As with human surgeries our Veterinarians perform sterile surgery. This involves the Veterinarian scrubbing in, wearing gloves, hats, scrubs or gowns. All the equipment is autoclaved (sterilised) prior to the surgery. The surgical bed is heated for comfort and only fully trained, registered Veterinary Nurses assist the Vet throughout the procedure. Our dedicated Veterinary Nurses also monitor the patient right through to complete recovery.
Anaesthesia
We are fully aware of the risks of anaesthesia and we take it very seriously. Although the risk is extremely slight with the precautions that we take, it increases as our pet’s age and develop other health problems. For this reason, we are careful to examine each patient prior to anaesthesia and tailor our anaesthetic regimes to suit their needs. We use the safest anaesthetic agents available in Veterinary medicine, some of which are the same as you would have when anaesthetised in hospital. For additional safety every patient is placed on intravenous fluids throughout their surgery to support their heart and kidney function. During anaesthesia we have equipment that continually monitors our patient’s heart rate, ECG, blood oxygenation, respiratory rate and temperature. A qualified Veterinary Nurse monitors each anaesthetic and records an anaesthetic chart for every patient.
Pre- anaesthetic Blood Testing
We offer and recommend pre-anaesthetic blood testing as a precaution for all patients. This enables us to examine the animal’s body for internal problems that may cause complications with the anaesthetic or recovery. Such problems may be hidden and not obvious externally, despite a physical examination. This further ensures safety with anaesthesia. Blood testing is generally performed on the day of the anaesthesia.
Pain Relief
We consider analgesia (pain relief) a vital part of any surgery that we perform. For this reason, we routinely administer pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative pain relief to ensure that your pet has minimal discomfort. This also reduces their stress levels and the doses of anaesthetic required, making the whole process safer.
Pre Operative Instructions
If your pet is schedule to have surgery please follow the below instructions:
- Fasting – Your pet will need to be fasted after 8pm the night before, so no breakfast in the morning.
- Water – Your pet can have access to water at all times.
- Admission – Admission is generally between 8am and 10am. An appointment helps speed up the process and enables us to be ready for your pet. An appointment will be booked when you schedule the surgery.
- Toilet Walk – Please if possible take your dog for a short walk before they enter the clinic so that they can go to the toilet if required.
- Late Admissions – If you think your pet is going to be stressed in hospital we can usually arrange for a late admission. Please discuss this with the nurse prior to the surgery day. In some cases we can arrange for a nurse to phone you 30 minutes prior to the start of surgery so that you can drop your pet off just as we are preparing to start.
- If your pet is currently on medications, please consult with us as to if these medications should be given on the day of surgery