A Guide to the Anesthetic Management of Canine Models in Cardiac Surgery

Effective anesthetic management is essential in the long-used canine model for cardiac surgery research, as it ensures the welfare of the animals involved and the reliability and applicability of experimental results. The veterinary literature reflects a higher perioperative mortality rate in dogs (0.1%-0.4%) compared to humans (<0.01%). These differences highlight the need for protocols that minimize risks and enhance safety. Many researchers performing cardiac anesthesia in canine models do not have formal training in anesthesiology. We highlight important considerations for designing surgical experiments and administering anesthesia to dogs undergoing cardiac procedures. By providing surgeon-scientists with turnkey dosing matrices and physiologic benchmarks, this guide reduces pharmacologic variability, enhances experimental reproducibility, aids in satisfying Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee mandates, and ultimately accelerates the design and execution of rigorous cardiac surgical experiments.