Observations of private veterinary practices in Colorado, with an emphasis on anesthesia

Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. aewagner@lamar.colostate.edu

RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY: To give academic faculty in anesthesia a better understanding of the anesthetic techniques used by veterinarians in private practice, in order to enhance their teaching of anesthesiology to veterinary students. METHODOLOGY: Two anesthesia faculty members visited 20 different small-animal veterinary practices, interviewing veterinarians and technical staff about their use of anesthesia and their anesthesia-related problems. RESULTS: Compared to most university veterinary teaching hospitals, private practitioners tended to use fewer anesthetic drugs, provide fewer analgesics, do more out-patient procedures, and rarely monitor blood pressure in anesthetized animals. CONCLUSION: Techniques of anesthesia and monitoring used in private veterinary practice are often quite different from those used in large university teaching hospitals.

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