WHAT TO EXPECT: SURGERY DAY

Your pet has been scheduled for a surgery in the near future! We hope that this packet will relieve some stresses as well as inform you on your pet’s surgery. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us at (305) 253-6754.

The night before...

• Withhold all food and water after 10:00pm. No exceptions due to risk of asphyxiation during the procedure.
• If you are currently administering any medications, vitamins, and/or injections, ask the doctor if they should be withheld the morning of the surgery.

Morning of...

• Make arrangements for your pet to be dropped off between 7:30am and 9:00am, Monday and Wednesday. If you are scheduled for a surgery on another day, drop-off is between 8:30am and 9:00am.
• We require you to review and sign an Authorization form which allows you to choose additional recommended services as well as authorize consent for the procedure.
• You will be asked to provide a phone number where you can be reached at all times during the surgery day. Failure to be reached the day of may result in postponement of the procedure.
• Our veterinary technicians will escort your pet to the prepping area to await surgery.

After Drop-Off...

• If you have elected to do the recommended blood tests, our technician will collect blood samples to test prior to surgery.
• Your pet will be in observation before and after surgery, where the entire team can keep an eye on them as they awake from their anesthetics.

Pick-up...

• Pick-up for your pet is any time between 2:00pm and 5:00pm same day.
• Feline spays stay overnight, but pick-up will the following day any time, except between 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
• Our receptionist will bill you out and seat you in a room so that the doctor can go over all discharge orders with you; as well as explain any additional medications prescribed to your pet for recovery.

If you do not understand any instructions, or have any questions in regards to your pet’s surgery or recovery, please do not hesitate to ask. Our team is happy to assist you in any way we can

WHAT TO EXPECT: BLOOD TESTING

Blood testing for our pets is as important as blood testing for humans. The American College of Veterinary Anesthesiology recommends that all animals have a pre-surgical blood test. By performing this recommended blood-work, we could set a base-line for your pet’s health, or find a small anomaly that would otherwise catch you off-guard.

The blood test that we offer will test for….

RBC – Red Blood Cell Count
WBC – White Blood Cell Count
CBC – Complete Blood Cell Count
BUN – Blood Urea Nitrogen (Kidney)

• ALT – Alanine Transaminase (Liver)
• ALK P – Alkaline Phosphatase (Liver)
• K+ - Potassium
• GLU – Glucose
• GLOB – Globulin (Liver)
• CRE – Creatinine (Kidney)
• NA+ - Sodium Levels
• TP – Total Protein (Hydration)
• ALB – Albumin (Liver Proteins)
• AMY – Amylase (digests carbohydrates)
• TBIL – Total Bilirubin
• PCV – Hematocrit levels
• CA – Calcium

We highly recommend the testing especially for pets over the age of four years old. You can refuse the recommended blood tests, but they are worth the value they set because many illnesses that veterinarians see on a day-to-day basis can go from undetectable to potentially deadly (particularly when combined with surgery and/or anesthesia) over the course of just a few weeks.
Pre-anesthetic screening is a life-saver. We don’t suggest putting your pet’s health at risk by opting out.

WHAT TO EXPECT: SURGICAL RISKS

We use a combination of pre-anesthetic medications/injectable, and/or inhalant anesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anesthesia that are safe for your pet. For most procedures, your pet is anesthetized and then intubated (insertion of a tube into the trachea or wind pipe). This will ensure that your pet is able to receive oxygen at all times.

While these procedures are performed by our team on a daily basis, it is important for you to understand that there is always a risk of anesthetic and surgical complications anytime these procedures are performed. Luckily, it is only 1 in 100,000 pets that have a reaction to the anesthetics. We strive to take the highest quality care of your pet and take all the added precautions you allow to avoid potential problems. Thank you for entrusting your pet to us.

It is important to keep an eye on your pet’s recovery. Be sure to watch for any of the following complications:

Canine and Feline Spay

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Recurrent Heat
• Urinary Incontinence
• Weight Gain
• Suture Reactions

Feline Declaw

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Limping/Lameness

Canine and Feline Neuter

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Testicular swelling
• Suture Reactions

Tumor or Growth Removal

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Swelling and Drainage
• Suture Reactions