True risks of anaesthesia in dogs

(Image: Pixabay CC0) A team of researchers at the Royal Veterinary College and the University of Manchester used data from more than 150,000 dogs in the UK to assess the risk of death from sedation and general anaesthetics. A new VetCompass study, led by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the University of Manchester, has revealed a relatively low risk of death from sedation and general anaesthetics for dogs in the UK. The research was carried out with the aim of generating up-to-date information to help improve shared decision-making between veterinary professionals and owners. The paper, ' Mortality Related to General Anaesthesia and Sedation in Dogs under UK Primary Veterinary Care ', published in Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, used data from more than 150,000 dogs attending first opinion veterinary practices around the UK. The study examined the overall risk of death for each dog which had at least one sedation and/or anaesthesia procedure over a set period of time. The study also specifically focuses on anaesthesia related to neutering (spaying and castration) in dogs because these procedures are so common in the UK and the worry about the anaesthetic risk can cause real concern for owners. The findings showed that currently this risk is 14 deaths in 10,000 dogs within two weeks of sedation/anaesthesia procedures carried out for any reason, of which 10 deaths per 10,000 are within 48 hours of these procedures.