I took my 2 male 6 month old labs into to have them nuetered. One was 15 pounds heavier than the other. The lighter weight one died before getting on the table, then the bigger one was done and is just fine. Is it common for them to have a reaction and die from anasthesia or should I be concerned that my vet may have committed an error, like gave the wrong anasthesia to the wrong dog. I was told that he went into seizures and convulsions and they could not control them. I have used this vet for four years with my older dog but have not had to have any procedures like this done, so I am skeptical about what actually happened.
2007-02-22 05:20:22 · 19 answers · asked by schertzpd503 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I am sorry for your loss.
I have yet to see a dog die from anesthesia while in surgery, but it does happen. It is possible that it was a combination of your vet committing an error with the anesthetic and a reaction to it. I personally think that it sounds a little fishy that the dog went into seziures and convolutions because of the anestetic. When a dog is having seziures/convolsuions they quickest treatment is to give them a sadative because it calms the nervous system. I would think that if your dog had already been sedated than he wouldn't of had them.
2007-02-22 05:59:53 · answer #1 · answered by iluvmyfrenchbulldogs 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This happen more often than one would want to think. It is usually a very safe procedure but sometimes the dog has a reaction to the anesthesia. I have seen pups die due to the worming medicine, too.
It doesn't happen every day but it does happen. The dog must have had some kind of problem cause it is not normal. Vets use a general anesthesia that works best for most dogs don't do well with anesthesia. I don't think that there was anything the Vet did, I thing it had something to do with the dog it's self.
Sooo sorry for your loss.
2007-02-22 05:31:56 · answer #2 · answered by bluebonnetgranny 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I am so sorry to hear about your puppy.
Anesthesia in any living being is always risky. There is no way to know how a particular dog will react to a particular drug on any particular day. Reactions are relatively uncommon, but they do happen. It can be anything from a mild weakness to death. There is no way to know how a dog will react -there is no special test. The pre anesthetic panels run by vets will only check for organ abnormalities (since the kidneys/liver will filter the anesthesia), but cannot check for a reaction unfortunately.
I would not think any mistakes were made unless your vet has made you feel he is being less than truthful. I'd ask for a copy of his medical record if you doubt his story, but I wouldn't think this was anything other than a horrible misfortune.
I have anesthetized hundreds of dogs/cats in my career, and have had only one die. It was absolutely heart breaking for me , so I can only imagine how the owner must feel.
Again I am so sorry for your loss.
2007-02-22 09:58:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As with any surgical procedure, human or animal, there's always this risk. Veterinarians should always mention this to you before your pet goes in for surgery, just like your doctor would explain the risks to you before you go under anesthesia for an operation. It is very unlikely that your vet is at fault. Unfortunately things like this do happen everywhere so don't blame the vet right away. Sometimes there is just nothing they can do. Double check that they ran all the necessary blood work before the surgery to make sure it would be safe for him. If they didn't or some of his values were off this would be when your vet could be at fault. Hope this helps and I'm sorry for your loss.
2007-02-22 05:29:26 · answer #4 · answered by dolfingrrl928 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A number of things could have gone wrong. It depends on what anasthetic your dogs were given. It is possible that the vet/vet techs could have gotten their weights mixed up. It is possible that whoever intubated your dog messed up causing respiratory or cardiac arrest. Your dog could have been allergic to the anasthetic as well. I'm sorry for your loss. That is terrible. Just like people can have problems with anasthesia, so can animals.
2007-02-22 06:40:45 · answer #5 · answered by pobrecita 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am so sorry for your loss. However, if you have used that veterinarian for years you must trust him. In any surgery, whether human or animal, there is always a chance that things will go wrong. Am sure your vet was very sorry. But another answerer got it correct when he/she said that some animals have different reactions to anesthesia. However, you can always ask for another opinion. Again, very sorry for the loss of your pet. Also, whenever a veterinarian performs surgery you are required to sign an agreement as to the possibilities that things can go wrong. Did he request this?
2007-02-22 05:31:33 · answer #6 · answered by Shar 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would be skeptical too. I wonder if he used the same amount of anesthesia for both. I guess some dogs die of anasthesia just like people do. It's rare but, it happens. One has to wonder if it's incompetance on the part of the anasthesiologist. Did you sign a release before the surgery? I'm so very sorry this happened. I would have to investigate further.
2007-02-22 05:30:03 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I lost a beautiful blue female Great Dane puppy during spay surgery. Now that I know better, I'm sure that they either used the wrong type of anesthetic, or they used an out-of-date type. Another person had the same thing happen at that vet's, and her daughter (who is a vet) was visiting her at the time. She described the place as "depressing and using outmoded procedures".
It's hard to know what really happened. I would switch vets myself. I was forced to use that same vet again 4 months later for an emergency, and that dog died too. Now I drive my dogs 60 miles to a good vet, but it's worth it!
2007-02-22 08:54:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It does happen but not often. I doubt your vet did anything to harm the animal, it just probably did not have the tolerance for the anasthesia, or was allergic to it. If you ask them I am sure they will explain things to you. Most likely they attempted to revive the dog. If you have questions please call and ask them. There is no way to predict this, and you did the right thing by taking them in to have them fixed. I am sorry for your loss.
2007-02-22 05:27:43 · answer #9 · answered by jst2funlvn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately it is a fairly uncommon but known about reaction to anaesthesia. We lost a kitten about 6 months ago in similar circumstances.
Giving a general anaesthetic is inherantly risky. It doesn't matter whether it's a human, a dog, a cat etc. The vet could have as careful as if he was treating his own human child and it may still have happened. If you are one of the small number who has an animal who has an adverse reaction to anaesthetics, it is just bad luck.
(My sister also has an adverse reaction to anaesthetics - foutunately it's not killed her).
2007-02-22 05:26:35 · answer #10 · answered by Cardinal Fang 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋