What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery

Many people have questions about various aspects of their pet's surgery, and we hope this information will help.  It also explains the decisions you will need to make before your pet's upcoming surgery.

Is the anesthetic safe?

There is always some risk with anesthesia.  We take great care to ensure anesthetic safety.  A thorough physical exam is done on your pet before any medications are given.  If there are health concerns, other tests such as blood work or x-rays may be recommended.  This is one of the reasons our policy is to have an examination appointment prior to surgery if the patient is over 2 years of age.  

During anesthetic, we use an anesthetic monitoring machine as well as veterinary technicians or assistants.  All of our surgical patients have intravenous catheters placed and receive iv fluids during surgery.  The fluid rates are adjusted based on blood pressure measurements.

The amount and type of anesthetic adjusted based on your pet and the procedure being done.  Sometimes local anesthetic (freezing) is used.

Preanesthetic blood work is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia.  Blood work is a way to assess liver and kidney values to ensure that the patient can process 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.   If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.

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.  Water can be left down for the pet until the morning of surgery.

Will my pet have stitches?

For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin.  These will dissolve on their own, 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 also 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.

Will my pet be in pain?

Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals.  Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed.  Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations.

We strongly believe in keeping our patients comfortable.  This is done by using pain control medications.  The type of medication and duration of treatment depends on your pet and the procedure being done.  Most patients will receive an injection of pain control medication at time of surgery.  Usually additional medication is sent home to be given by mouth for a time after surgery.

Providing whatever pain relief is appropriate is a humane and caring thing to do for your pet.

What other decisions do I need to make?

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.  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 and make decisions on the blood testing and other options available.  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.

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.