Anaesthesia and Analgesia

Our multidisciplinary team is supported by experienced, residency-trained anaesthetists who work in close collaboration with our other departments to provide the best possible care to all our patients.

Prior to a referral appointment, one of our anaesthetists will review the patient’s history and any current medications being taken. This allows us to contact owners before an appointment to discuss whether to give any medication, such as anti-coagulants, behavioural drugs or natural supplements, that may affect the course of the anaesthetic or surgery.

Upon arrival, each animal is thoroughly examined and assessed, so that an individual anaesthetic and analgesic plan can be devised.  Following the pre-anaesthetic examination and review of the animal’s history, further tests may be required in order to confirm our findings or understand more precisely their health. The results will help us to refine the anaesthetic plan and minimise the individual anaesthetic risk.  We tailor the choice of drug and dose given based on temperament, clinical condition, concurrent illnesses  and what procedure is being performed.

Our Anaesthesia team comprises our veterinary anaesthetists and our experienced registered veterinary nurses, who closely monitor all anaesthetised patients throughout their anaesthetic and during recovery.

For our more critical patients, the ICU team will take over during recovery and work closely with our anaesthetists to provide the level of care required. We provide advice on matters such as the use of vasopressors, fluid therapy, acid-base imbalances or analgesia.

Our hospital is fully equipped with multi-parameter monitors in each room, including invasive blood pressure and spirometry, alongside numerous fluid pumps and syringe drivers to provide the best possible care to our anaesthetised patients.  Mechanical ventilators are available in every theatre and portable ventilators available in diagnostic areas.

Pain Management

Another important aspect of the Anaesthesia team’s work is providing advice regarding optimal pain relief for patients during hospitalisation and convalescence at home.

Effective pain relief is an essential aspect of recovery following any surgical procedure or illness. This is usually best achieved by using multi-modal analgesia where a number of pain-relieving techniques and medications are used at the same time to get the best result.

At Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, we are very proud to offer loco-regional anaesthesia to all our surgical patients where this is appropriate. These techniques involve the use of local anaesthetics agents to numb the area being operated on. We use ultrasound or nerve stimulators to help ensure the local anaesthetic is placed close to the nerve to ensure that it is as effective as possible.

Our Anaesthesia team is available to provide advice by phone or email. We also accept referrals for all cases requiring specific anaesthetic care.