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.

What is laser surgery?

Laser surgery is recognized in human and veterinary medicine for its benefits to both patient and surgeon. While several types of lasers are used the primary device for soft tissue surgery in small animal practices is a carbon dioxide laser. Laser is used on all of our surgical patients when possible. Benefits of laser surgery include:

Is the anesthetic safe?

Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  Here at West Brant Animal Hospital, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won't be a problem.  We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your pet and their breed. All pets are monitored by a dedicated registered veterinary technician and the use of a state of the art piece of equipment which monitors blood pressure, EKG waves, oxygen levels, temperature, heart rate and carbon dioxide levels.

Preanesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia.  We recommend that every pet have 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.  Animals that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery.  If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected. In addition, we are recommend that every pet have an IV catheter placed to provide the animal with intravenous fluids throughout surgery which helps to maintain the pets blood pressure, provide hydration throughout the surgery, provide emergency access to a vein and provides for a faster recovery.

If you've chosen to run bloodwork prior to an anesthetic (this is only an option for young, healthy pets undergoing routine surgery, for certain surgeries it will be mandatory), we offer same-day, in-house blood testing prior to 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.  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, 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 10-14 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.

For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflamatory the day after surgery and for 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 even the morning of surgery.  The cost of the medication ranges from $10 to $30, depending on the size of your dog.

Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol, we are limited in what we can give them.  Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before.  We administer a pain injection perioperatively.  After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis and is at the doctors discretion.  Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication. the additional cost of the medication ranges from $15 - $30 depending on the type of medication chosen.

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

Will my pet need to stay overnight?

Pets having major surgery are advised to stay overnight for one night so that they can rest and recover in a quiet environment free from family members including other pets. The overnight stay can also be beneficial to the pet if they are on IV fluids as they will benefit from the extra fluids recieved. All surgical patients are checked over in the morning and assessed to see if they require additional medication prior to their discharge. Pateints staying overnight can be discharged after 9 am the following day. Please be aware that we do not have have staff at the clinic when we are closed, and thus pets are unattended for all overnight stays. If you wish your pet to be moinotired overnight after a surgical procedure you can have them transferred to the Brant Norfolk Vetinery Clinic for the night at an additional fee or sign a waiver to have your pet released to your care on the day of surgery. Surgeries that require overnight stays include spays, declaws, exploratory surgeries, cruciate repairs, bladder stone removals and some dentistries.

What other decisions do I need to make?

Besides the choice of pre-anesthetic bloodwork and IV fluids, you may wish to consider performing other minor proceedures while your pet is under anesthesia, such as dentistry, lump removals, ear cleaning, heartworm testing, FIV/FeLV testing, or implanting an identification microchip. If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time.  All surgeries include a complimentary nail trim and head collar to go home. Making these choices ahead of time, prior to surgery 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.