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.

In addition to this letter, you will find the following information below:

1. Pre-Anesthetic Blood Testing Information Form (submit before the day of surgery)
2. Surgical Information Sheet (submit before the day of surgery)

Please read all the enclosed information carefully. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us. On your pets’ surgery day, we require you to review and sign an Authorization/Estimate Form— which allows you to choose optional services.

We require a phone number(s) where you can be reached on the surgery day. Failure to be reached on the day of the procedure may result in a postponement of the surgery.

The night before your pet’s surgery...

• Withhold all food and treats after 9:00 pm.
• Water may be left down after this time period.

If you are currently administering any medications, vitamins, and/or injections, withhold the morning doses unless otherwise instructed by the doctor. For Diabetics, please call the day before for instructions.

Please arrange for your pet to be dropped off on the morning of the scheduled surgery unless other arrangements have been made in advance. For example, new clients are required to have a presurgical visit on the morning of the procedure and may not have an appointment until later. At the time of drop off, our team will be happy to answer any questions/concerns and collect the enclosed/completed Authorization Form.

Our veterinary nurse will escort your pet to an exam room to review the procedure and estimate. If you have selected any of the recommended blood tests, our nurse will collect all blood samples and tests prior to surgery.

If any questions arise, the doctor may contact you at the number on the Authorization Form.

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. At this time, we will be able to give you an idea of when your pet may be discharged. When you arrive to take your pet home, the receptionist will bill you out and the veterinary nurse will go over all discharge orders verbally and give you a written copy. If you do not understand any instructions, please do not hesitate to ask them to go over them one more time.

We hope the surgery day will be a pleasant experience. Remember, our team knows surgery can be an anxious time and we are always available to answer any and all questions concerning the upcoming procedure. We look forward to serving you and your pet on the upcoming surgery day and in years to come.

Pre-Anestetic Blood Testing Information Form

Please read carefully

Our greatest concern is the well-being of your pet. Before putting your pet under anesthesia, we routinely perform a full physical examination. We also highly recommend and sometimes require that 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 similar to those your own physician would run if you were to undergo anesthesia. In addition, these tests may be useful if your pet’s health changes to develop faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatments. *State-of-the-art equipment enables us to perform the pre-anesthetic blood profile at our hospital and we are committed to making this technology available to our patients.

The Authorization Form you will sign on your pet’s surgery date will offer pre-anesthetic blood work.

1. The Quantitative Blood Count (QBC) and Pre-Anesthetic Profile which includes:

• CBC: PCV (Anemia), White Blood Cell Count (Infection) & Red Blood Cell Count (Anemia/Bleeding Disorder), Platelet Count (Clotting Disorder)
• Profile: BUN and Creatinine (Kidney), ALKP and ALT (Liver), Glucose (Sugar), Total Protein (Dehydration), and Electrolytes (Imbalance).

2. Owner Elects to Decline the recommended pre-anesthetic blood tests at this time but requests that we proceed with the procedure. This is indicated by checking the appropriate box on the form.

You will notice other tests available that are not included in the above choices. We have selected tests that give doctors a suitable overview of healthy patients. However, if the patients are in their senior years (above 7 years old) or are sick, the FULL senior profile can be done on the day of the procedure at the owner’s request. It has been included in the high amount estimate.

On the Feline Patient Authorization Form, our feline owners will see a FeLV/FIV Test option. We highly recommend this test be performed on all feline patients at least once in their lives because Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Feline Aids) are viruses for which no cure exists. If your pet goes outside, we recommend administering the Feline Leukemia vaccine as well. Please ask questions if you would like to learn more about Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids.

We realize surgery and anesthesia are scary for both the owner and patient and we attempt to make surgery day as safe and comfortable for all involved. The physical examination and blood work done prior to any surgical procedure allow us to best minimize anesthetic and surgical risks and maximize patient safety.

If you have any questions or hesitations about the scheduled procedure, please do not hesitate to call us to discuss any aspect of the upcoming procedure.

Surgical Information Form

Please read carefully

Anesthetic Procedures & Risks
We use a combination of pre-anesthetic medications/injectable and inhalant anesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anesthesia that are safe for your pet.

• For short procedures, an injectable anesthetic is given alone that produces a good plane of surgical anesthesia with a quick recovery.
• 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 able to receive oxygen at all times and prevents the aspiration of any fluids into the lungs.
• For procedures requiring minimum sedation, an injectable anesthetic produces a good plane of sedation with quick recovery. 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 it is less irritating to the airways. Another advantage to Isoflurane is a quick induction using a mask verse using injectable anesthetics that require metabolism from the body.

Monitoring & Pain Management
Monitoring of patients during anesthesia is done in three ways.

• First, a veterinary nurse is with your pet continuously from the beginning of anesthesia to recovery.
• Second, we have a computerized monitor that records heart rate, pulse rate, oxygen levels, respiration, ECG, and core and rectal temperature.
• Third, we use human-grade convection warm air flow blankets to keep our patients warm during the procedure. Our clinic strongly believes in compassionate, quality, medical care for our patients. As a result, all surgery patients will receive pain management before, during, and after surgery. Additionally, pain medication may be prescribed at home. Additional information will be given at discharge. We hope this program will reduce any discomfort experienced and aid in a quicker recovery.

Intravenous Catheterization & Fluids
We highly recommend the placement of an IV catheter and using IV fluids during all anesthetic procedures. This allows us to have quick, available access to the circulatory system (blood) in case of an unforeseen emergency. The fluids help provide support to the circulatory system and prevent dehydration, as well as aid in a quicker recovery from anesthesia.

Potential Surgical Complications

• Canine and Feline Spay: Bleeding, Infection, Recurrent Heat, Urinary Incontinence, Weight Gain, Suture Reactions
• Canine and Feline Alter: Bleeding, Infection, Scrotal Swelling, Suture Reaction (Canine Only)
• Feline Declaw: Bleeding, Infection, Limping/Lameness, Regrowth of Nail
• Tumor/Lump Removal: Bleeding, Infection, Swelling and Drainage, Suture Reaction, Tumor regrowth

It is important for you to understand that there is always a risk of anesthetic and surgical complications anytime these procedures are performed. We strive to take the highest quality care of your pet and take all the added precautions you allow to avoid potential problems. Thank you for entrusting your pet to us.