Banfield gives new anesthesia guidance

Banfield Pet Hospital has published an updated edition of the company's pet anesthesia guidelines, which are available to all.

Those guidelines, Anesthesia and Analgesia for the Veterinary Practitioner: Canine and Feline, are available at www.banfield.com/anesthesia. Their publication follows Banfield's also-free book "Anesthesia for the Pet Practitioner," the third edition of which was published in 2011.

In a Jan. 31 announcement, Banfield officials said they have collected vast amounts of data through more than 1,000 company hospitals, and they feel a responsibility to share their insights and resources with the veterinary profession.

The guidelines include a medical quality standards program that describes behaviors and actions supportive of a comprehensive anesthesia program. They also include aids for all phases of anesthesia, a dosage calculator, and a patient monitoring form.