THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SURGERY AND DENTISTRY FOR YOUR PET

No one likes the thought of their pet undergoing surgery, but there are certain problems and routine procedures which require surgical intervention. Do not be overly concerned. There have been many recent advances in veterinary surgery. Despite the obvious fact that anesthesia is not entirely risk-free, diagnostics, anesthetics, surgical monitoring, and surgical techniques have all been developed to help ensure your pet's safe recovery.

PRESURGICAL TESTING

You wouldn't think about having surgery yourself without laboratory testing and X-rays to ensure your safety. Testing is often recommended to help us uncover any problems not readily apparent.

These tests may include: Blood tests (blood counts and chemistries), urinalysis, X-rays and electrocardiogram.

Any abnormalities detected may need to be corrected prior to surgery itself, or may merely indicate a change in choice of anesthetic or pre-surgical treatment. In this way we can minimize surgical and anesthetic risk.

STANDARDS OF QUALITY

We use the same anesthetic agents as are used in human surgery. These are more expensive, but we believe they provide the best choice for your pet. Surgery is performed with sterile instruments, gowns and gloves, just as it is for people; surgeons and nurses wear caps and masks, of course. Separate sterile packs are used for each patient. A pulse oximeter monitor is used routinely during surgery. This state-of-the-art instrument monitors the rhythm and rate of your pet's heartbeat and breathing along with level of oxygen in the blood. We may recommend intravenous catheterization and fluid therapy for some patients.

These things represent our normal protocols. We feel that we have high standards of quality veterinary care and will not lower them for any reason.

PRE-SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS – Important

Please give no food after 6:00 PM the evening before surgery and take water away at bedtime. Please close the toilet bowl covers. NO TREATS AND NO CHEATING!! An empty stomach is critical for safe anesthesia.
If your pet is taking medications, give the normal dosage at the usual time, unless otherwise directed. If your pet is a diabetic, please ask the doctor for special instructions.
Surgery patients are admitted to the hospital between 8:15 AM and 9:30 AM the day of surgery.
Allow your pet exercise and plenty of time to freely evacuate bowel and bladder before being admitted, unless otherwise instructed.

TYPES OF ANESTHETICS USED

Your doctor will determine which anesthetic is best for your pet and for the procedure being performed. Some short procedures are done under short-acting anesthetics administered into the muscle or vein. Most procedures are done under gas anesthesia which is delivered through a tube placed down the windpipe. When gas anesthesia is to be given, we now use exclusively use Isoflurane which is considered to be state-of-the-art in anesthesia of both people and animals. This anesthetic is extremely safe because only 0.2% of the gas is metabolized or processed by the body. This results in less stress on the heart, liver and kidneys and allows more accurate "fine-tuning" of anesthetic level. Consequently, your pet will wake up more quickly after surgery or dentistry is completed. Because of its superior safety features, Isoflurane is especially beneficial if your pet is old, ill debilitated or is an exotic pet.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

When your pet is undergoing anesthesia for one procedure it is worth considering if this opportunity should be utilized to do any other procedures. If there is any degree of dental disease, a prophylactic dental scaling should be done at the same time (unless a joint surgery is being done). When large-breed dogs that are prone to hip hip dysplasia are neutered, we advise consideration that survey X-rays of the hips be done at the same time. For all pets, this is a good time to have your pet permanently identified via the implantation of a microchip to allow identification if your pet is ever lost or stolen. And so on.....

You should be provided with a written estimate of expected fees that will be incurred. You may request your bill-to-date at any point during your pet's stay.

FINALLY............

Be prepared to spend a few minutes with the doctor on the morning of admission for surgery. A pre-surgical exam is preformed, pre-anesthetic lab work will be discussed, and the opportunity is created for any last-minute instructions to be communicated to the surgeon.

A pre-anesthetic injection is given shortly after hospital admission. Surgeries are performed during the late morning and early afternoon.

You may call our in-patient progress report line at (973) 377-9115 between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to see how your pet is recovering.

We really do want you to understand what we are doing, and why. If you have any questions about our procedures, or your pet's condition, please ask. Bear with us if we cannot get to the telephone immediately, because our attention may be needed elsewhere just at that point, but we will ALWAYS call you back.

Last, but not least – try not to worry!! Your pet is in good hands.