Surgery Preparation Guide | Vitalvet

Bringing Your Pet In For Surgery

The Evening Before Surgery

  • Your pet will need to be fasted overnight.
  • It is important that your pet does not have any food after 10pm the night before surgery.
  • Your pet  may have dinner as usual the night before surgery, but please don’t forget to remove any left-over food.
  • Please offer water as normal so that your pet does not become dehydrated.
  • Please remove the water bowl in the morning on the day of surgery.
  • If your pet is taking medication, give the normal dosage at the usual time unless otherwise directed.
  • Please arrive at the hospital between 8:30 am and 9 am.
  • Please take your pet for a brief toilet walk before coming in to hospital.
  • When you arrive at the hospital, it will be necessary to complete an admission form and have a brief consultation with our veterinary nurse. Please allow ten minutes for this admission process.
  • Once your pet has been admitted to hospital, our vets will perform a veterinary health check and administer a pre-medication. This pre-medication is similar to what people receive before surgery, it has a sedative and pain relief component. It will ensure your pet is comfortable, help your pet relax and ensure a smooth anaesthetic induction.
  • We use an intravenous induction agent followed by a gaseous isoflourane anaesthetic which is administered through an endotracheal tube using our brand new state-of-the-art anaesthetic machine. Isoflourane is one of the safest anaesthetic agents used in the veterinary industry. It results in a smooth, safe anaesthesia and a quick recovery time.
  • While the vet is performing the surgical procedure, one of our qualifed veterinary nurses will closely monitor your pet. We have advanced monitoring equipment (the same as used in human hospitals) which has an ECG and also monitors respiration, heart rate, oxygen concentration in the blood and patient temperature.
  • Your pet will wake up in our hospital area with a heat pad and blankets to ensure they be comfortable and will be closely monitored until going home.
  • As soon as your pet is awake one of the veterinary nurses will contact you to let you know how the surgery went and arrange a discharge appointment for later in the afternoon.

Surgery Day

About surgical procedures at Vital Vet Animal Hospital

After surgery, your pet may be a bit sleepy from the anaesthetic and from the strong pain relief. It will need to stay indoors that evening, in a warm and quiet area.

On discharge, the veterinary nurse will discuss in detail how to care for your pet over the next few days.

A few options to consider before surgery day

Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Testing

Vital Vet offers pre-anaesthetic blood testing for all patients undergoing general anaesthesia.

Pre-anaesthetic blood testing is strongly recommended for any senior (7 years +) or compromised patients. The blood test is used to check the function of your pet’s major organs, especially the kidneys and liver.

It also screens various blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. It can detect underlying problems at an early stage or even conditions which may be undetectable on a physical exam alone. If you elect for your pet to have the testing done, a small blood sample is taken when your pet is admitted to hospital.

The blood test is processed on our in-house blood pathology machine so the vet can analyse the results before your pet goes under anaesthetic.

Microchipping – (price includes lifetime registration with Australasian Animal Registry)

Microchipping is strongly recommended for all pets.. If your pet goes missing or is stolen, any vet, ranger or pound can scan your pet for a microchip.

This will allow your pet to be returned to you immediately.

Microchipping can be performed at any time, but if your pet is undergoing a general anaesthetic it is an excellent opportunity to insert the microchip with no discomfort.

Sterilisation Tattoo – An optional, complimentary service.

A sterilisation tattoo is a small black tattoo about the size of a 5c coin, which looks like:  Æ .

It is an optional tattoo which can be done when your pet is under general anaesthetic. The purpose of the tattoo is to provide a permanent external indicator that your pet has been sterilised.

Bathing

If your pet has stitches, they will not be able to have a bath until they are removed (10-14 days after surgery). It is advisable that you bath your pet before surgery day if needed.

Checklist

At Vital Vet Animal Hospital we are dedicated to providing the highest standard of veterinary care.

We are proud of our facilities and you are welcome to join us for a tour of our hospital. If you have any questions regarding your pet’s stay with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us. (08) 6296 7711

  • No food after 10pm the night before surgery
  • Water bowl removed on the morning of surgery
  • Would you like your pet to have a blood test before anaesthesia?
  • Is it time to microchip? Is your pet due for a vaccination?
  • Does your pet need a bath before surgery day?
  • Please take your pet for a walk before coming into hospital.

 For the protection of our patients we strongly recommend that all hospitalised animals be up to date with their annual vaccinations!

Book an Appointment for Your Furry Friend.