Anesthesia - technique, use and type - are extremely important and could greatly affect the health of your pig. Inhalant anesthesia, using Isoflorane and no pre-anesthesia such as atropine or glycopyrilate is probably the safest, easiest and best, but is expensive. Quick recovery and few side effects are expected.

Halothane should be safe as well since the malignant hyperthermia gene is not present in minipigs. Injectable anesthesia is seldom a viable alternative.

Injection sites in pigs are difficult to reliably know if the dose was administered to fat, muscle, or blood, which in each case can have a widely different effect on level of anesthesia and recovery time. Violent recoveries are the norm. If IV catheters are present, injectable anesthetics are much cheaper and more effective.

Anesthesia should be used for castration, spaying, entropion surgery or any major surgery. Anesthesia is not necessary for hoof trimming, vaccinations, or trimming of small tusks. As tusks increase in size, anesthesia may become necessary. In general, less anesthesia, less risk.

Written by Arlen M. Wilbers, DVM