On the day of your pet's surgery, you should arrive with your pet by 7:30 am, at which time we will go over the estimate for the procedure and the consent form. Your pet should be fasted for 12 hours, and can have water until the morning of surgery. We will perform a physical examination on your pet and obtain any laboratory specimens that are needed. All pets over six years of age are required to have bloodwork evaluated to make sure their liver and kidneys are able to metabolize the anesthesia. Bloodwork is not required, but highly recommended for younger pets, as they may have congenital organ problems.
Your pet will then be given a preanesthetic shot which provides sedation and pre-surgical pain relief. Anesthesia is induced with another injection- into an intravenous catheter, and then maintained with a gas anesthetic via a breathing tube. Eye lubrication is used to prevent drying or injury to the eyes, and the anesthetic monitors are attached. Warmed intravenous fluids are started and maintained throughout the entire procedure. Your pet is kept warm with our heated surgery table and additional heating devices as needed. Any necessary pain medications are given prior to your pet awakening, and we continue to monitor your pet's temperature and recovery until he/she goes home. After surgery, you will be instructed with type-written instructions by the doctor on how to proceed. Most pets return home the same day.
All anesthetic patients are monitored by a veterinary technician and a state of the art monitoring device which measures blood pressure, oxygen saturation and provides an ECG tracing of the heart. All pets have an intravenous catheter placed and fluids given to help prevent dehydration, ensure adequate blood pressure, and to provide a quick access for drugs in case of emergency. Supplemental heat sources are provided to maintain your pet's temperature and ensure comfort and a better recovery. Pain injections are given to all pets undergoing surgery prior to being awakened. We take all precautions possible to make anesthesia and surgery safe for your pet.