WHEN YOUR PET NEEDS SURGERY
What You Need To Know

Your pet is in good hands. Veterinary surgery is just as advanced as human surgery. In fact, many human surgical procedures are first developed through the use of animal research. Although any anesthesia has some risks, recent advances in anesthesia techniques have greatly decreased the risk to the pet.

Most surgery in pets is carried out using general anesthesia agents. A good medical history, physical examinations, ECG screening of the heart's rhythm, and blood counts along with blood chemistry testing greatly enhance the safety index for the pet during the procedure as well as the recovery period. Pet safety is further enhanced using the appropriate state-of-the-art vital sign monitoring equipment during the procedure and recovery. Our staff will make the appropriate recommendations to you at the time of admission based on our standardized protocols for each individual procedure. Just as in the case of human surgery, the appropriate blood work may be done prior to admission or at the time of admission.

Much has been learned about pain control in the last few years. We now utilize pain control drugs 200 times more potent than codeine at the timeof surgery and routinely recommend pain injections at the time of dismissal from the hospital that will alleviate pain for up to 72 hours after the pet is sent home. Additional pain injections in 3 days or oral pain medications are also recommended in many cases.

Minimizing risks to your pet is the responsibility of both our staff and YOU. Your role in your pet's nursing care cannot be over-emphasized. It is YOUR RESPOSIBILITY to see that the pet is presented to us properly prepared for surgery, as well as properly "nursed" at home after the procedure.

PREPARATION FOR SURGERY: Your home care instructions: