Your pet has been scheduled for an upcoming surgery. We’re hoping this information can make surgery day as easy and stress-free as possible for you. Please carefully read all of the information below which should answer any questions you might have. To expedite your check-in on surgery day, please feel free to print out and complete the attached PRE-ANESTHETIC CONSENT FORM and bring it with you and your pet on the morning of surgery.
PREPARING FOR YOUR PET’S SURGERY:
The night before:
- Please withhold all food or treats after 10:00 pm
- You should have access to water up until the time they come to our clinic
- If you are currently administering any medications, vitamins and/or injections, please withhold the morning dose unless otherwise instructed by your pet’s doctor
- If your pet is scheduled to have one or more growths removed, please print out the attached a BODY DIAGRAM and indicate which growth(s) you would like for the doctor to remove. Please bring this with you on the day of surgery.
The morning of:
- Please make arrangements for your pet to be dropped off on the morning of surgery between 8:00 am and 9:00 am, unless other arrangements have been made in advance.
- Our veterinary technician will greet you in the morning to discuss the surgery and answer any questions you may have before escorting your pet to our treatment area.
Before surgery:
- Prior to receiving anesthesia, your surgeon will perform a thorough physical exam on your pet, review your pet’s medical history, review your pet’s blood results (if performed) and determine any risk factors. Only then will we proceed with your pet’s surgical procedure.
- Prior to anesthesia, your pet will likely be given a pre-anesthetic sedative to reduce his or her stress and ease the process.
- For pets undergoing general anesthesia, a technician will place an intravenous catheter in your pet to allow administration of fluids and medications.
During surgery:
- Surgery will take place between 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm, unless other arrangements have been made in advance
- If any questions or concerns arise, the doctor will contact you at the number you provide on the pre-anesthetic consent form so please make sure you’re available to receive phone calls during that time.
- We use a multi-modal approach to anesthesia. We customize appropriate doses of pre-anesthetic medications, injectables and/or inhalant anesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anesthesia that are safe for your individual pet.
- Our surgeon(s) and dedicated surgical technician(s) will be closely monitoring your pet continuously from beginning of anesthesia through recovery. Your pet will be monitored at all times using the same equipment your surgeon would be using if you were to have a surgical procedure. These monitors enable our technicians and surgeons to observe your pet’s temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels, respiration and blood pressure amongst other things throughout the procedure. Appropriate medications and adjustments will be made as needed based on these monitoring parameters.
After surgery:
- Once the procedure is complete and its time for your pet to wake up from anesthesia, your pet will be placed in a padded kennel with blankets and warmers to recover under the close supervision of our surgical technician.
- You are welcome to check up on your pet’s status, but rest assured that our surgical technician will call you as soon as your pet is awake and recovered from anesthesia. At this time, the technician will be able to give you all discharge instructions as well as a specific time as to when your pet will be available for pick up.
- When you arrive to take your pet home, the receptionist will check you out and the technician will go over all discharge orders verbally and give you a written copy. If you do not understand any instructions, please do not hesitate to ask them to go over them one more time.
Pain Management:
- Our doctors strongly believe in compassionate medical care for our patients and we take pain management very seriously. In addition to pain management before, during, and/or after surgery, we may send home additional medications for after your pet comes home to ensure a quick and comfortable recovery at home. Additional information will be given at discharge. We home this program will reduce any discomfort experienced and aid in a quicker recovery.
At Home:
- Please follow the discharge instructions provided to you by the surgical technician.
- Each pet recovers at a different rate. Some will come home feeling fine while others may appear “groggy” for 24-48 hours. Please don’t allow any playing, jumping or running until the date written on the discharge instructions.
- Some pets are ready to eat that nigh but some may take a day or two to regain their normal appetite. We recommend splitting the first couple of meals after surgery into several smaller meals.
- Some pets experience vomiting and/or diarrhea after anesthesia. Please let us know if this happens.
- A small amount of swelling will occasionally occur at the incision site. This occurs when blood pools under the skin. When the animal moves, a drop or two may drain from the incision. If you’re concerned about the incision site, please feel free to text us a picture or bring your pet in for us to check.
- A very small amount of licking is normal and acceptable. However, if your pet is excessively licking or chewing at the incision site, please put an e-collar “cone” on him/her to prevent irritation and infection at the incision site.
- Your pet should not have a bath or go swimming until the incision is healed completely (usually 10-14 days).
We hope surgery day will be as pleasant an experience for you as possible. Rest assured that our team knows surgery can be an anxious time and we are always available to answer any and all questions you may have at any time.