christmas last year.

"Anatomically and physiologically, horses have all the structures required for pain processing," says Glenn Pettifer, DVM, DACVA, at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

After oral surgery, nociceptor response is expected to be greatly enhanced.

You know that a comprehensive analgesic protocol is necessary for your patients. But these drugs have a noticeable side effect-a financially healthy practice.

Most of the limping dogs that are referred to our practice have received at least one course of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy at some point in their histories.

To help reach a prognosis in nonambulatory animals with spinal cord disease, assess voluntary motor function or pain perception.

Acesarean section (hysterotomy) is scheduled or performed on an emergency basis.

Urbana, Ill. - 3/15/07 - A University of Illinois research team uncovered a similarity between known human protein pathways in osteosarcoma patients and the proteins of canine and feline patients that could help improve palliative care for animals.

Ease suffering and charge for analgesics and other therapies at the same time.

Put the Pain Score into the record each time a patient comes in.

To prevent hypothermia during anesthesia, we place baby booties or socks on all our patients to reduce heat loss through their footpads.

Using capnography or a capnometer to determine end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) is a simple, practical, and noninvasive way to monitor patient ventilation during anesthesia.

Nat A. White II, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, will present the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art lecture at the American Association of Equine Practitioners 52nd Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 4. Dr. White's lecture, "Equine Colic: A Real Pain in the Gut," will highlight the biology of equine colic and advances in its diagnosis and treatment. The lecture is sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Platinum Performance and presented by the AAEP Foundation, Inc.

There is no universally accepted definition of old age and as we are all aware, some people and animals age better than others. Because of advances in veterinary medicine, the average lifespan of cats and dogs has increased and according to recent AVMA statistics, about 30 percent of the owned pet population in the United States is considered geriatric (Wise et al, 2002). As senior care becomes a significant component of companion animal practice, we must be aware of the special anesthetic requirements of this population.