Abstract
Objective
To acquire information about anesthesia and analgesia protocols used by United States
(US) veterinarians in primary care practices when performing routine ovariohysterectomy
in dogs.
Study design
Cross-sectional survey.
Population
Primary care veterinarians in the US.
Methods
An online anonymous survey, originally created in New Zealand, was modified with permission
and made available to Veterinary Information Network (VIN) members. The survey asked
questions about performing ovariohysterectomy in healthy adolescent dogs in the categories
of preanesthetic evaluation, premedication and induction protocols, maintenance protocols
and monitoring equipment, and postoperative analgesic and sedation protocols and pain
assessments.
Results
A total of 1213 US veterinarians completed the survey. Respondents (n; %) reported performing preoperative laboratory tests [packed cell volume (135; 11%),
complete blood cell count (889; 73%) and biochemistry panels (1057; 87%)] and preanesthetic
examinations on the morning of surgery (1083; 90%). The most commonly administered
drugs for premedication were acepromazine (512; 42%), hydromorphone (475; 39%) or
butorphanol (463; 38%), with propofol (637; 67%) for induction of anesthesia and isoflurane
(882; 73%) for maintenance of anesthesia. Most veterinarians reported placing intravenous
catheters (945; 78%), administering electrolyte solutions (747; 67%) and providing
heat support (1160; 96%). Perioperative and postoperative analgesia included local
anesthetics (545; 45%), opioids (844; 70%) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) (953; 79%); NSAIDs were dispensed for home use (985; 81%). Dogs were most
frequently discharged on the day of surgery (1068; 88%) and the owners were contacted
(914; 75%) for follow-up within 1–2 days.
Conclusions and clinical relevance
Anesthetic management for routine ovariohysterectomy in dogs varies among US veterinary
VIN members. Information from this study is useful for all veterinarians for comparison
with their practice management and for teachers of veterinary anesthesia to continue
to emphasize options for analgesia.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 08, 2022
Accepted:
July 29,
2022
Received:
March 20,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
