Perioperative anaesthetic care of the cat undergoing dental and oral procedures: key considerations.

CLINICAL CHALLENGES: Anaesthesia for dental and oral procedures in cats can be challenging and many factors need to be taken into consideration. Often it is older patients requiring these procedures and, while old age itself is not a contraindication for general anaesthesia, older patients tend to have limited homeostatic reserves and are, therefore, more prone to anaesthesia-induced insults of vital organs. Most sedative and anaesthetic agents have cardiovascular side effects, which may result in detrimental consequences in older patients in which organ reserves are likely reduced.

AIMS: The need for good patient assessment and management during the entire perianaesthetic period cannot be overemphasised. This article describes how both anaesthetic protocol and intravenous fluid therapy should be tailored to the individual cat's needs. Application of a multimodal analgesic protocol (the combination of different analgesic agents) and a balanced anaesthetic technique incorporating local nerve blocks is highly recommended and a particular focus of the review. The use of local anaesthetic agents for the latter not only provides optimal pre-emptive analgesia, but also reduces the amount of anaesthetic agents needed to maintain an adequate level of anaesthesia and, therefore, limits their side effects. Other key aspects of perianaesthetic care of the feline dental and oral patient include airway protection, monitoring and maintenance of body temperature, eye protection, and analgesia extending well into the post-anaesthetic period.

EVIDENCE BASE: The authors draw on their clinical experience and the referenced literature to provide a practical overview of this critical but often-overlooked aspect of feline dentistry.