anaesthetic in a 12y/o labrador

sally87

sally87

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hi

sorry wasnt sure whether to put this in dogs or vets but wanted some advice.

my mum took my 12y/o dog to the vet today because she has what appears to be an abscess on her bum. it first started in june but went away with 2weeks worth of clavuseptin (amoxicillin + clavulanic acid) but then reappeared last week. vet looked at it today & thinks there is either a foreign body or a cyst so she is going in to have it removed tomorrow.

im not questioning the vets judgement or whether it requires an operation. i am just concerned with her being nearly 12 that she will not react well to the anaesthetic. she is my best friend & i dont want anything to happen to her. the vet said that he does not think there is an issue as she is still a very fit & healthy dog. but in dog years she is 84!

just want opinions/ advice/ reassurance really

thanks

Sally
 
There is always a risk but this does not sound a very major operation. I am sure she will be fine. It does not sound like something that can be left so you really have no option.
 
thanks. im just being silly really, im hardly going to stop her having an op that she needs. it should be a short procedure. i just worry thats all!
 
My lab x had a tumour on his bum a nearly three years ago, he also has a degree of heart failure so the prospect of anaesthetic was pretty scary. We decided to go ahead and he flew through the whole thing, he was 10 1/2 at the time and is still going strong now.
 
As huntley said, there's always a risk with anaesthetic, although it's fairly minimal these days.

However, if you're worried (and don't mind spending a bit more money) then ask your vets to do a pre-anaesthetic blood test on her. This should highlight anything that might cause a problem with the anaesthetic and allow the vets to monitor any concerns and make it as safe as possible. For example, if the bloods indicate that the kidneys may be slightly compromised then the vets can put her on a drip for the procedure to make sure that they aren't compromised further by the anaesthetic.

Most vets will offer pre-anaesthetic bloods anyway, although people don't often take them up on it if it's a fairly routine procedure that shouldn't take too long, and/or the animal is otherwise healthy. In your case it doesn't sound like there's a lot to be worried about.
 
Agree with the above, there is always a risk but provided the vets are aware of the risks most of them can be managed.

Pre-anaesthetic blood tests to check liver and kidney function are a good idea as it will give the vets an idea of any drugs they should be reducing the dose of or avoiding all together.

Fingers crossed all goes smoothly for her.
 
No-one can guarantee that the anaesthetic will be ok, but as long as you understand the risks, the Vets will do everything they can for your dog.

Sounds a bit doom and gloom I know, but 2 friends lost healthy animals undergoing very routine surgeries. It does happen, and I don't think until you loose a pet that way you totally appreciate the risks.

Thats said, you must do whats best for your dog and having a re-infecting problem must be vry unpleasent for him.
 
my old dog was 15 when she needed her teeth doing and i had no choice as she had stopped eating so would have wasted away eventually. she came out of the anaesthetic very well so try not to worry,
 
Britestar said:
It does happen, and I don't think until you loose a pet that way you totally appreciate the risks.
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I have, it was only my pet rabbit when i was 7 but that along with having worked in anaesthetics (human) means i am aware of the risks, but have a tendency to expect the worse!

think my main issue is as im working away atm my mum took her to the vets (she is a family dog) so i havent spoken to the vet about it, but i know my mum did mention about the fact she is old & he isnt worried.

would they be able to do pre-anaesthetic bloods on the day of the surgery? or is it a case of needing to wait for results to come back? its only a small vets so i dont know if they would have haematology facilities?

(my knowledge comes from how it works on the human side so if this sounds rediculously stupid then i apologise!)
 
sally87 said:
would they be able to do pre-anaesthetic bloods on the day of the surgery? or is it a case of needing to wait for results to come back? its only a small vets so i dont know if they would have haematology facilities?
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Most practices can do pre-anaesthetic bloods on the day. It's only a basic profile, so most practices do normally have the facility to do them. However it's probably worth ringing them to check beforehand.
 
Agree with those suggesting pre anaesthetic bloods. My 12 year old GSD was due to have a mammary lump removed, but bloods showed a slight problem with her liver function. This was treated and a couple of weeks later when bloods were all clear she had the op and came through absolutely fine.
 
the risks of anaesthesia do not increase with age, only with concurrent disease. So, pre-GA blds are v sensible and most practices have the facilities to do them onsite on the morning of the op. Also, IV fluids during the op to maintain blood pressure are very sensible although few people seem to go for this option and am still not convinced vets push this enough. Many post-op probs are caused by letting the blood pressure fall during surgery.
 
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