Are there underlying conditions that would cause a dog to have a bad reaction to anesthesia?

Question

My dog was put under anesthesia to be spayed. Here oxygen level dropped to 68% and the vet took her off immediately. Thinking it wasa fluke he put her back on the anesthesia, and the same thing happened. His words were"she went blue on us." He says he has never seen this before. Is there an underlying reason this would happen, or just a reaction to the anesthesia itself? Anyone have any experience with this?

Answer 1

60 days ago this happened to my puppy when he went in for neutering. They used Isoflurane, his heart stopped. He was in absolute perfect health and all bloodwork etc was done. The Vet told me that they have seen this a few times, and that some dogs are just more sensitive to anesthesia.

Answer 2

Any animal can have a reaction to any substance, no matter how safe it is. Did your dog not end up being spayed then?

Ask the vet what gas they were using. The most commonly used gas these days is Isoflurane, it is very safe and allows precise control of the plane of anaesthesia. Sevoflurane is a newer product that is supposed to be even better. Halothane is a rather outdated gas that resulted in a much higher frequency of anaesthetic problems before Isoflurane became commonly used. I would ask the vet, and be very wary if they still use Halothane.

I've seen animals react badly to anaesthetic gas before and turn 'blue' (blueness of the gums and other mucous membranes as a result of a lack of oxygen) but it was usually animals with existing health problems. I can only assume if your dog was young and healthy she was having an adverse reaction to the gas. As I say, this is increasingly rare these days, but not unheard of I suppose.

Perhaps trying another vet would be a good idea - I don't want to dis this vet though, without knowing the full story! It may be that your dog has a condition that is going to make anaesthesia risky for her.

There are always options in anaesthesia to allow for any complications. I would explain the situation to any other vets you take her to, so they can give her a full examination and take the appropriate precautions. The only animals I've ever met who simply could not be anaesthetised were very seriously debilatated animals - and even then it could be done once whatever condition they had was stabilised.

Chalice

Answer 3

You would think that the vet would have some knowledge or experience with the anesthesia that he would have some idea what the problem is...
Did he do any testing before she was spayed? Blood, generally check her over, heart, glands etc?

I would lean towards an allergy, or using the incorrect anesthesia.. What breed of dog is she, some have different requirements than others.. New vet???

Answer 4

Both, I suppose a dog could react adversely to anesthesia. A vet who has never watched a dog arrest under anesthesia concerns me though. You could do some more advanced testing and lab work ups. Check for heart problems, lung function. Sometimes pre-exisisting complications like undetected upper air way infection, or pneumonia could be the problem. Even a pneumo throax (spelling), at anyrate, do some diagnostics like a superchem panel, they will know if you ask for one. But proceed with caution about another surgery.

Answer 5

looks like the vet would have tested the animal blood and his backgound to see if there was any other major problems