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

Is the anesthesia safe?

Although there is always some risk anytime sedation or anesthesia is utilized, the risk can be minimized when patients are appropriately assessed and managed.  

Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in assessing the risk of anesthesia.  We offer and recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing before any procedure requiring general anesthesia to ensure that organ function is adequate to 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 or contributes to anesthetic or surgical complications.   If serious problems are detected, the procedure can be postponed until the problem is controlled or corrected.  For geriatric or sick pets, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before anesthesia and surgery.

Pre-anesthetic blood testing can be accomplished in two ways.  You can schedule a time to bring your pet by our office a couple of days before the procedure to have a blood sample drawn and sent to the lab for testing.  The other option is to have the sample drawn and testing completed in the clinic the day of the procedure.  The advantage of submitting a sample to the lab in advance is that depending upon the age and condition of your pet, we may be able to offer testing that provides us with more information about your pet at a similar or sometimes lower cost.

General anesthesia utilizes a combination of injectable medications and anesthetic gas.  Our veterinarians will take into consideration your pets specific health condition from results of physical exam and laboratory testing to plan an anesthetic combination that minimizes stress and allows for a comfortable and safe procedure. 

Most patients will have an IV catheter and receive intravenous fluids during anesthesia.  Multiple monitors including pulse oximeter to monitor heart rate and oxygen saturation, electrocardiogram to monitor heart rate and rhythm, respiratory monitor, temperature, and blood pressure are available to be used to increase safety while under anesthesia.  Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made anesthesia much safer than in the past.   

Does my pet need to be fasted before Anesthesia?

It is important that procedures be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia.  Unless specifically instructed otherwise, withhold food after 8 pm the night before anesthesia.  Water can be left available for your pet until the morning of surgery, however do not allow large volumes of water to be ingested the morning of the procedure.  Please ask for specific instructions if your pet is a diabetic.

Can I give my pets regular medication the morning of surgery?

The best answer to this question is to call and ask.  Some medications we may choose to avoid the morning of surgery while others may be important. 

Will my pet have stitches?

For some 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 the skin to be closed with a suture that will require removal.  We will give you written post-op instructions that will let you know if there are sutures that will require removal and when they will need to be removed.

Will my pet lick at his incision?

Most dogs and cats will not bother with their incisions, but for some it can be a significant problem.  If your pet has had a problem leaving a wound alone to heal, then a special collar may be needed to keep them from opening or infecting the surgical site.  If your pet has to wear a special collar after surgery, please take special care to not leave them unattending with the collar on around swimming pools. 

Will my pet be in pain?

Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals.  Pets may not show their pain as people do, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed.  Our veterinarians will assess the degree of pain expected and will pre-emptively treat with medication to control pain before it happens.  We will send home pain medications for all procedures we feel may result in post-operative pain.  If you feel that your pet is still uncomfortable after you have brought them home, never hesitate to call us.  We can use combinations of pain controlling medications for those patients with extra needs.

What other decisions do I need to make?

While your pet is under anesthesia, in some cases it is a good time to perform other minor procedures, such as teeth cleaning, ear cleaning, nail trimming, 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 post-anesthetic/surgery instructions.
We will call you the day 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.