Levantamento de protocolos anestésicos em cães idosos atendidos no Hospital Veterinário Mário Dias Teixeira (HOVET) da Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (2022-2023)

Abstract

The increase in the number of dogs reaching old age has been becoming increasingly common in small animal medical clinics. This trend is attributed, among other factors, to advancements in anesthetic protocols, which enable surgeries capable of extending life expectancy. The objective of this study was to report the anesthetic protocols applied to dogs aged 7 years or older in the anesthesiology department of the Veterinary Hospital Dr. Mario Dias Teixeira at the Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Belém Campus (HOVET-UFRA). The methodology employed was a retrospective study using data obtained from anesthetic records from the years 2022 and 2023. The following variables were collected: sex, age, weight, surgical procedure, medical history, pre-anesthetic medication, induction, anesthesia maintenance, local blocks, and complementary exams (electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, ultrasonography, and radiographs). Additionally, patients were evaluated during these periods, considering hematological and biochemical alterations, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Two hundred and seventy-one (271) elderly dogs (7-24 years old), with a higher occurrence of females, underwent anesthetic-surgical procedures during the study years. Among these, 53.5% (145/271) were mixed-breed dogs, 17% (46/271) were Shih Tzus, and 5.9% (16/271) were Yorkshire Terriers, while Miniature Pinschers, Dachshunds, and Pitbulls represented 5.2% (14/271), 2% (7/271), and 1.1% (3/271), respectively. 8.4% (24/271) of other animals belonged to various breeds, with 1 to 2 animals per breed. Regarding comorbidities, 34.69% (94/271) of animals were obese, 11.8% (32/271) had heart diseases, 1.85% (5/271) had urinary alterations, 0.37% (1/271) had seizures, 0.37% (1/271) had diabetes mellitus, and 0.37% (1/271) had canine distemper. 2.6% (7/271) of the evaluated protocols resulted in the death of the animals. Among the anesthetic protocols used, the combination of morphine and acepromazine as pre-anesthetic medication accounted for 18.45% (50/271), 76.38% (207/271) used propofol, ketamine, and fentanyl for anesthesia induction, and 42.07% (114/271) used isoflurane for anesthesia maintenance. Local anesthetic blocks comprised 37.27% (101/271) of the protocols. The anesthetic protocol can be safe for elderly dogs, considering pre-operative evaluations, laboratory tests, comorbidities, and other measures to minimize surgical risks.