What veterinary teams still get wrong in anesthesia

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: Veterinary teams are still getting some basics of anesthesia and sedation wrong, and recent Cone of Shame podcast episodes put those gaps in practical terms. In the March 17, 2026 episode, “HDYTT: Quick Sedation in Dogs and Cats,” Tasha McNerney, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia), and host Dr. Andy Roark focused on a common clinical problem: how to sedate dogs and cats for short procedures without defaulting to full anesthesia, while still protecting the airway, managing pain, and planning for reversibility. That conversation builds on an earlier Cone of Shame discussion, “What We Get Wrong in Anesthesia,” featuring anesthesiologist Dr. Jim Lucabeche of Safe Pet Anesthesia, which framed many anesthesia errors in general practice as routine, fixable problems rather than rare catastrophes. Together, the episodes emphasize multimodal analgesia, reversible sedation protocols, practical equipment choices, and the use of local blocks to reduce reliance on inhalants and heavier anesthetic events. (drandyroark.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway is that “quick” doesn’t mean low-risk, and anesthesia improvement does not have to feel overwhelming. Roark described Lucabeche’s message as practical and confidence-building for general practice teams looking to “raise their game.” AAHA’s anesthesia and monitoring guidelines state that sedated patients, like those under general anesthesia, still require appropriate monitoring and supportive care. The same guidelines also frame anesthesia as a continuum of care, not a single event, while the AAFP feline anesthesia guidelines caution against techniques like chamber induction in agitated cats and stress the value of minimizing anxiety and maintaining vigilant monitoring through recovery. In practice, that supports McNerney’s and Lucabeche’s shared message that better protocol selection, stronger analgesia, appropriate equipment, and more deliberate monitoring can improve patient safety, workflow, and spectrum-of-care decision-making. (jaaha.kglmeridian.com)

What to watch: Expect more discussion around sedation-specific protocols, local anesthetic training, recovery standards, and practical anesthesia upgrades for general practice teams as clinics look for safer, more efficient ways to handle short procedures without treating them as low-acuity events. (drandyroark.com)