Surgery

GENERAL INFORMATION - Your pet is being admitted to the hospital for a procedure which will involve anesthesia. We ask that you do not feed your pet after 8pm the night prior to the procedure. Small amounts of water are acceptable, and in fact water should be available to your pet throughout the night. The surgical technician will have questions and a consent form for you to sign. We try to schedule a time frame for you to bring your pet in so that we can get all the necessary information and answer all of your questions for your pet to have the safest possible experience. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, THE PET’S OWNER SHOULD BRING HIM/HER FOR THIS APPOINTMENT. It would be extremely helpful if you could walk your dog prior to coming into the hospital to allow him/her to urinate and defecate. A physical exam will be performed on every animal prior to surgery which will assess general health and allow the doctor to determine the most appropriate type of anesthetic agent to be used on each specific patient. Every attempt is made to ensure a safe anesthetic experience for your pet. WE REQUIRE THAT ALL PETS ARE CURRENT ON DISTEMPER AND RABIES VACCINATIONS PRIOR TO THE SURGERY APPOINTMENT. PLEASE BRING PROOF OF VACCINATION WITH YOU IF YOU HAVE HAD THEM DONE ELSEWHERE. WE DO NOT ACCEPT VACCINATIONS GIVEN BY THE OWNER.

PRESURGICAL BLOOD SCREENING - In addition to the Physical exam, we have the ability to perform a presurgical screening the morning that your pet is admitted to the hospital. By analyzing a blood sample we may be able to pick up abnormalities that are not clinically evident. These tests screen for anemia, diabetes, low blood sugar, liver disease, kidney disease and other problems which may adversely affect anesthesia. While this screening is not required, it is HIGHLY ADVISABLE if your pet is OVER THE AGE OF 5 YEARS OR HAS HAD MEDICAL PROBLEMS IN THE PAST.

ANESTHESIA - You also have a choice in gas anesthesia. We routinely use Isoflurane; it is a safe gas anesthesia that is minimally metabolized through the liver or kidneys and has minimal absorption into the fat cells. Once the gas is turned off, the patient wakes in less than 10 minutes. Sevoflurane is the next generation of gas anesthesia. It is less metabolized through the liver or kidneys than the Isoflurane, has no fat cell absorption and once turned off the patient will wake in less than 3 minutes. This makes it safer because it is easily adjusted during the procedure. This choice will add about $50.00 to the procedure.

FELINE LEUKEMIA/FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS - For those young cats that are being admitted for an elective procedure such as spay or neuter that appear healthy, it may be more advisable to consider testing for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency instead of presurgical screening. This suggestion is due to the high incidence of Feline Leukemia in the general cat population and is important if the vaccination history of the cat and/or the parents is unknown or they spend much of the time outside. We do suggest that you decide whether you wish to have presurgical tests before arriving on the day of your procedure. While these services are not required they are offered for your consideration. It is our attempt to ensure a safe anesthetic experience for your pet. If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them.