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Dog Raising Paw

Pre-Operative Instructions

Please follow the instructions below to ensure your pets day of surgery goes as smoothly as possible!

Day of Surgery

  • DROP OFF TIME: 8:30-9AM

  • PICK UP TIME: We will call you with an update and advised pickup time once surgery has ended.

  • Cats must arrive in a carrier and dogs must be on a leash!

  • If we find fleas on your pet, we will administer a tablet (Capstar) to kill any live fleas at the owners expense. Fleas can contaminate the surgery site and also be transmitted to other patients.

  • We recommend purchasing a cone/e-collar to prevent your pet from licking/chewing at their incision site.

Pre-op Instructions 

  • Withhold all food & treats the night prior to surgery & morning of! If your pet vomits up a meal during or just after surgery, they are at risk for aspiration.

  • Water can still be given ​

  • If your pet takes a morning medication, pease talk to the doctor prior to see if they should still recieve this.

  • If you have a brachycephalic dog, you may be sent home with an anti-emetic (anti-vomiting) pill to reduce anesthesia risks

  • If your dog normally takes a chill protocol to come to vet (such as gabapentin & trazodone), please still give this the night before and morning of surgery. A tiny amount of food or a pill pocket can be given to ensure they get their meds.

Why we recommend pre-anesthetic bloodwork

To minimize and manage the risks of anesthesia, we routinely perform a physical exam and pre-anesthetic bloodwork. These tests are similar to those your own physician would run if you were to undergo anesthesia. This helps us detect the presence of complicating factors such as dehydration, infection, anemia, diabetes, clotting ability, and organ dysfunction that may not be detected otherwise. We strongly recommend bloodwork in all patients regardless of age. If a pet goes to surgery with unknown liver/kidney disease or is unable to clot their blood, the risk is extremely increased.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

  • white blood cell count (infection), red blood cell count (anemia/ bleeding disorders), and platelet count (clotting disorder)

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Chemistry Profile

  • BUN and Creatinine (kidney values), ALP and ALT (liver values), glucose, total protein (dehydration), & electrolytes (imbalances)

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We also recommend all dogs have a recent negative heartworm test and all cats have been tested for FeLV and FIV at least onceI

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