Routine veterinary anaesthetic management practices in South Africa

A survey of the routine anaesthetic management of dogs and cats during ster ilisation by veterinarians in South Africa was conducted. This report descr ibes the premedication, induction and maintenance agents most commonly used in dogs and cats. Information about monitoring of patients during the proc edure and who is responsible for induction of anaesthesia and monitoring wa s obtained. Questionnaires were analysed with regard to demographic data, p ractice size, continuing education, the number of surgical procedures and s terilisations performed per week and an estimate of yearly mortality. Acety lpromazine is the most commonly used premedication in dogs and xylazine in cats. Thiopentone in dogs and alphaxalone/alphadolone in cats were the indu ction agents most commonly used. Alphaxalone/alphadolone in cats and haloth ane in dogs are the most commonly used maintenance agents. Records of anaes thesia are poorly kept and monitoring of patients is poorly performed. Resp iratory rate is the parameter most commonly monitored (90.7 %), and in most cases is the sole parameter. On average 10.34 +/- 8.25 cats were operated per week, of which 5.45 +/- 5.60 were sterilised; 17.79 +/- 11.61 dogs were operated per week, of which 8.65 +/- 7.10 were sterilised. In total, 190 p atients died under anaesthesia, a mortality rate of 1:1243. Just over 50 % of practitioners had attended continuing education courses during their car eers.