Surgery:

1. Is anesthesia safe? Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past. Our team takes every precaution to reduce the risks involved with anesthesia and surgery. Upon arrival to your pets surgery, your pet will be weighed and the veterinarian will do a thorough physical examination on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won't be a problem. In addition, pre-anesthetic blood work is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. We recommend every pet receives blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic, however it is required for pets over the age of 8. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing.  If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications. Your pet will have an IV catheter placed before anesthesia. An IV catheter provides a direct route to the bloodstream. The use of intravenous fluids during surgery facilitates adequate cardiovascular performance, reduces stress on the heart, assists in maintaining your animal's temperature, hydration, blood pressure, and reduces the time it takes for your animal to fully recover from anesthesia. While undergoing the procedure, your animal will receive analgesic drugs that prevent pain. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected. We offer two levels of in-house blood testing before surgery, which we will go over with you when you bring your pet in. Our doctors prefer the more comprehensive screen, because it gives them the most information to ensure the safety of your pet. For geriatric or ill pets, additional blood tests, echocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well. It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. Please visit our "Surgery" page for information regarding your pets fasting schedule. 
2. Will my pet have sutures? For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later. Some surgeries, especially mass removals, do require skin stitches. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. You will also need to limit your pet's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.
3. Why do I need to keep a cone on my pet? If we send your pet home with a cone after their procedure, it is for good reason. DO NOT TAKE IT OFF! The cone is being sent home for your pets safety. If you take the cone off, and your pet opens up their incision, your pet could be in a tremendous amount of pain and danger. Please do not remove the cone until your veterinarian says it is safe. *Please note: Our clinic and doctors are not responsible for any injuries that are a result of your pet not having their cone on.* 
4. Is my pet in pain? Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals.  Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations. For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflammatory the day after surgery and several days after to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling. We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given even the morning of surgery. Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. We administer a pain injection 10 minutes prior to surgery. Injectable pain medications may also be used after surgery on both dogs and cats. Providing whatever pain relief is appropriate is a humane and caring thing to do for your pet. It is important to give the pain medication as instructed by your pets veterinarian.