The Anesthesiology Service

During the final three years of the doctorate in veterinary medicine, the anesthesiology service actively takes part in the training of students in anesthesia for every species. The foundation of their knowledge is taught during the third year. During their fourth year, students can choose between a course in either Large animal or Small animal anesthesia. Finally, during their last academic year, students are evaluated for their clinical skills through a compulsory anesthesia rotation. The goal of the anesthesiology service during this time is to let the students play an active role in the service by guiding them through the anesthesia process of real cases..

• Electroencephalography and electrophysiological monitoring in veterinary anesthesia, with a particular focus on assessing anesthetic depth in different animal species;

• Reduction of perianesthetic morbidity and mortality in rabbits, through pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation of anxiolytics and analgesics and development of alternative sedation and induction protocols;

• Locoregional anesthesia and analgesia, including the development, refinement and clinical evaluation of techniques across different animal species;

• Perioperative pain assessment and management, including multimodal analgesic strategies and the integration of complementary approaches, particularly acupuncture, into conventional veterinary care.

The highly qualified animal health technicians play a major role in the anesthesiology service. They administer and supervise the anesthesia in small as well as in large animals and in certain exotic species. They are also closely involved in the technical training of students and interns. Among other things, the technicians teach the skills needed to place an intravenous catheter, intubate and monitor the anesthesia.  They work closely with the anesthesiologist to optimise the animal’s anesthesia and manage acute pain in our patients.