The American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia Small Animal Anesthesia and Sedation Monitoring Guidelines 2025

Abstract

The American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA) in collaboration with the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society and the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia have revised and expanded the 2009 guidelines. The 2025 guidelines include updated recommendations for monitoring circulation, oxygenation, ventilation, body temperature, neuromuscular blockade, and anesthetic depth in feline and canine patients. Monitoring during sedation (sedation-specific guidelines are in the Monitoring During Sedation Section), recommendations for personnel managing the patient, and the use of cognitive aids have been incorporated. This document is meant to establish guidelines for monitoring small animals during sedation and in the perianesthetic time period. Further information concerning techniques, reference values, differential diagnoses, and details of various interventions can be found in the reference literature cited at the end of this paper. These guidelines use objective, evidence-based criteria whenever possible; however, some of the recommendations are a consensus of expert opinion and clinical experience. This document is intended to guide monitoring of small animal patients during sedation and anesthesia; it is not to be construed as a standard of care as the choice of monitoring techniques and methods can vary depending on the type of practice and spectrum of care considerations. Alternative methods are suggested if a minimally recommended technique is unavailable.