Final answer:
To determine if an animal is breathing while under anesthesia, one can monitor chest movements, observe the anesthesia machine's reservoir bag, and use capnography to check for carbon dioxide in exhaled breath.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are three ways to determine if an animal is breathing while hooked to an anesthesia machine:
- Monitoring the expansion and contraction of the chest wall, which indicates the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles are functioning and air is moving in and out of the lungs.
- Observing the reservoir bag of the anesthesia machine as it should inflate and deflate correspondingly with the breathing cycle of the animal.
- Using capnography to measure and display the carbon dioxide levels in the exhaled breath, which confirms the presence of respiration.
During general anesthesia, muscles necessary for breathing might not move properly. Hence, endotracheal intubation is performed to keep the airway open and secure. After surgery, it's vital to ensure that the animal's breathing muscles regain control of respiration as they recover from anesthesia.