Pre-Surgery Patient Information

Leaving your pet at the clinic, even for a minor procedure, can be a source of concern for you as a pet owner. Much of this concern can stem from not really knowing what to do for them before and after the surgery and what happens whilst they are with us.

The following information is designed to increase your awareness of what is required and what occurs when your pet is admitted to hospital for surgery.

Pre-Surgery instructions

• No food after 10pm the evening before the surgery.
• No water or any other liquids after 6.30am the morning of the surgery.
• Please bring your animal to the clinic between 8am to 9.30am the morning of the surgery.
• You can call us after 3pm to check on your pet’s condition.
• If your pet does have a wound, you will not be able to bathe them for at least 10 days. Therefore, we recommend a bath before surgery if this is of concern to you.

Hospital Admission

On arrival you will be asked to complete a surgery consent form. This form has questions relating to your pet’s health and also explains options and estimated costs of the procedure. Extra care options to consider on surgery admission are pre-anaesthetic blood testing and Intravenous fluids.NB: These procedures will incur extra fees on top of the estimate provided.

As referred to in some of our consent forms we offer two main extra care options. They have been excluded from some of our basic packages to make them affordable to every client; however they can be performed upon request.

Extra Care Options

1. Fluid Therapy

Most drugs used for heavy sedation or general anaesthesia cause the patients’ blood pressure to drop. Undetected this can have serious effects on their cardiovascular system, and other organs most notably the liver and kidneys. The risk is increased if the patient is very young, is a senior, has a disease and if the procedure is invasive or lengthy. Intravenous fluid therapy provides an additional safety net by helping to maintain your pet’s blood pressure, which helps protect their vital organs, provides a rapidly available source of fluids in the event of an emergency and reduces recovery time.

Intravenous fluids are recommended in all patients undergoing a procedure estimated to be longer than 15 minutes and/or when pre-anaesthetic testing has been declined. It is highly recommended in all patients over 7 years (senior pets) and in patients with known health issues.

2. Pre-anaesthetic Blood Tests

These tests provide information about how well your pet’s major organs (for example, liver and kidneys) are working so we can assess the safety and suitability of medications/anaesthetics prior to the procedure. Even in seemingly healthy dogs and cats, pre-anaesthetic blood testing can pick up previously unidentified medical conditions and in doing so reduces the risk of complications by enabling postponement or change in a procedure or anaesthetic protocol if abnormalities are detected.

Pre-anaesthetic blood testing is recommended for all pets undergoing general anaesthesia or heavy sedation, and highly recommended in all patients over 7 years of age or in patients with known health issues. Our in-house laboratory enables us to perform these tests in-house and receive results within half an hour.

Pain Relief Medication

Any surgical procedure may cause some post operative pain. Pain relief is given in hospital. We may also recommend pain relief for a few days once you take your pet home from hospital.

Any pet undergoing female desexing now receives a second pain relieving injection before they go home. This may keep her a little more sleepy than usual but more comfortable.