Pre-Surgical Information Packet

Dear Client, 

Your pet has been scheduled for an upcoming surgery in the near future. In our attempt to assist clients, we have put together this packet to make surgery day as easy and stress-free as possible.

THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL BE REQUIRED ON THE DAY OF THE SURGICAL
PROCEDURE:

1. Surgical Authorization form - Must be signed and submitted the day of surgery.
2. Anesthesia/Sedation Authorization Form - Upon check-in, your will be given the Anesthesia/Sedation Authorization Form that needs to be reviewed and signed for submission.
3. Your plan may include optional or variant services.
4. A deposit of the estimate will be required at the time of check-in. You will be required to pay the entire low end of the estimate.
5. We require a phone number(s) where you may be reached on the surgery day. Failure to be reached on the day of the procedure may result in postponement of the surgery.

If we call you while your pet is in surgery and our team is unable to reach you after multipleattempts - the Veterinarian will have to continue and make the best medical decision for your pet.

For Dogs & Cats:

• Withhold all food and treats after 12:00 am.
• Water may be provided throughout the night up and until patient arrives.
• If you are currently administering any medication, vitamins and or injections – do not withhold the morning dose unless otherwise instructed by the doctor
• You may give the medication with a small treat/pill pocket if needed. Not a full meal.
   

For All Other Species:

• Feed and water as normal - DO NOT PULL FOOD OR WATER AT ANY TIME. 

Please plan on dropping your pet off the morning of the scheduled surgery between the hours of 8:30am-9:00am, unless other arrangements have been made in advance. For example, new clients are required to have a presurgical visit the morning of procedure. At the time of drop off, our team will be happy to answer any questions or concerns and collect the information forms.

Our veterinary nurse will escort your pet to the surgical prepping area to begin the pre-surgical preparations. If you elected for any of the recommended blood tests, our technical team will collect all blood samples and tests prior to surgery.

You are welcome to check up on your pet’s status, however, we request that you allow plenty of time for your pet’s procedure to be done. 

Surgical procedures are generally done between the hours of 12:00pm – 4:00pm. Our surgical staff will begin post-operative calls from 3:30pm – 4:30pm. At this time, we will provide you will a discharge and pickup time.

When you arrive to take your pet home, our client care representative will charge you out and then go over the discharge orders verbally. You will be provided with a written copy. Please, if you do not understand any instructions, we will be happy to go over them again, so you are comfortable with the post-surgical instructions.

We understand that surgery can be an anxious time, and we will always be available to answer your questions or inquiries.

We look forward to serving you and your pet on the upcoming surgery day and for years to come.

Our greatest concern is the well-being of your pet. Before putting your pet under anesthesia, we routinely perform a full physical examination.

We highly recommend and sometimes require a Pre-Anesthetic Blood Profile be performed on all pets undergoing anesthesia to maximize patient safety.

The Pre-Anesthetic Blood Profile helps alert our surgeon to the presence of dehydration, anemia, infection, diabetes and/or kidney or liver disease that could complicate the procedure.

These conditions may not be detected without a pre-anesthetic profile, thus not allowing for the most appropriate and safest anesthetic regime to be administered.

These tests are like those your own physician would run on you, were you to undergo anesthesia. Further, these tests may be useful to develop faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments, if your pet’s health changes in the future.

The authorization form you will sign on the day of your pet’s surgery, will offer pre-aesthetic blood work.

THE PRE-ANESTHETIC PROFILE INCLUDES:

• CBC (Complete Blood Cell Count):
  • Anemia - Red blood cell count
  • Infection - White blood cell count
  • Anemia/Bleeding disorder
  • Platelet Count - Clotting disorder
• Chemistry Profile:
  • BUN and Creatinine – Kidney
  • ALKP & ALT – Liver
  • Glucose – Sugar
  • Total Protein – Dehydration or inflammation
  • Electrolytes – Imbalance

Please Note: There may be other tests on the Medical Treatment Plan that are not mentioned above. These tests were initiated based on the doctor’s decision regarding the best suitable panel for your pet’s needs. 

DOG & CAT: 

Cannot Decline: The Pre-Anesthetic Blood Profile if your pet is in their senior years-5 and over or sick and/or having a specific procedure. If the Doctor on the case  states blood work is mandatory, then it may not and cannot be declined.

May Decline: The Pre-Anesthetic Blood Profile if your pet is under the age of 5.

SPECIAL NOTE: FOR THE OWNERS OF OUR FELINE PATIENTS:

We do offer FeLV/FIV tests. We highly recommend this test be performed at least once in the life of the patient, because of the high incidents of Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Feline AIDS). These are viruses for which no cure exists. 

If you are interested in learning more about these viruses, please let us know and we will be happy to explain them in detail. If you wish to have this test administered to your pet, please let our front staff know and we will add this test to your pet’s surgical plan. 

We realize that surgery and anesthesia are scary for both owner and patient, therefore we will make every effort to minimize the stress and assure you of a safe and successful outcome.

The physical examination and blood work performed prior to the surgical procedure, allows us to best minimize anesthetic and surgical risks and maximize patient safety.

Please, if you have any questions or hesitations about the scheduled procedure, do not hesitate to ask us or call us to discuss any aspects of the procedure.

ANESTHETIC PROCEDURES:

 

We use a combination of pre-anesthetic medication’s/injectable and/or inhalant anesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anesthesia that are safe for your pet.

For most procedures: your pet is anesthetized and then intubated (insertion of a tube into the trachea or windpipe). This will ensure that your pet is always able to receive oxygen and prevents aspiration of any fluids into the lungs.

For short procedures: an injectable anesthetic is given alone that products a good plane of surgical anesthesia with a quick recovery.

For procedures that require minimum sedation: an injectable anesthetic is given that products a good plane of sedation with quick recover. Anesthesia is maintained with a gas anesthetic, isoflurane, which is very safe and is not metabolized by the body. This allows us to have more control over anesthetic depth and is less irritating to the airways.

MONITORING AND PAIN MANAGEMENT: 

Monitoring of patients during anesthesia is done in two ways:

1. A veterinary nurse is with your pet continuously from beginning of anesthesia to recovery.
2. We have a computerized monitor that records heart rate, pulse rate, oxygen levels, respiration, ECG, temperature, blood pressure and warming devices.

Intravenous catheterization and fluids are placed during all anesthetic procedures. This allows us to have quick access to the circulatory system (blood) in case of an unforeseen emergency. The fluids help provide support to the circulatory system and prevents dehydration, which in return, provides a quicker recovery from anesthesia.

Our clinic embraces compassionate and quality medical care for our patients. All surgery patients will receive pain management before surgery. Pain medications may also be prescribed for home use. Additional information will be provided at discharge. We hope this program will reduce any discomfort experienced and expedite recovery.

POTENTIAL SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS: 

It is important for you to understand that surgical procedures have an element of risk associated with anesthesia and/or surgical complications.

However, be assured, that we take every precaution to circumvent potential problems and protect the safety of your pet.

We provide the highest quality of care and our surgical and technical teams are exceptionally proficient and experienced.

We wish to thank you for entrusting the health and care of your pet to our team.

Created: 05/2024 ~ BRL