What To Expect When Your Pet Is Having Surgery

June 19, 2024

Pre-operative Lab Work:

We require lab work within 30 days of your pet’s anesthesia. This is to help ensure that your pet is as safe as possible to undergo general anesthesia. We will call you with these bloodwork results 2-3 days after we send samples to the lab. If there are any abnormalities the doctor will discuss them with you before moving forward.

The Night Before Surgery:

All pets must be fasted after midnight the night before their procedure. This means no food or water at all. This measure helps prevent vomiting while under anesthesia.

If your pet is on long term medication, please check with the doctor for instructions about medicating the morning of surgery.

Surgery Morning Admit:

We will schedule an admit time with you the morning of surgery. This admit will take between 10-20 minutes. Please plan accordingly. You will be signing consent forms and leaving a financial deposit where applicable (procedures over $600 require a 50% deposit).

  • CPR– We do everything we can to keep your pet as safe as possible under anesthesia. However, there is always some inherent risk with anesthesia. Because of this we will ask your wishes for performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), but we feel it is our duty to discuss this with you. CPR has a low success rate in veterinary medicine but healthy anesthetic death has a higher chance of survival than most causes. There is an additional charge for CPR if it is needed.
  • Surgery Order– Please be aware that we perform several surgical procedures each day and that the order of these procedures is often determined the morning of surgery and depends on many factors. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ORDER THAT YOUR PET’S SURGERY WILL BE PERFORMED BUT REQUIRE ALL PETS TO BE HERE TO START THEIR SURGICAL PREP EARLY IN THE MORNING. EXPECT YOUR PET TO STAY WITH US ALL DAY LONG.
  • Phovia– We are now offering a post-surgical treatment called Phovia. It is an LED light therapy that promotes healing and helps decrease inflammation. This means that your pet’s incision will heal faster and keep them comfortable while they are recovering at home. Phovia cannot be used on certain mass removals or dentals. Ask your veterinarian if Phovia would be beneficial for your pet after surgery!

Communication The Day Of Surgery:

You are always welcome to call and check on your pet anytime during their stay with us. We will call you once they are awake from surgery. We will also generally call later in the day to schedule a pick up time for your pet depending on how quickly they are waking up from surgery. Please note that there may be multiple procedures happening the same day as your pet so it is hard to give you an exact time to expect a call.

Post-Procedure Discharge:

We will schedule a pick up time for your pet based on how they are waking up from surgery. This will take between 10-15 minutes. We will discuss at home care, restrictions, medications, etc. and answer any further questions you have about your pet at this time.

At Home After Surgery:

Your pet will likely be groggy for 24-48 hours after their anesthesia. We will discuss specific instructions for care with you including activity restriction, medications, wound care, and dietary changes at your discharge. As always, we thank you for entrusting us with your pet’s care. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.