only general anesthetia?

[EmilyS]

At the vet recently for my dog's toenail problem, she said that if necessary, the nail would have to be cut off, which they do under general anesthia. I asked her why not a local for such a simple procedure and she said they always used general.

Is that true?
And if so, why?
Given the risk (however small) of general anesthia, why couldn't they use a local for a very simple procedure?

[Mary Plummer]

This is a good question, and I unfortunately don't have the answer. One problem I can think of is whether or not the dog would jerk around or move if only a local was used. I'm curious too, though, because our Mr. Blue has a bump that I think I'd like to have removed. General anesthesia kind of worries me, though. How about asking your vet? That's what I need to do with ours.

[k9Karen]

Unfortunately, the dog does not understand what the vet is trying to do. It's best to 'put them under' so they don't damage themselves by trying to get away from the procedure or the people performing it. They may also try to bite the vet or the vet techs out of fear or aggression. It could be likened to trying to do the procedure to a 2 to 4-year old human - there are not enough people who can restrain or hold him/her down to prevent problems. And why put them through that anyway - just think of the fear and pain it could instill.

[Traci]

Locals are generally used for short, quick, minor procedures. A toenail removal requires some deep cutting of tissue, pulling, and removal of the nail and bed, this would be an excruciatingly painful event for a dog under any local, it wouldn't be enough.

Mary and Karen are correct, the safety and protection of all.....dog, vet and techs needs to be taken into consideration. Dogs do not equate medical procedures with something calm, soothing or relaxing, fear will almost always prompt them to defend themselves.

General anesthesia is generally safe (i.e., ISO)....if you're concerned, ask for a pre-surgical blood screen to monitor liver and kidney function. If your dog happens to be over the age of 5, I would talk to him about an ECG at the time of the pre-surg if your breed has a heart problem predilection.

[Julie B.]

I agree that general is probably necessary. This will make the procedure easier on doctor and patient! your vet should at least run some cursory pre-anesthetic bloodwork (packed cell volume, total protein, BUN) and then feel more confident in proceeding. Also, any good anesthetist runs basic monitoring (pulse oximeter, Blood pressure, ECG, etc) Good luck, I'm sure your dog will be fine! Keep us updated.

[EmilyS]

thanks, all, for that info.
The broken nail fell off by itself.. the new nail was growing underneath it looks fine.

[davet]

a late reading and am glad it turned out ok but i think i would have used a light sedation and then either a nerve block or local infiltration...with sedation and local i can see no problem but i wasnlt there and don;t know the dog.....