German Shepherd's Reaction to Being 'A Little High' Delights Internet

A social media video that captured how a German shepherd reacted to general anesthetic at a veterinary center in Houston has left the internet in hysterics.

The viral video showed the dog succumbing to the effects of the anesthetic by appearing drowsy, if not "a little high," as a result. The dog's treatment took place at Echo Lane Animal Clinic in Houston, Texas.

The video had been captioned: "Lola was a very brave, and also a little high, girl today".

How Do Pets React to Anesthetics?

Patrik Holmboe, the head veterinarian at Amsterdam's Cooper Pet Care, told Newsweek how anesthetics work on pets.

"Anesthetics in dogs is a large topic, and there are certainly many different protocols and medications which can be used. These can vary greatly based on a number of factors, such as the health and age of the dog, the type of procedure being performed and the duration of anesthesia required," he said.

Holmboe said that most anesthetic procedures in dogs follow the same four steps. First, the pup will be sedated, which usually occurs between 30 and 120 minutes before the procedure.

"This is a medication generally given via injection, under the skin. It serves to both calm the animal prior to induction but also to reduce the amount of full anesthetic drugs needed during the procedure itself," Holmboe said.

After the dog has been sedated, it goes through the process of being made fully unconscious. "It is almost always by injectable medication given intravenously," Holmboe said.

Afterward, the dog will go through a step that Holmboe labels "maintenance," where an anesthetic gas will be delivered to the pet at a constant rate through a breathing tube inserted into the windpipe. Depending on the intensity of the procedure, the level at which the pup receives the anesthetic gas can be adjusted.

Following the maintenance stage, the dog will begin its recovery.

"This is the process of the dog waking up after the procedure is complete. Just like in humans, the dog will be monitored during this stage to make sure things go smoothly and that the animal wakes up safely," Holmboe said.

He went on to explain that most dogs, regardless of their individual breed type, will react similarly to anesthetics. "The modern drugs used are very good too," he said.

"They can induce and maintain a surgical level of anesthetic for as long as is required, but once stopped or reversed, the animal can wake up relatively quickly."

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it was shared to the social media platform on August 22 by @EchoLaneAnimalClinic, the TikTok post has been liked by over 367,000 users and commented on more than 1,200 times.

"She's so brave, she's so well behaved," one user wrote.

"What is her prescription?" another user asked.

"I wish my vet and techs would go this far to make my dog comfortable," shared a different TikTok-er.

Newsweek reached out to @EchoLaneAnimalClinic for comment via TikTok.

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