N1033787
1.3 Anaesthetic effects on body temperature
The aims of anaesthesia( and analgesia) are to:
• Prevent awareness of, and response to, pain
• Provide restraint and immobility of the animal and relaxation of skeletal muscles when this is required for a particular procedure
• Achieve both of the above without jeopardizing the life and safety of the animal before, during and after anaesthesia( Jones, 2016).
Although necessary to facilitate many investigations and treatments, it is known that general anaesthesia can have negative effects on the body. It can affect the thermoregulatory mechanisms such as vasoconstriction and shivering, impeding the animal’ s ability to thermoregulate resulting in a decrease in body temperature, causing hypothermia( Kim et al, 2022).
1.4 Body Condition Score( BCS)
Body condition scoring is a method used to evaluate the body fat accumulation in dogs( Chun et al, 2019). Assessing BCS is subjective and involves visual assessment and palpation of the animal( Sanderson, 2010). There are two scales that can be used to assign a dog’ s BCS, either the 5-point or 9-point scale. The 9-point scale is commonly used, with scores of 4 and 5 indicating the ideal weight( Chun et al, 2019). It is considered more accurate than the 5-point scale as each 1-point change from ideal represents a 5 % increase or decrease of percentage body fat, in comparison to the 5-point where each point represents a 10 % change( Sanderson, 2010). Studies have shown that dog owners often misevaluate their pets BCS, scoring them significantly lower than veterinary professionals( Eastland-Jones et al, 2014).
1.5 Effects of Hypothermia
Hypothermia is known to have various effects on the body. It can affect the pharmacokinetics of some drugs, altering their duration and metabolism, impair blood coagulation and reduce the function of the immune system( Mosing, 2016). It can cause bradycardia and cardiac arrythmias and cause depression of the baroreceptor reflex and the respiratory system( Pottie
ANIM32126 – EBVN Project 11