Surgical Information

Please follow these instructions the night before your pets’ surgery:

1. Withhold all food and treats after 10:00 PM the night before surgery.
2. No water or any other liquids after 6:00 AM the day of the surgery.
3. If you are currently administrating any medications, vitamins and/or any injections, withhold morning doses (unless otherwise instructed by the doctor).

If your pet is having a dental procedure done, please make arrangements for your pet to be dropped off on the morning of the scheduled procedure between 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM. For all other surgeries, the pet must be dropped off between 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM. Be sure the person dropping your pet off is authorized to sign the ‘Estimate Forms’ and ‘Authorization/Consent Forms’ and can answer any additional information that might be asked.

Our Veterinary Nurse will escort your pet to the surgical prepping area to wait for surgery. If you have accepted the recommended blood tests, or if it is required, our nurse will begin to collect samples and start running the test prior to surgery. If for any reason an emergency arises, or if there are any additional questions, the staff may call you on the number that you provided on the Surgery Consent Form. Please make sure you provide a number that we will be able to contact you at right away. You are welcome to check up on your pet’s status. However, we ask that you understand we do surgical procedures all day long. Our veterinarian/nurse will call you at the provided number after the surgery is completed and your pet is in recovery. Please plan for your pet to stay one night with us at the clinic (unless told otherwise). When you arrive for pick-up, our receptionist will check you out, and the veterinary nurse will go over any discharge information and medication(s) your pet will be going home on. If you do not understand any of the information, do not hesitate to ask. We truly hope your surgery day will be a stress-free, pleasant experience. Remember, our team knows surgery can be a time of worry. We just want to ensure you that your pet will be treated with the best care.

We look forward to seeing you and your pet on the upcoming surgery day!

While you read this information, please keep in mind that it is our intention to educate you the best we can to ensure your pet has the best experience possible for surgery.

The Pre-Anesthetic Blood Profile helps alert our surgeon to the presence of dehydration, anemia, infection, diabetes, and/or kidney or liver disease that could complicate the procedures. We offer this blood testing at a discounted price for surgery patients. These conditions may not be detected without pre-anesthetic blood work, thus not allowing for the most appropriate or safest anesthetic to be administered. These tests are similar to those your own physician would run if you were to undergo anesthesia. In addition, these tests may be useful if your pet’s health changes. It can help to develop faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments in the future. Any condition that would be found with the blood test would not have been caught with just a physical exam. The surgery consent form you will fill out when you drop off your pet will offer pre-anesthetic Blood work. You will have to either accept or decline the blood work at that time.

Pre-Anesthetic blood work includes the following: PCV (Anemia), White Blood Cell Count (infection), Red Blood Cell Count (Anemia/Bleeding Disorder), Platelet Count (Clotting Disorder), BUN and Creatinine if (Kidney), ALKP and ALT (Liver), Glucose Test (Sugar), Total Protein (Dehydration), and Electrolytes (Imbalance)

Although the blood work is highly recommended, you can elect to decline the recommended pre-anesthetic blood test at the time of check-in. If your pet is older than eight (8) years of age, the Pre-Anesthetic Blood Work is not optional; it will be mandatory, or we will not perform the surgery. At eight (8) years of age, your pet is considered a senior and needs extra precautions going into surgery.

We are proud to be one of the first veterinary hospitals to provide the many advantages of laser technology to our patients!

What is a Laser?

A CO2 laser is a device that produces an extremely powerful and concentrated beam of light. In fact, our surgical CO2 laser creates a beam that is even more powerful than a similarly-sized beam leaving the surface of the sun. The highly focused laser beam cuts cleanly and precisely, with little to no thermal effect on the issue beyond the targeted area; this ensures safe and predictable surgical outcome.

• Less pain and swelling promote a quicker recovery.
• Less bleeding simplifies surgery and may reduce the need for anesthesia.
• Sanitizing effect of the laser beam reduces the risk of infections.
• Fewer traumas for your pet!

Traditional surgery with a scalpel or scissors can bruise or crush tissue. When we use the CO2 laser, only an intense laser light beam touches your pet, which minimizes the pain, swelling, and bleeding often associated with surgery. We do offer the laser for all surgeries for an additional fee. The CO2 laser may be required for some surgeries for the benefit of the pet. You can accept or decline the CO2 laser when you fill out the surgery consent form. The use of the CO2 laser is recommended by all surgeons practicing here!

We realize surgery and anesthesia can be scary to both you and your pet. We will attempt to make surgery day as safe and as comfortable as possible for everyone that is involved. If at any time you have any questions or concerns about the scheduled procedure, please do not hesitate to call!