Pre-surgical Policy

For pets that will be anesthetized during their stay with us, please withhold food after 10 o’clock the night before. Water through the night is fine. Admissions are scheduled for a specific drop off time first thing in the morning, where you will meet with a technician. Please allow 30 minutes for check in procedures.

All pets that undergo anesthesia receive pre-anesthetic blood work. This blood work will be a combination of the following:

Heartworm or Feline Leukemia/Feline Immunodeficiency Virus test: These will only be performed if not up to date.

Chemistry panel: This tells us information about major organ function which will assist us in determining the most appropriate medications to use.

Complete Blood Count: This details information about Red Blood Cell Count and White Blood Count which can indicate infection, inflammation, anemia or other potential anesthetic risks.

Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Total Solids (TS): This allows us to identify potential low red blood cell counts. Red blood cells are very important for oxygenation.

The top 4 reasons to test your pet before anesthesia:

1. You deserve peace of mind. Testing can significantly reduce medical risk and ensure your pet’s’ health and safety.

2. Pets cannot tell us when they do not feel well. A healthy-appearing pet may be hiding symptoms of a disease or ailment. For example, a pet can lose up to 75% of kidney function before showing any visible signs of illness. Testing helps us evaluate your pets’ health up front, so we can avoid problems related to anesthesia.

3. Testing can reduce the risk and consequences. If pre-anesthetic results are within normal ranges, we can proceed with confidence, knowing that anesthetic risk is minimized. On the other hand, if results are not within the normal ranges, we can alter the anesthetic procedure, or take other precautions to safeguard your pets’ health and reduce the risk of potential complications.

4. Testing can help protect your pet’s future health. These tests provide baseline levels for your pet and become part of his or her medical record for future references.

Overnight Patients

We do not have overnight staffing, but ensure our patients are comfortable with a blanket, pain medications (when necessary), food, water and soothing music. If our patients are critical and need 24 hour observation, we will assist you in transferring them to an Animal Emergency Care Facility. For most of our overnight surgeries, your pet is better to rest in quiet to assist in recovery.

We certainly allow our clients to visit their pets during extended stays. We ask that these visits be short in duration and limited to normal business hours. Unfortunately, some pets react poorly to reoccurring absence of owners. Therefore, coming and going frequently may be as stressful as it is comforting.