Midwest Anesthesia Consulting Veterinary Services LLC

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Midwest Anesthesia Consulting Veterinary Services LLC

MACvet provides mobile veterinary anesthesia consultations & RACE-approved training services. Our aim is to make advanced anesthesia accessible to all animals.

03/24/2026

🔎 SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE OF THE MONTH:
Impact of combining dexmedetomidine with either acepromazine or atropine on sedation quality & cardiopulmonary values in dogs 🐕

Do you pre-medicate with an anticholinergic (either atropine or glycopyrrolate) before administering dexmed? Have you also ever thought to combine both sedatives - ace & dexmed - together in the hopes of improving either sedation or cardiovascular impacts?

Well this study might make you think twice about that combo… 🤨😟

This study is just one of many that shows how detrimental the pre-administration of anti-cholinergics prior to dexmedetomidine (alpha2-agonist) administration can be 🫣 While many worry about the bradycardia that occurs from dexmed administration, we must all remember that this is a REFLEX-bradycardia that the body does on purpose to counteract the vasoconstriction & systemic hypertension that occurs from dexmed 📈👎 It is only appropriate to consider anticholinergic administration once the vasoconstriction has subsided and the patient then becomes hypotensive amidst concurrent bradycardia 📉👌

For those familiar with Zenalpha (medetomidine+vatinoxan) being a similar combo to dexmed+acepromazine, this was an early study before Zenalpha hit the shelves to potentially show how the contrasting alpha-receptor profiles may “minimize” cardiovascular effects. However, this study and Zenalpha-studies have shown that there ultimately can still be an overall negative effect on cardiac output (especially when inhalants are included) 🙅🏻‍♀️

As you can see, there are no appreciable benefits to combining these drugs in this manner 🙃 This study is a great example of how understanding the receptors your anesthetic drugs work at (yay for pharmacology!) makes it SO much easier to know what effects to anticipate 👩🏻‍⚕️📚💉

Reach out to us if you’d like to understand more about the relationship between dexmedetomidine, acepromazine, and anticholinergics 📩

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03/20/2026

Are we the only ones that find these round CO2-absorbent granules just SO CUTE?! 😻

Carbon Dioxide Absorbents exist in our anesthetic machines to help remove excess CO2 from the air our patients expire, thereby helping prevent Rebreathing of CO2 (indicated by ⬆️FiCO2).

Many of us know that the granules change pretty colors when they’re working & binding CO2, but did you know that the color change only occurs when that chemical reaction is ACTIVELY occurring? When brand new or when used/exhausted, the granules are white in both cases ⚪️ So if the granules remain white the whole anesthesia, how do you know they’re working…. 🤨?

Your other clues are looking for heat 🔥 and moisture💧production! Aside from the color change, these are also produced during that active chemical reaction and you can often times look inside for signs of condensation and/or feel the canister become warm (much easier to notice in large animal anesthetic machines).

Little tips and tricks to ensure we’re providing fabulous anesthetic care to our patients!

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03/17/2026

☘️ In the spirit of St.Patrick’s day, here’s a well-fitting 🧞 MYTH or REALITY 🧬:

Red-Head Syndrome exists in our veterinary patients (e.g. Golden Retrievers, Irish Setters)

MYTH! 🙅🏻‍♀️

Red-Head Syndrome is a well known genetic variance in humans where individuals with red hair often require higher anesthetic requirements compared to other people 👨‍🦰🔥 This anesthetic consideration is due to a mutation in the MC1R-gene that impacts nociceptors and results in these individuals sometimes needing almost 20% more anesthetics/analgesics 💉

While this is well described in human anesthesiology, there is NO EVIDENCE of this in veterinary anesthesiology 🙂‍↔️ If your veterinary patient has red-fur and seems to be needing more anesthetics, it’s more likely a temperament and/or dosing issue than anything related to their “hair color” 😅

Do you have any other anesthesia myths you want proven or debunked? Share your favorites with us below! 📩

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03/12/2026

Join our very own Dr. Gaby TONIGHT at 8pm CST for a VIN/IVAPM Rounds to talk about why Pain Scoring in your canine & feline patients is so important!

Think assessing pain in animals is a pain in itself? Let’s change that mindset!

Learn why pain is the 5th vital sign and why implementing pain assessment tools in your practice is important for the well-being of your patients. This session will teach you how to make pain scoring easy and fun for your team, with the ability to practice your assessment skills through interactive video examples of pain assessment cases. This webinar will focus on pain assessment, not necessarily treatments, in small animal patients only.

SIGN UP NOW ➡️ https://www.vin.com/vinmembers/rounds?id=13083945&f5=1

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03/10/2026

We’ve been a bit busy… MACvet is back in Chicagoland after a full week of on-site trainings on the East Coast! 🤩

👩🏻‍⚕️ Dr. Gaby was able to provide insightful anesthesia training in-person to team members from SIX different clinics in the Baltimore/Virginia area 👩🏻‍🏫 She also helped learners apply & reinforce their new skills during real-life cases, including a septic anesthesia case 💉🩺

Training trips like these are SO fulfilling for MACvet and we can’t wait to see these engaged veterinary professionals enhance the anesthetic care their patients receive 🫶

If your team or a group of collaborating hospitals are interested in on-site trainings, reach out to us today! 📩

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03/01/2026

🥇Congrats to our learners who completed our inaugural Anesthesia Crash Course with PetOne Training Center!

Doctors, Nurses, and Assistants joined Dr.Gaby for a 2-day course filled with anesthesia insights covering everything from minimum monitoring standards, to pharmacology of anesthetic drugs, to saving lives through RECOVER CPR Guidelines, to performing advanced nerve blocks like epidurals in our lab 💉🚫⚡️

Our learners left with SO many new insights into how they can bring advanced anesthesia skills to their patients and their team members, no matter their role or their veterinary sector 🙌

Training events like these, especially when geared towards GP veterinary professionals, fills our heart 🫶 and fuels MACvet’s mission even more!

Shout out to the wonderful PetOne Training Center staff members (Jennifer & Jessica) for coordinating all the ins-and-outs for our attendees to have a phenomenal learning experience! 🙏

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02/23/2026

🔎 SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: Breed-Specific Anesthetic Mortality in Cats 🐈

We made sure not to forget our feline friends after our SAM back in Nov 🐱 From the same authors as the canine-mortality study, this feline study out of reviewed a large cohort of cat anesthesia cases & found that , when compared to dogs, less breed-specific and more morphologic-specific awareness should be had when anesthetizing cats 💉💊

They discovered that of all cat breeds assessed, PERSIAN CATS consistently showed the highest risk for anesthetic-related death, with their brachycephalic morphology likely a large factor in those results 🙀 Just like in the canine-study, ASA Status had a significant correlation with risk of death during anesthesia 📊

Cats are special creatures with specific needs 🫶 Reach out to us for recommendations on how to ensure your feline patients receive appropriate and successful anesthetic care 📩

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02/17/2026

🧧 HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR - Year of the Fire Horse 🔥🐴

Equine anesthesia is its own special sector of veterinary anesthesia 🐎 Horses present with very specific anesthetic needs due to their large size impacting vital physiological functions like cardiovascular, respiratory, and neuromuscular considerations.

Unlike small animals patients, it is CRUCIAL that equine patients are standing for full recovery from anesthesia to occur. This is imperative to avoid neuromuscular injuries from prolonged recumbency, which can at times lead to fatalities or euthanasia. Anesthesia teams aid horses in recovery through various means (e.g. slings, ropes, pools, support mats), but ultimately it’s up to the horse to have the physical strength to get up and STAY UP 🆙🤞

For the horse folks out there, share your amazing equine anesthesia story below! 👇

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02/14/2026

📣 This is a disappointing sentiment I hear all too often in every sector of vet med: “well Fluffy woke up so it’s all fine” or “they didn’t die so that’s all that matters” …

Avoiding death / peri-anesthetic mortality should NEVER be the main or only goal we set for ourselves when providing anesthesia to our patients 🪦🚫🙅🏻‍♀️

Just because an incision was closed doesn’t mean the surgery went well (e.g. OVH pedicle dropped and bled, angle for TPLO was less than ideal), so why not also care about the quality or potential for morbidity when it comes to anesthesia?

Vet med should and can focus on the QUALITY of anesthesia —
* Are the patient’s cardiopulmonary needs met? How do I know they’re being met?
* Am I providing appropriate and effective pain management for this patient and this procedure?
* If something is amiss, am I prepared to fix it? Could it have been prevented?
* Do I know why I chose to administer this drug? Does it make sense for this patient’s needs or is it for my convenience?

This sentiment in our field NEEDS TO CHANGE 👏 Our patients and their families deserve better anesthetic care standards from us. We should always aim for our patients to handle anesthesia like Olympians, with us as their coaching team ensuring they’re supported every anesthetic step of the way🏅

MACvet is here to make sure all teams CAN & know HOW to focus on the quality of anesthesia they’re providing 🫶

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02/08/2026

‼️CALLING ALL NVA VET MED FOLKS 🚨

Come join MACvet for an Anesthesia Crash Course at the NVA PetOne Training Center 🤓

Dr. Gaby will be providing NVA veterinary professionals tips and tricks to successful anesthetic care in general practice. The 2-day course will have both lecture & lab-based learning that will cover foundational skills in:

* the anesthesia machine
* monitoring equipment
* pharmacology of anesthetic & analgesic drugs
* hemodynamic & respiratory management (ECG, BP, Capnography)
* Considerations for pediatrics & geriatrics
* Considerations for brachycephalics & other small animal breeds
* Pain assessment
* Nerve Block lab
* RECOVER CPR lab

Don’t miss your chance to sign up as the last few spots are filling fast!
https://gofetchinfo.com/home/ls/content/3483554211643931/anesthesia-crash-course-with-cpr-feb26

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01/30/2026

👀 GUESS WHO? The Anesthesia Version 💉

Can you guess what animal is intubated here?
HINT: this species is a direct descent of dinosaurs! 🦕

Stay tuned to find out!! 😉

01/26/2026

For those of you also experiencing the chilly winter storm, make use of it! 🥶

While hypothermia is certainly more common to see in anesthetized patients, there are certainly instances of HYPERTHERMIA that are just as important! 🌡️

Certain species (e.g 🐧) and breeds of dogs (e.g. arctic 🐕) are more likely to experience hyperthermia under anesthesia for various reasons. In Huskies and other Arctic breeds of dogs, not only does their difference in fur coat predispose them to hyperthermia, but recently we have discovered that genetic variations to their Mu-opioid receptors may also play a role 🥵

As always in vet med, sometimes we need to think outside the 📦 to help our patients! Sometimes the easiest methods are right in front of us - like this hyperthermic Samoyed receiving passive cooling measures simply by being recovered outside in Midwest winter weather ❄️

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Chicago, IL

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http://www.macvetservices.com/

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