Analgesia, anesthesia, and chemical restraint in the emergent small animal patient.

Appropriate stabilization of the critically ill animal before sedation or anesthesia is imperative to minimize anesthetic complications. Problems should be anticipated and an appropriate and efficient therapeutic plan should be formulated before anesthetic induction. Use of a balanced anesthesia technique should be considered to minimize potential deleterious effects of single-use drug therapy. Using a combination of different classes of analgesics may be more effective in treating established pain than using a single agent. The critically ill animal should have drugs titrated to effect to minimize the amount of drug needed and lessen potential side effects.