Surgery Guidelines for Great
Danes
The following information
regarding both routine spay and neuter surgery as well as emergency
situations in the Great Dane (such as those involving C-sections) is
presented as a basic protocol to help avoid complications such as
DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy) which appear to occur
in a higher number of giant dogs undergoing surgery than the norm.
Therefore, the GDCA offers the following information for owners and
breeders of Great Danes.
Several veterinary clinics with
regular and extensive experience dealing with giant breeds have
developed similar protocols for surgery that can be recommended
preferentially for giant breeds. These are techniques that have
proven highly successful; both in routine spay/neuter surgeries as
well as more critical care situations, such as C-sections. Such a
set of protocols is offered below. We suggest you download it and
discuss this with your veterinarian PRIOR to any surgical
appointment.
Please review the following with your
attending veterinarian before deciding to have surgery done on your
Dane:
1. First find a veterinarian
experienced with surgeries involving giant breeds.
2. All elective surgeries, such as
spay/neuter, should be done ideally only on healthy animals. Spays
are best planned in anestrous: about 3 months after the last season.
Please insure your veterinarian is aware of any health concerns you
might have about your dog prior to surgery.
3. Prior to any surgery, request that
the veterinarian do a complete physical examination, including a
good heart auscultation, and EKG.
4. Ensure that you elect to have the
pre-surgical blood work done (CBC and serum chemistry panel) and ask
them to also include a CLOTTING PROFILE.
5. If all blood work and the exam are
normal, then schedule the surgery and fast the dog overnight. It's
not generally necessary to withhold water for 12 hours (simply put
the water bowl away at bedtime).
6. Ask that the surgeon insert an IV
catheter prior to surgery. Fluid therapy should generally be
administered as a safety precaution. Pulse oximetry and cardiac
monitoring are also recommended. If blood pressure monitoring is
available, consider any extra costs as potentially insuring
additional safety margins.
7. Spay surgery in conjunction with
C-section is not always the safest option in giant dogs. Be sure to
discuss the pros and cons of two separate surgeries vs. doing both
procedures at once with your veterinarian.
8. Currently, the induction agent,
Propofol (deprivan), and the gas anesthesia, Sevoflurane, are
considered the most ideal (safe and effective) anesthetic agents.
These agents are not always available and always cost more to use.
Valium, ketamine, and the gas isoflurane are widely available and
generally acceptable. Due to the variations in physiology in giant
breeds, drugs such as acepromazine, rompun and the thiopentals are
less appropriate choices. Discuss this with your veterinarian. Also
discuss appropriate pain control for your dog when contemplating
surgery for your Great Dane.
9. During and after surgery, dogs are
highly susceptible to hypothermia (lowered body temperature). The
body loses heat directly through the surgical opening; stress and
anesthetic agents further impair ability to maintain body
temperature. Hypothermia adversely affects the cardiovascular
system, coagulation, anesthesia recovery time and increases the risk
of wound infection. Preventive measures, including warming of IV
fluids, placing the dog on a heated pad (circulating water heating
pad or other heating pad set on “low”) and covering the body and
extremities with warmed blankets, towels, bubble wrap, or other
protective coverings post-surgery are vital in conserving body heat.
Temperature monitoring, either via electronic device or rectal
thermometer, should be done during surgery and periodically
throughout recovery.
Prepared by the Health and Welfare
committee of the Great Dane Club of America. Written by Sue Cates,
RVT and reviewed by LeAnn Lake-Heidke, DVM.
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