Veterinary Anursethesia

24/09/2025

I am proud to say that my article on "Kickstart your understanding of neuromuscular blocking agents" has been published with The Veterinary Nurse journal!

This was never taught to me face-to-face, so I had to do all of my own reading over the years after finding myself in an ophthalmology theatre, wondering what a 'phaco' was.

Nothing in my New Zealand education from 2007 had prepared me for what I experienced in that theatre eight years ago.

And this is what makes me proud. Perhaps I could have used this article "way back when."

Enjoy.

https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/epub/10.12968/vetn.2024.0062

22/09/2025

Fluid therapy in our Guinnies!

Debilitated or dehydrated guinea pigs pose a significant anaesthetic risk. Fluid therapy is often required to stabilise the patient and support the cardiovascular system perioperatively.

Intravenous access in guinea pigs is difficult. Due to their small size, the use of the lateral saphenous or the cephalic vein comes with challenges even using a 26-gauge catheter. Using the jugular vein may be difficult to visualise and access because of the short necks and thick muscle layers in this area.

The subcutaneous route is the most commonly used method of administration; however, it is important to be careful of the interscapular area as here the tissues are tightly opposed to underlying tissues. A butterfly catheter and a syringe can be used to gently administer fluids over 2-3 different sites.

It is also important to know that guinea pigs have a higher maintenance fluid rate than dogs and cats. Due to their high glomerular filtration rate and metabolic rate, they require maintenance rates of 100ml/kg/day (Edis, 2016).

Let's get lit: https://www.theveterinarynurse.com/content/clinical/guinea-pig-anaesthesia-how-can-risks-be-reduced.

19/09/2025

An app on your phone that gives you easy access to validated pain scales for different species? YES PLEASE!

The VetPain app allows you to measure pain in a variety of species, including the Glasgow Composite Pain Scale for dogs and the Unesp-Botucatu Pain Scale for cats. A solid favourite too is the Feline Grimace Scale.

It will be difficult to miss even the most subtle signs of pain because there are videos demonstrating various pain behaviours that can be used to learn and teach others. Data from pain assessments can also be saved for future reference, potentially assisting us in identifying trends in our patients. It also provides validated scales for chronic pain and sedation levels. There are SO many great things about this app!

The Zero Pain Philosophy is another excellent resource for educating and supporting veterinary professionals in how to prevent and manage pain in their patients. Their website provides numerous learning opportunities, including webinars and podcasts to watch and listen to. I would recommend joining their membership too! As well as this, a whole host of videos demonstrating how to do various nerve block techniques.

There is no excuse for our patients to feel unnecessary pain when there are so many good resources out there for us to access and learn from!

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vetpain/id6462712970
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vetpain.app
The Zero Pain Philosophy: https://www.zeropainphilosophy.com/

17/09/2025

Tomorrow night is the next TAT session!

This is a small group study session where you submit your anaesthesia questions so we can go through them in detail.

Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1609536409729?aff=oddtdtcreator

10/09/2025

Cats with a "blocked bladder" frequently have elevated serum potassium levels, also known as hyperkalaemia. Why does this occur? Why is it dangerous, and how should we deal with it?

Urinary obstruction in cats frequently results in acute kidney injury. Impaired renal function, combined with a physical blockage in the urethra, prevents potassium from being excreted in urine. These patients may also have metabolic acidosis, which occurs when there is an increase in acids such as hydrogen (H+), and the cells attempt to absorb the H+ to buffer the acidosis, causing potassium, which is normally an intracellular ion, to enter the extracellular space.

So, why is this so dangerous?

Potassium affects the resting membrane potential of myocardial cells in the heart. Serum concentrations greater than 5.5 mmol/l can prolong cell action potential and prevent repolarisation. This can cause bradycardia, peaked T waves, loss of P waves, wide and abnormal QRS complexes, ventricular fibrillation, and even asystole (Monaghan et al., 2012). Any cat with urethral obstruction should have an ECG to monitor for these changes.

Not good, huh? What do we do about it?

The treatment aims to protect the heart and lower serum potassium levels. To begin, relieving urethral obstruction with a urinary catheter will significantly lower potassium levels. But a patient needs to be stable enough to undergo an anaesthetic for this first.
Calcium gluconate is a cardioprotective drug that can be administered; it protects myocardial cells but does not reduce potassium levels. Instead, it stabilises the cardiac cell membrane by lowering the threshold potential from the elevated resting potential.

Intravenous fluid therapy can be used to increase elimination after obstruction removal and to dilute potassium levels in the blood (Jones et al., 2022). Along with this, insulin and dextrose can be administered; insulin causes potassium to return to cells, while dextrose upregulates this system by increasing insulin production (Jones et al., 2022). When using this treatment method, blood glucose levels must be monitored frequently to detect hypoglycaemia.

Let's Get Lit:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9742918/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11112173/

05/09/2025

This week, on Instagram, I posted a video of my patient being monitored with my new multiparameter!

Excitingly, JAK Marketing saw the post and contacted me to offer my followers a discount! This brings portable SpO2, NIBP, Temperature, and Capnography monitoring to your practice for less than £1000, making it perfect for use in your prep area or x-ray room before moving to theatre!

Enter Vet-An10 for 10% off in the basket: https://www.jakmarketing.co.uk/petpro-premium-plus-bp-3-temp-3-sp02-15-etc02-moni-11--6740

This post is not an ad, and I get no commission from this discount code! I am just nerdy and excited x Just to clarify, it is for the PetPro Premium Plus only. And I believe they ship worldwide when you get in touch.

31/08/2025

Unsure about your ventilator? I got you.

26/08/2025

It is important to tailor your anaesthetic protocol to each individual patient. One size does not fit all, particularly for dogs!

Sighthounds, in particular, require extra consideration before anaesthesia. Why, though?

Sighthounds have higher PCV and lower albumin levels compared to other dog breeds. Hypoalbuminaemia can enhance the effect of highly protein-bound drugs by increasing the concentration of free drug in the circulation.

They also have a low fat-to-body mass ratio, which puts them at risk of hypothermia during anaesthesia. As a result, active warming methods should be used and the temperature closely monitored. Alternatively, some greyhounds may be more anxious, making them more likely to develop stress-induced hyperthermia. To avoid this, stress levels should be reduced before premedication.

Barbiturates should be avoided in greyhounds, including thiobarbiturates such as thiopental. This is due to a lack of the P450 enzyme in the liver, which is required to metabolize the drug, resulting in a prolonged recovery. They also eliminate propofol much slower than other dog breeds due to the reduced activity of this enzyme, but it is still considered a safe induction agent to use.

Another thing to consider in sighthounds is the possibility of anaesthesia-induced hyperkalaemia. There has been little research into the etiology; possible causes include prolonged anaesthesia, the use of alpha-2 agonists, and hypercapnia, which causes a secondary respiratory acidosis (O.Neill, 2024). Therefore, it is important to monitor the patient's heart rate and ECG for any abnormalities whilst under anaesthesia.

26/08/2025

I am all for literature that saves time while improving patient outcomes!

Is your practice still using a communal bag to draw saline flushes, either from the rubber port or the multi-draw spike? Perhaps it is time to rethink - the human papers are promising!

Read about it here.. Let's get lit:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11570150
- https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/article/S1098-3015(17)31474-2/fulltext

24/08/2025

So let’s dig into these guidelines, the algorithm isn’t quite released yet but will in the resources tab of the website soon, whilst we wait let’s have a look 👀

Crucially compression rates and ratios are VERY different

Administering 4 compressions followed by 1 breath

SAVE for later 💾

24/08/2025

Prep your CPD budget - venues are being booked!

Watch this space for the Building Confidence roadshow in 2026!

I appreciate everyone who signed up for the first roadshow, which I had to postpone due to several personal emergencies, but.. we're back!

Want to be the first to know when tickets are released? Follow VA on Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/veterinary-anursethesia-82293670333

24/08/2025

Hooray! Thanks for sharing SynergyCPD!

Just released!! RECOVER Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines!
Read the research here…

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40847797/