Before Arrival
Remember to fast your pet.
He or she should not have anything to eat after 10:00pm the night before the surgery, and should not have access to water after 6:00am that morning.
If your pet is on oral medication, check with your doctor at least 24 hours before the procedure to see whether or not he or she should get a dose the morning of surgery. Topical medications, such as ear or eye drops, or skin creams, are OK to give. If you are dropping your pet off for the day, bring his or her medications with you.
Community Practice Surgical Admission Questionnaire
- Has your pet been vomiting recently?
- Has your pet had any diarrhea recently?
- Has your pet been coughing or sneezing recently?
- Has your pet’s appetite been normal?
- Has your pet’s water consumption been normal?
- Has your pet had any excessive urination?
- Has your pet been licking excessively?
- Has your pet been shaking their head recently?
- Has your pet been licking or chewing excessively?
- Has your pet had any seizures recently?
- Has your pet had any scooting recently?
- Has your pet been limping recently?
- Has your pet been weak lately?
- Have you noticed any behavioral changes lately?
- Have you noticed any unusual odors lately?
- Has your pet had any recent medication or vaccine reactions?
- When did your pet last eat?
- When did your pet last have access to water?
- Is your pet on any medications? If so, when were they last given?
At the Hospital
All surgery patients are admitted the morning of surgery between 7:30am-8:15am. If this time window does not work for you, you may discuss the possibility of admitting your pet to AVAH the night before surgery. He or she would be kept in the medical ward with other stable hospitalized patients until the next morning, at a minimal overnight charge.
Be prepared to spend about 15 minutes with the admitting technician the morning of the procedure. The technician will ask you questions (click here for list) regarding the current health of your pet that may reveal underlying problems. He or she needs to make sure that the doctor gets all the current information about your pet, so that any modifications can be made to the surgical protocol if necessary. Bringing in a written list of comments or questions, including medications, can be helpful to ensure that no important information is missed. Be sure you supply the technician with phone numbers where you (or another person authorized to make medical decisions regarding your pet) can be reached throughout the course of the day.
You will have the option of having blood work run on your pet the morning of the surgery if blood work has not already been run within the last 2 months. This could rule out any problems with your pet that a physical exam cannot show. Please see our General Surgery and Anesthesia FAQ for more information on preanesthetic blood work.
You have the option of having your pet microchipped while under anesthesia. AVAH uses ResQ microchips, an ISO compliant microchip that can be read by any ISO compliant scanner, regardless of the manufacturer. This can greatly increase your chances of pet recovery if ever lost or stolen.
The problem of hip dysplasia can be an important concern, in the life of your pet. A radiograph (or x-ray) taken of your pet’s hips while under anesthesia can help to rule out the problem or forewarn you of future problems. You have the option of electing hip radiographs for your pet, regardless of size, breed, or species. While hip dysplasia can be more of a problem in large breed dogs, it can occur in any breed, and even in cats. It is important to take these radiographs under general anesthesia, because the positioning of the body is critical to the doctor’s diagnosis. The patient must remain perfectly relaxed and still for this p rocedure- which is nearly impossible for an awake pet.
Picking up Your Pet From Surgery
When you arrive to pick up your pet, a surgery technician will meet with you and discuss written discharge instructions that will explain aftercare and making a recheck appointment. Any written discharge instructions will be tailored to your pet and his/her procedure; a basic discharge sheet is shown here. Any medications will be listed on the sheet, and will be dispensed at this time. Please expect a full discharge to last 15-30 minutes, as it is necessary that you understand and are willing to comply with all aspects of procedure aftercare, and your pet should have one last brief exam before departing the hospital to ensure that the patient is in good condition. Your pet’s bill is due in its entirety at this time.
