Anesthesia and Stroke in Dogs

As a dog owner, you have responsibilities to care for your pet to the best of your abilities. This includes regular visits to the veterinarian. Unfortunately, there may also be times when your pet is injured or suffering from some type of medical condition that requires the veterinarian to use anesthesia in order to treat him properly. For this reason, it's important to know what anesthesia and stroke in dogs have in common and if it can induce a stroke in your pet.

  1. Benefits of Anesthesia

    • Anesthesia can have benefits for your dog.

      Anesthesia allows veterinarians to perform many lifesaving procedures and operations in dogs that would not otherwise be possible. The anesthesia immobilizes the dog so the veterinarian can work on him without him feeling any of the pain associated with surgery. This helps to reduce the risks of complications because the animal is not moving around and trying to get away. However, anesthesia is not used without some risk, and your pet could have serious complications.

    Can Anesthesia Cause Strokes in Dogs?

    • There are two different types of strokes that occur in canines. One is called ischemic; this usually occurs when the blood flow to the brain is blocked in the artery. The other type is called hemorrhagic, and it occurs when your pet begins hemorrhaging. Since anesthesia can cause low blood pressure and other problems related to cardiac arrest, it's possible for a dog to have a stroke while under anesthesia or afterwards if there were complications during the surgery. However, this is very rare.

    Signs of a Stroke

    • Do you know the signs of dog stroke?

      The signs of a stroke in dogs are loss of balance, falling down and moving in circles. He may tilt his head to one side or turn the wrong way when called. He will show signs of confusion, depression and loss of sight. He may also lose bowel or bladder control and may experience a seizure. If your pet is having a stroke while under the effects of anesthesia, the veterinarian may not know because none of these signs will be present. Even when someone is monitoring your pet's vital signs carefully, it can still be difficult to know there is a problem.

    Is Anesthesia Considered Safe to Use?

    • While the death rate for pets due to using anesthesia is higher than that in humans, the anesthesia used today is considered much safer than the ones used in the past. This significantly lowers the risk factor, but there are still risks to consider. The reason more problems arise is because it's difficult to monitor blood pressure in dogs, which is the first sign of a problem. There is no way to predict how a dog will react to anesthesia in advance. It will depend on many different circumstances.

    Is It Worth the Risk?

    • Anytime anesthesia is used, there are health risks involved and death is possible. These risks vary with each pet based on their unique situation and overall health. However, the risk of your pet having a stroke due to the anesthesia is very slim. If the procedure is necessary, the risks are considered small and outweigh the risks of not having the procedure done. Talk to your veterinarian and he can help you decide if it's worth the risk based on your dogs particular situation.