Surgery

Surgery can be a source of anxiety and stress for many pet owners. Maybe you worry about whether your pet will be well cared for, or perhaps you have concerns about adequate precautions and monitoring. Let us address your concerns. Whether your pet needs minor surgery or a complex procedure, call us. Let's discuss how our surgical services can benefit your pet.

Surgeries for Dogs and Cats:

- Spay/Neuter

- Cat Declawing

- Mass Removal

- Gastropexy

- Abdominal Exploratory

- Foreign Body Removal

- Splenectomy

- Cystotomy (Bladder Stone Removal)

- CCL Repair

- Limb Amputation

What happens before surgery?

- Your pet will need to be fasted (no food after 8pm the night before) but water is fine up until the time you bring them to us

- You will meet with one of our surgery nurses to discuss the surgery procedure and answer any questions you may have

- A blood test is ran to check organ function prior to anesthesia

- The doctor will perform a physical exam and listen to your pet's heart and lungs

- Pain medication is administered

- An IV catheter is placed for administration of anesthetic medications and IV fluids

What happens during surgery?

- Your pet is aseptically prepped for the surgery

- Your pet is hooked up to monitoring equipment and will be monitored by a registered veterinary nurse during the surgery as well as in recovery. The vitals we monitor include blood pressure, heart rate, EKG, temperature, blood oxygen levels, CO2, and respirations.

While in recovery...

Your pet is closely monitored to make sure they are stable, comfortable and warm.

When your pet is ready to go home...

One of our surgery nurses will go over all at-home care instructions with you and answer any questions you may have about your pet's recovery. Pain medications and antibiotics will also be dispensed at this time and instructions on how to administer them will be given.

The surgical care doesn't stop once your pet leaves our hospital.

Our veterinary nurses and assistants will follow up with you the next day to make sure your pet did well overnight and are recovering comfortably at home.

Helping your pet recover at home

Follow these tips to help your pet have a full and smooth recovery at home:

Provide a quiet, comfortable area the first night
Use an e-collar/surgery suit at all times for the duration of the recovery period to prevent licking/chewing at the incision site
Follow all discharge instructions given
Make sure they are eating and drinking normally - if they aren't, call us!
Give all medications as directed
Keep the incision(s)/bandage clean and dry
Check the incision daily and report any abnormalities (redness, swelling, discharge)