Granville Veterinary Clinic
Pre-Surgical Information
What to Expect Before Your Pet’s Surgery
Dogs and cats should not be fed for 12 hours before surgery and should not drink water for eight hours before surgery. This generally means no food after 6 pm and no water after midnight. That means no food, not even a biscuit before bedtime, and no water after midnight. The reason for such a strict regimen is that anesthesia can cause some pets to vomit and we don’t want any vomitus to enter the windpipe. If your pet eats prior to surgery, call us before making the trip to the clinic in the morning so we can decide whether to reschedule the surgery.
Do not give any medication the morning of surgery unless otherwise requested by the doctor. If your pet is a diabetic, please discuss the insulin dose you should give with the staff prior to the morning of surgery. Please bring any medication your pet is taking in case we decide it best to be given.
We ask that your pet arrive between 7 am and 9 am.
We will ask you to sign an Authorization and/or Estimate form that confirms the procedures we will be completing on your pet, indicates you understand the estimate and allows you to choose or decline pre-surgery blood work if applicable.
We will also confirm a phone number where we can reach you during the day. If the doctor has any questions they will contact you prior to surgery.
What to Expect While Your Pet is at Granville Veterinary Clinic
Once your pet arrives, he/she will come to our treatment room and be evaluated by our technicians for any problems. We will draw blood if approved by you and requested by the doctor to ensure your pet’s organs are healthy and there are no problems that may affect the anesthesia and surgery. If we identify any problems or concerns, the doctor will call you before proceeding.
The doctor will examine your dog/cat, listen to the heart and lungs and give your pet injectable sedation to “take the edge off” and help your pet relax. The dosage is based on the age and weight of the animals. This also helps prevent post-surgical pain. Your pet is allowed to relax for a little while.
While your pet is sedated and relaxed, the doctor and technicians shave the leg for placement of an intravenous (IV) catheter and if indicated, begins IV fluids. Additional drugs are then given that allow total relaxation. Your pet is then intubated (a tube inserted into the windpipe) to allow delivery of safe inhalation anesthetic gases. All the while, your pet is being monitored to ensure his/her heart rate and respiratory rate are normal. Additional monitoring equipment is clipped to your pet that allows continuous monitoring of the heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, EKG and more.
Your pet is then moved into the surgery room and we evaluate the surgical site and begin clipping hair if indicated. Meanwhile, the doctor is preparing for surgery by putting on a surgical mask and thoroughly washing hands and lower arms. Sterile instrument pack and surgical drape ready. All the while, your pet is being monitored by our surgical technician and the electronic equipment.
The doctor uses sterile gloves and a sterile pack of surgical instruments.
Once the surgery itself is completed, your pet is closely monitored as he or she wakes up.
Additional pain medication can be given if needed and an E-collar is placed to prevent your pet from licking at the sutures if needed.
Our team will call you after surgery to give you an update and discuss discharge. Most pets go home some time between 5 pm and 7 pm. Occasionally, we may recommend that your pet stay overnight,
After surgery, your pet is monitored for any bleeding, signs of pain or other abnormalities. Every pet is a little different but most animals are awake and alert 2 – 3 hours after surgery.
Your pet may receive additional injectable medication for pain before leaving and may be sent home with pain medication and/or antibiotics.
What to Expect After Surgery at Granville Veterinary Clinic
When you arrive at the designated time to pick up your pet, our technician will go over home care.
Post-operative care includes exercise restriction. This means your pet should be prevented from running or rough play following any surgery. Instructions will vary with the type of surgery performed.
Some dogs will chew at the incision no matter what, so you should be prepared to use an Elizabethan collar to prevent your pet from reaching the surgical area.
For most pets, we like to re-evaluate the surgery site in one week and sutures (if placed) are removed in approximately 14 days.
Costs
The cost of surgeries may vary widely, depending on type of surgery, the length of time for the surgery, and the amount of in-hospital post-surgical care.
We often use “estimates” to give you ranges in cost. We want to give you an honest range that will depend on the time and effort required. Some procedures are very routine and others may require much more time and effort. For example, some pets may have a range on their estimate for a dental that may include possible extractions (pulling teeth). Often we don’t know for sure what will be required until your pet is sedate and we can fully evaluate the mouth. Our most important goal is to ensure your pet has a healthy mouth, is pain free, and we fix the underlying problem.
Included in the cost of surgery at the Granville Veterinary Clinic are the following:
We use top of the line heart and respiratory monitors, sterile instrument packs, keep a variety of suture materials and pre-surgical drugs on hand to tailor the procedure to the individual patient, and schedule a “follow up” post-surgical visit that is included in the surgical price.
We perform laser surgery, which decreases postoperative pain as the laser seals the nerve endings as it cuts. This reduces pain impulses from the surgery site in the immediate post-operative period. The laser also reduces bleeding and blood loss as the laser cauterizes blood vessels as the laser beam vaporizes the tissues. In addition, there is a reduced risk of surgical infection due to the superheating of the tissues in the incision site, destroying any bacteria that are present at the time of surgery.
After surgery, we often include a therapy laser treatment (which is different from the surgical laser) that gently soothes tissues and enhances healing and reduces pain.
We use technicians with many years of experience to monitor and care your pet to assure he or she receives the best care.
We look forward to serving you and your pet on the upcoming surgery day, and for years to come. Please call us (740) 587-1129 if you have any questions.
