Pre-Op Blood Test
Once your pet's surgery has been scheduled for surgery, it's important to make sure he or she is healthy for the upcoming procedure. We ask that a blood test be done to evaluate basic organ function prior to anesthesia. This test can be done at your regular veterinarian's office or at the clinic. The test results need to be evaluated by Dr. Sams or Dr. Klopp within two weeks of the surgery date.Pre-Op Drug Considerations
Please discontinue anti-inflammatory drugs such as Deramaxx, Rimadyl etc. three days prior. Also, fourteen days prior to surgery please discontinue any aspirin/ascriptin that your pet may be taking. This will help minimize unnecessary bleeding during the procedure. If you are concerned that your pet may experience pain by discontinuing the aspirin, let us know, so we might suggest alternative pain medication. Supplements such as Cosequin, Dasequin and Derm Caps may be continued without concern, but check with us first. You may want to bathe and de-flea your pet prior to surgery, as he or she will not be allowed to get wet for two weeks following surgery.
Pre-Op Fasting
All surgery patients must be fasted prior to anesthesia. Please withhold food and water from your pet beginning at midnight the night before surgery. In most cases, you'll want to feed your pet a regular dinner and pick up his or her water bowl before going to bed. If your pet takes daily medication for other conditions, you may administer it the morning of surgery. If the medication cannot be given without food please contact our office and let us know.
Admission to the Clinic
Patients are admitted to the clinic at 7:00 am on the day of surgery. A surgery nurse will assist you through the process and verify the surgery your pet will be having. They will also ask for contact information so we may update you when your pet's procedure is completed. Special diets, medications and blankets may be brought the day of surgery. Personal pet items should be clearly labeled with your pet's name. Blankets and personal items may get soiled, so please bring only the necessities.
Surgery/Recovery
Once your pet has been admitted to the clinic, he or she will be evaluated and given a pre-anesthetic injection to relax him or her until general anesthesia is administered. Under general anesthesia your pet will be prepped for the surgical suite, which includes the placement of an intravenous catheter, shaving the surgical site and cleaning the area with antimicrobial agents. Once your pet's procedure has been completed your pet will be moved to a recovery area and monitored by a surgical nurse, who will contact you and update you on your pet's progress. After your pet has recovered from anesthesia, he or she will be given an evening meal as well as medications to provide comfort through the night. If your pet is able to walk, we'll take him or her out to relieve himself or herself. Our night nurse closely monitors our patients all through the overnight hours and can be in immediate contact with Dr. Sams and Dr. Klopp if necessary. Following the completion of your pet's procedure, we'll call you to update you about your pet and to confirm your discharge appointment. Please be sure to leave contact information where you wish to be reached.
Discharge
Most surgical patients will be discharged the next day, and we set up this appointment at the time of admission for surgery or when the surgical nurse calls with an update. We evaluate every patient to make sure her or she is ready to go home. We'll give your pet a meal and oral medications and take him or her on a short leash walk. When you arrive for your discharge appointment, a surgical nurse will walk you through your printed discharge forms and review medication instructions. If needed, the nurse will also fit your pet with a sling or harness. Dr. Sams or Dr. Klopp will then meet with you and show you any post operative radiographs and explain the details of the procedure.
Post-Op Appointments
Generally, we'll ask you to return to the clinic with your pet one week after surgery for a bandage change or removal, if necessary, and at two weeks for staple removal and a complementary first visit with the rehabilitation specialist. We'll want to see your pet again at either six or eight weeks to evaluate his or progress and activity levels. These appointments can be scheduled, at your convenience, by either the front desk staff or our nurses. If at any time you have questions or concerns about the post-op condition of your pet, please contact us as soon as possible.
