BREED SENSITIVITIES TO ANESTHETIC DRUGS
Reproduced from Wurtsboro Veterinary Clinic
Paula Moon DVM, DACVA
Anesthesia & Analgesia
Whether or not breed sensitivities to anesthetics exist has been a frequently discussed topic within the veterinary anesthesia community. Owners, especially breeders, are often the driving force behind this perpetuating concern. Although these individuals are uniquely positioned to notice a potential nuance in a breed's reactivity to anesthesia, the tendency is to dismiss their concerns as being overly "anxious" about their pet's welfare.
However, recent data support the concept of intra-species variation to anesthetic drugs. A study by Van Swinderen, et al showed that the genetic variation in different strains of nematodes was responsible for differing halothane and isoflurane requirements. Therefore, the anecdotal tales of breed sensitivities in veterinary medicine deserve more serious consideration. The hope is that this article will initiate discussions and spark further investigations regarding this continued debate on breed sensitivities to anesthetics.
Another approach to the question of breed sensitivity is to determine if anesthetic complications are more common within certain breeds. While anesthetic complications can arise from different factors and are not synonymous with drug sensitivities, an abnormally high anesthetic complication rate within a particular breed could be due to an unidentified drug sensitivity. When Dyson, et al. evaluated small animal anesthetic complications, they found an overall complication rate of 1.3% for cats and 2.1% for dogs.
In the absence of either definitive epidemiological studies or experimental investigations establishing other true breed sensitivities to anesthetics, the cause for certain apparent breed "sensitivities" instead may be breed predispositions to a particular pathologic condition that affect anesthetic case management and may influence anesthetic outcomes.
Anesthesia & Analgesia
Whether or not breed sensitivities to anesthetics exist has been a frequently discussed topic within the veterinary anesthesia community. Owners, especially breeders, are often the driving force behind this perpetuating concern. Although these individuals are uniquely positioned to notice a potential nuance in a breed's reactivity to anesthesia, the tendency is to dismiss their concerns as being overly "anxious" about their pet's welfare.
However, recent data support the concept of intra-species variation to anesthetic drugs. A study by Van Swinderen, et al showed that the genetic variation in different strains of nematodes was responsible for differing halothane and isoflurane requirements. Therefore, the anecdotal tales of breed sensitivities in veterinary medicine deserve more serious consideration. The hope is that this article will initiate discussions and spark further investigations regarding this continued debate on breed sensitivities to anesthetics.
Another approach to the question of breed sensitivity is to determine if anesthetic complications are more common within certain breeds. While anesthetic complications can arise from different factors and are not synonymous with drug sensitivities, an abnormally high anesthetic complication rate within a particular breed could be due to an unidentified drug sensitivity. When Dyson, et al. evaluated small animal anesthetic complications, they found an overall complication rate of 1.3% for cats and 2.1% for dogs.
In the absence of either definitive epidemiological studies or experimental investigations establishing other true breed sensitivities to anesthetics, the cause for certain apparent breed "sensitivities" instead may be breed predispositions to a particular pathologic condition that affect anesthetic case management and may influence anesthetic outcomes.