Anesthesia and the Japanese Chin
The greatest danger from anesthetics is improper processing of the drug by the Japanese Chin metabolism. Most anesthetics are eliminated from the blood stream through the liver and kidneys. Older Japanese Chin in particular can have defects in these organs that can cause complications under anesthesia.
If you are concerned about this, your vet can do a preliminary blood panel to detect potential problems. If your Japanese Chin has a heart murmur or a respiratory problem make sure your vet is aware of it. These are not neccessarily problems during anesthesia, but will allow your vet to make an informed decision should a problem arise. You should also ask your vet if they know of any problems peculiar to your breed.
Sighthounds in particular are more sensitive to anesthetic and require lower levels to achieve the same effect. Make sure that you keep a complete medical history of your Japanese Chin and that you take a copy of it with you whenever you change vets.
With the new anesthetics on the market today, there are many safer methods than in the past. However, much anesthesia is accompanied by intubation, or the insertion of a breathing tube in the trachea. Much caution should be excerised during this procedure.
Make very certain that the person performing this procedure is trained in the care of a short-nosed breed such as the Chin, and that there are guarantees of using the right sized breathing tube. Permanent damage to the trachea can be caused by the improper insertion of the tube, or using a larger tube that the trachea of a short-nosed dog can handle. If you have any questions, ASK your veterinarian or insist that a different type of anesthesia be used, depending on the surgical procedure being done.
