During general anesthesia, our patients are monitored closely by a registered animal health technician for heart rate, body temperature, respiratory rate, and capillary refill time. We chart your pet’s statistics every 5 minutes from the moment he/she is anesthetized to the time when he or she wakes up. To assist the technician in monitoring your pet, a heart monitor is used to detect any abnormalities related to heart function. A pulse oximeter is used to measure the oxygen content in the blood system of your pet, and a blood pressure monitor is used to check the blood pressure. This continual monitoring allows us to intervene quickly in the event of an anesthetic related problem to ensure the safety of your pet.
