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What You Need to Know 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 Miller Clark Animal Hospital, 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. We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your pet. 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? The type of sutures used depends upon the surgeon performing the surgery and the type of surgery involved. No matter which type of suture we use, 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; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it. Control of pain for the patient not only helps with the discomfort from the procedure but it also helps promote faster healing in our patients and minimizes post-operative complications. Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations. Please feel free to speak to our Doctors with any questions. Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol, we are limited in what we can give them. Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis. Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication. Injectable pain medications may 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, we will need 5 to 10 minutes of your time to fill out paperwork . A consent form must be filled out prior to surgery and the individual signing the consent form must assume full responsibility, both financially and medically. Your pet's surgery is an important event, please be sure a responsible and informed person is dropping off your pet. When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs. Please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or 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.