I just heard of another Malinois dying after being put under for stitches - he was 4 years old and not a health concern.

Not all Malinois owners are aware that Mals are very sensitive to anesthetic. I urge all dog owners (especially those with Mals) to print the following article and take it with on your next vet visit and discuss it with your vet. Have notes made in your dog's chart so that they are there when you have an emergency.

http://www.dovetailweb.com/epix/anesthetic_primer.html

--Kelly

For people who can't remember the specifics, or don't have the article with them, it works well to just tell the vet to treat a Malinois the same way they would a site hound when it comes to anesthetics. Most vets are familiar with the sensitivity of the site hounds to drugs, in part because of their low body fat content.

Thanks Kelly and Kadi! I didn't know this Great info.

Thanks! I didn't know either... Yikes! Just in time, too. Haiku did something to her right leg/knee/hip and I'm seeing a specialist on Saturday. Thanks, again!

I'm pretty sure that the information applies to ANY dog with very low body fat. Which would apply to many working/sport dogs.

 Quote: Mara Jessup

I'm pretty sure that the information applies to ANY dog with very low body fat. Which would apply to many working/sport dogs.

Agreed, Mara. I am hoping that the article will get people thinking and discussing the potential problems with their vet before they encounter an emergency situation.

I think I remember Cindy(Rhodes) saying something, many years ago, about mals having greater & or leaner muscle mass then other breeds & therefor have different needs when it come to anesthesia. Something like that. Not a mal owner..so I only have recal her remark.

It was most likely on here somwhere. But I know it was like 6-7 n years ago. Maybe someone can find it.

Because I have a couple of brachycephalic dogs, I've researched G.A. extensively. Propofol is what the vet uses on my dogs.


http://www.justanswer.com/dog-health/2i4r4-supposedly-belgian-sheepdogs-malinois-tervuren-sensitive.html

Dr. Loretta replied (about Sheepdogs/Malinois/Tervuren):

My experience in anesthesia wit these breeds is widespread after years of this. It is particularly bad using the barbiturates which, years ago, was the drug of choice for induction. It has always been tricky on these breeds diue to a low body fat ratio. The anesthesias, as you know, can be deposited into the fat cells allowing it to remain in the system longer. Belgians and Tervurens do not have this. Propofol has now become the drug of choice for induction or short procedures. I have not had any difficulty with this medication in these breeds due to its very short acting range.


http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/belgian-malinois

Anesthesia Sensitivity. Belgian Malinois are very sensitive to anesthesia. They have a higher than average rate of death when put under anesthesia because of their muscle to fat ratio. Be sure your vet understands this sensitivity before allowing your Malinois to have surgery or even have its teeth cleaned.

When I accidentally docked Caterina's tail with the car door, the vet used the Dormitor/Antisedan combination.

Since it was an emergency visit, I had to play tech, and it kind of freaked me out a bit... Cat's respiration was VERY shallow to the point where I thought she had stopped breathing. The vet poked her eye and she blinked so we knew she was fine... but it was unsettling to say the least....

 Quote: Lisa Brazeau

Thanks! I didn't know either... Yikes! Just in time, too. Haiku did something to her right leg/knee/hip and I'm seeing a specialist on Saturday. Thanks, again!

Do you know about the other precautions that make G/A much much safer? As I mentioned, having senior brachycephalic rescues means that I keep up as well as I can on the safest G/A protocols.

But along the way I found that not all vets' GP includes steps that I now know are very important, and it behooves us to ask and to make sure we have signed up for these.

Number One: http://www.americananimalcare.com/iv_catheter_fluids_surgery_anesthesia.html

Number Two:
http://www.americananimalcare.com/pethealth/surgical_monitoring_anesthesia.html

and QUOTE: Before any major surgery I suggest you have your veterinarian perform a B.U.N. and creatinine test to gauge kidney health and ALT, AP, bilirubin, and cholesterol tests to detect liver problems. Glucose analysis and total blood proteins detect diabetes or other debilitating diseases and an EKG may detect heart problems. Include a hematocrit, a differential and total white blood cell count. It is extremely rare for all these tests to be normal in a dog that is a high anesthetic risk. When we know of problems in advance we can make modifications in anesthesia that protect your pet's life. from http://www.2ndchance.info

As mentioned, having a catheter in place so there's no dicking around looking for a vein in an emergency, and having a staff member present whose sole job is anesthesia monitoring, are not standard at all practices, so we need to ask and make sure the vet understands that we want and are prepared to pay for this.

JMO!


PS

Post surgery:
http://www.seefido.com/html/post-surgical_attention.htm