What You Need to Know Before Your Pet’s Upcoming Surgery
Many people have questions about various aspects of their pet’s surgery, and we hope this information will help. It also explains the decisions you will need to make before your pet’s upcoming surgery.
Is the anesthetic safe?
Today’s modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past. Here at Veterinary Medical Center of Spring, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won’t be a problem. The doctor will listen for heart murmurs or sounds in the lungs that would prevent us from going forth without calling you or adjusting the anesthetic plan for your pet. The handout on anesthesia explains this in greater detail.
Preanesthetic blood screening is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Every pet needs blood screening before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can metabolize the medications. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood screening. If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.
All animals will have an IV catheter placed, and are maintained on IV fluids during surgery. The catheter provides the best way to administer emergency drugs if they’re required, and the fluids provide for a better anesthetic experience overall. Aside from keeping your pet hydrated and supporting the liver, fluids help to keep their blood pressure in a normal range to help prevent kidney damage and other problems.
For geriatric or ill pets, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well. A preanesthetic ECG is offered as an optional service for all pets.
It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. You will need to withhold food for at least 8 to 10 hours before surgery. Water can be left down for the pet until the morning of surgery.
Will my pet have stitches?
For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later. Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. Most dogs and cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will also need to watch for. If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. You will also need to limit your pet’s activity level for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.
Will my pet be in pain?
Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals. Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do, but they definitely feel it. Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than minor surgeries, and the doctor will tailor the pain management plan to your pet.
Pets will be given pain medications before surgery is ever initiated, as it is easier to control pain when it doesn’t have a chance to flare in the first place. A long-acting anti-inflammatory is used for most pets, and an oral version will be sent home for those pets to continue therapy post-operatively. This helps alleviate discomfort and swelling.
Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications, we stock the latest anti-inflammatory which is the first to be labeled for use in cats. There is also a liquid formula we send home, so that you don’t need to try and give kitty a bitter pill.
Injectable pain medications may also be used after surgery on both dogs and cats. Providing whatever pain relief is appropriate is a humane and caring thing to do for your pet.
What other decisions do I need to make?
While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, 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, please arrive early and plan to spend about 10 minutes to fill out paperwork and make decisions regarding your pet’s surgery. When you pick up your pet after surgery, again please allow 10 minutes for a doctor or technician to go over your pet’s medication and home care needs.
We will call you the afternoon 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.