1) Is anesthesia safe for my pet?
Even with today's modern medications and monitors, there are inherent risks to every procedure requiring anesthesia. We take every precaution to ensure the safety of your pet including a thorough physical exam and bloodwork on your pet before administering anesthetics. We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your pet. IV fluids, antibiotics and additional medications will be administered based on individual needs. Most importantly, we carefully consider the benefits versus the risks of every procedure before any recommendations are made.
2) Why do you need to test my dog or cat's blood?
Current pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Every pet needs blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing. If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications. For animals that have minor changes to their bloodwork, the anesthetic protocol will be modified to best compensate for these changes. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.
3) Why are there different prices for bloodwork?
We offer several types of blood testing which we will go over with you prior to your pet's surgery appointment. Our doctors prefer a surgical prep screen for elective surgeries on young, healthy animals. For geriatric or ill pets, or for non-elective surgeries, more comprehensive blood tests or additional diagnostics will be recommended to ensure the safety of your pet.
4) What should I do the night before my pet's surgery?
It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. You will need to withhold food for at least 8 to 10 hours before surgery. Ask your veterinarian if water should be withheld from your pet.
5) Will my pet have stitches?
For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve and do not need to be removed later. Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. Most dogs and cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will need to watch for. If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. You will also need to limit your pet's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.
6) Will my pet be in pain?
With constant research in the areas of pain perception and control, there is very little reason why your pet should be uncomfortable post-operatively. The majority of our patients will receive pain medication before, during and after surgery. Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed, bloodwork and on the individual pet. In many cases, simply giving medications before a painful stimulus is present will keep pets comfortable after surgery.
Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but they may eat less, hide, refuse to play or tremble. If at any time you feel your pet is in pain, please do not hesitate to discuss this with one of our veterinarians.
For dogs and cats, we may prescribe an oral anti-inflammatory the day of surgery and several days after to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling. We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given by us even the morning of surgery. Most anti-inflammatory medications are given once daily but be sure to double check the prescription lable prior to administering. Some times oral analgesics are recommended in conjunction or instead of an anti-inflammatory. If we recommend a medication that we do not carry, most often it is available at a local, human pharmacy. If at any time you have a question regarding the medication we sent home or you purchased from a pharmacy, please contact us as soon as possible.
7) What other decisions do I need to make related to my pet's surgery?
While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip. If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time or ask the assistant at the time of drop off. This is especially important if the person dropping the pet off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.
When you bring your pet in for surgery, we will need to 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork. When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs with a veterinarian.
We will call you the night before your scheduled surgery appointment to confirm the time you will be dropping your pet off and to answer any questions you might have. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or surgery.
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