Surgical Information
Review the information below before your surgical appointment.
Please review the below information before your appointment.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call us.
On your pets’ surgery day, we require you to review and sign an Authorization/Estimate Form, allowing you to choose optional services.
We require a phone number(s) where you can be reached on the day of the surgery. Failure to be reached on the day of the procedure may result in the postponement of the surgery.
The night before your pet’s surgery:
- Withhold all food and treats after 9:00 PM.
- Water may be left down after this time period.
- If you are currently administering any medications, vitamins and/or injections, withhold the morning doses unless otherwise instructed by the doctor.
Please make arrangements for your pet to be dropped off on the morning of the scheduled surgery, unless other arrangements have been made with our team in advance. For example, new clients are required to have a presurgical visit on the morning of the procedure and may not have an appointment until later. At the time of drop-off, our team will be happy to answer any questions/concerns and collect your Authorization Form.
Our veterinary nurse will escort your pet to the surgical prepping area to wait for their surgery. If you have selected any of the recommended blood tests, our nurse will collect all blood samples and tests prior to surgery.
If any questions arise, the doctor may contact you at the number on the Authorization Form.
You are welcome to check up on your pet’s status. However, we request that you allow plenty of time for your pet’s procedure to be done. At this time, we will be able to give you an idea when your pet may be discharged. When you arrive to take your pet home, the receptionist will bill you out, and the veterinary nurse 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.
We hope surgery day will be a pleasant experience. Remember, our team knows surgery can be an anxious time, and we are always available to answer any and all questions concerning the upcoming procedure.
We look forward to serving you and your pet on the upcoming surgery day and years to come!
PRE-ANESTHETIC BLOOD TESTING INFORMATION
Our greatest concern is the well-being of your pet. Before putting your pet under anesthesia, we routinely perform a full physical examination.
We also highly recommend and sometimes require that a pre-anesthetic blood profile be performed on all pets undergoing anesthesia to maximize patient safety.
The pre-anesthetic blood profile helps alert our surgeon to the presence of dehydration, anemia, infection, diabetes, and/or kidney or liver disease that could complicate the procedure. These conditions may not be detected without a pre-anesthetic profile, thus not allowing for the most appropriate and safest anesthetic regime to be administered. These tests are similar to those your own physician would run if you were to undergo anesthesia. In addition, these tests may be useful if your pet’s health changes to develop faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments. State-of-the-art equipment enables us to perform the pre-anesthetic blood profile at our hospital, and we are committed to making this technology available to our patients.
The Authorization Form you will sign on your pet’s surgery date will offer pre-anesthetic blood work. The Quantitative Blood Count (QBC) and Pre-Anesthetic Profile which includes:
- CBC: PCV (Anemia), White Blood Cell Count (Infection) & Red Blood Cell Count
(Anemia/Bleeding Disorder), Platelet Count (Clotting Disorder) - Profile: BUN and Creatinine (Kidney), ALKP and ALT (Liver), Glucose (Sugar), Total Protein (Dehydration), and Electrolytes (Imbalance).
- Owner Elects to Decline the recommended pre-anesthetic blood tests at this time but requests that we proceed with the procedure. This is indicated by NOT checking the optional procedures.
You will notice other tests available that are not included in the above choices. We have selected tests that give the doctors a suitable overview of healthy patients. However, if the patients are in their senior years (above seven years old) or are sick, the FULL senior profile can be done on the day of the procedure at the owner’s request. It has been included in the high amount estimate.
We realize surgery and anesthesia are scary for both the owner and patient, and we attempt to make surgery day as safe and comfortable for all involved. The physical examination and blood work done prior to any surgical procedure allows us to best minimize anesthetic and surgical risks and maximize patient safety.
If you have any questions or hesitations about the scheduled procedure, please do not hesitate to call us to discuss any aspect of the upcoming procedure.
SURGICAL INFORMATION
Anesthetic Procedures & Risks
We use a combination of pre-anesthetic medications/injectable and/or inhalant anesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anesthesia that are safe for your pet.
For short procedures, an injectable anesthetic is given alone that produces a good plane of surgical anesthesia with a quick recovery.
For most procedures, your pet is anesthetized and then intubated (insertion of a tube into the trachea or windpipe). This will ensure that your pet is able to receive oxygen at all times and prevents aspiration of any fluids into the lungs.
For procedures that require minimum sedation, an injectable anesthetic is given that produces a good plane of sedation with quick recovery. Anesthesia is maintained with a gas anesthetic, Iso and Sevo. These anesthetics are very safe and are not metabolized by the body. This allows us to have more control over anesthetic depth, and it is less irritating to the airways. Another advantage is a quick induction using a mask verses using injectable anesthetics that require metabolism from the body.
Monitoring & Pain Management
The monitoring of patients during anesthesia is done in two ways. First, a veterinary nurse is with your pet continuously from the beginning of anesthesia to recovery. Second, we have a computerized monitor that records heart rate, pulse rate, oxygen levels, respiration, ECG, core, and rectal temperature.
Our clinic strongly believes in compassionate, quality medical care for our patients. As a result, all surgery patients will receive pain management before, during, and after surgery. Additionally, pain medication may be prescribed home. Additional information will be given at discharge. We hope this program will reduce any discomfort experienced and aid in a quicker recovery.
Intravenous Catheterization & Fluids
We highly recommend the placement of an IV catheter and the use of IV fluids during all anesthetic procedures. This allows us to have quick, available access to the circulatory system (blood) in case of an unforeseen emergency. The fluids help provide support to the circulatory system and prevent dehydration, as well as aid in a quicker recovery from anesthesia.
Potential Surgical Complications
Canine and Feline Spay
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Recurrent Heat
- Urinary Incontinence
- Weight Gain
- Suture Reactions
Canine and Feline Alter
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Testicular Swelling
- Suture Reaction (Canine Only)
Tumor/Lump Removal
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Swelling and Drainage
- Suture Reaction
It is important for you to understand that there is always a risk of anesthetic and surgical complications anytime these procedures are performed. We strive to take the highest quality care of your pet and take all the added precautions you allow to avoid potential problems. Thank you for entrusting your pet to us.