What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming 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. Just a few of the surgeries we routinely perform include spays (female dogs or cats), neuters (male dogs or cats), de-claws for cats, growth/lump removals, eyelid growth removals or entropion/ectropion repairs, etc. 

Is the anesthesia safe for your pet?

Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  Here at East Maryland 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. 

Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia.  Every pet needs blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic. Be very careful of animal clinics that offer "low-cost" surgeries or dentals that do NOT run bloodwork on your pet, or run very minimal bloodwork. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing.  If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications.  Animals that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery.  If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.

We run three levels of in-house blood testing before surgery, depending on the age or medical history of the pet. We hold ourselves to a high medical standard and do not perform surgery or anesthesia on a pet without bloodwork. Our doctors prefer the more comprehensive screen, because it gives them the most information to ensure the safety of your pet. For geriatric or ill pets, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well.

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 after surgery?

For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later.  Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches.  With either type of suture, 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 during or after surgery?

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 after a minor surgery, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed.  Major procedures require more pain relief than things, like minor lacerations.

For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflamatory for several days after the procedure to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling.  We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset and the appropriate type and dose of pain medications will be sent home with your pet.   

Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol (toxic to cats), we are more limited in what we can give them.  Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before.  We administer a pain injection 10 minutes prior to surgery.  After surgery, additional pain medication is given on a case by case basis.  Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication. We have transdermal pain patches or liquid pain medications to send home with your cat after surgery to keep them comfortable. 

We use narcotic pain patches for some surgeries in dogs as well.  The cost will depend on the size of the dog.  Injectable pain medications may also 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. We will always help you determine how long you need to give your pet pain meds after a procedure here. 

What other decisions do I need to make prior to my pet's surgery?

While your pet is under anesthesia, it may be ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleanings, 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 about 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork, discuss any growth removals that are needed, dental procedures if needed, microchip placement, answer any concerns you may have, and obtain contact information to call you that day.  When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 15 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs.

We will call you the night before your scheduled surgery appointment, to confirm the time you will be dropping your pet off and to answer any questions you might have. You will be pulling up your pet's food and water the night before the surgery (no breakfast the morning of, as well).  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or surgery.