Anesthesia & Patient Monitoring
River Oaks Animal Hospital uses the safest available anesthetics to provide an extra margin of safety, especially for our older or high-risk patients. Our nurses and veterinarians will monitor your pet through the entire anesthetic procedure until they are fully recovered.
We use complete anesthesia monitoring to keep your pet as safe as possible during any procedure. An EKG (electrocardiogram) tracks your pet’s heart rate and rhythm, alerting us to any irregularities right away. Blood pressure monitoring allows us to quickly address changes that could affect vital organs like the kidneys, brain, and heart. A capnograph measures the amount of carbon dioxide your pet exhales, helping us ensure they are breathing effectively under anesthesia. Temperature monitoring is essential since pets can easily become too warm or too cold, and maintaining a normal temperature supports a smooth recovery. Pulse oximetry measures the oxygen levels in your pet’s blood to make sure their brain, heart, and other organs are getting the oxygen they need. By monitoring these vital signs in real time, we can respond to even the smallest changes immediately, providing the safest anesthesia possible.
Soft Tissue Surgery
River Oaks Animal Hospital is well-equipped to perform an array of surgical procedures, from routine spays and neuters to more complex soft tissue surgeries such as bladder stone removals and mass removals.
During any procedure, our top priorities always include controlling your pet’s discomfort. Our doctors and team take all necessary steps to relieve any pain before, during and after your pet’s surgical procedure. We practice proper pain control for all surgeries in order to minimize the time it takes for your pet to heal.
All surgical patients will have an exam and bloodwork prior to the procedure to screen for any situations that may require us to change our anesthetic protocol for your pet. Animals that are older or with heart disease, lung disease, and liver or kidney disease can benefit from a unique anesthetic protocol generated strictly for them.