Surgical Services
Our surgical suite provides for the performance of a wide variety of surgical procedures, as spays, neuters, mass removals and wound repairs, including laser and Ellman electrosurgical surgery.
What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery
Is the anesthetic safe?
Modern anesthetics make surgery much safer than in the past. At Dog and Cat Repair, we will carefully evaluate your pet's health during a pre-anesthetic physical exam to ensure anesthesia can be safely administered.
Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that could cause anesthetic or surgical complications. We recommend pre-anesthetic blood work for all pets over 6 years of age to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.
Anesthetic risks can be further reduced by the use of fluid therapy which maintains blood pressure to vital organs during surgery and helps prevent dehydration. There are different methods of administering fluids. Which one we use will be based on the needs of your pet and the type of surgery being done. We recommend fluid therapy for all pets over 6 years of age.
Additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may also be required for geriatric or ill pets.
Prior to surgery, your pet must have an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. The night before surgery, you will need to withhold food and water after 12 midnight.
Will my pet have stitches?
For many surgeries, we are able to use absorbable sutures below the skin which dissolve on their own, but for others, such as tumor removals, skin stitches are required. Skin sutures will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. With both types, the incision will need to be monitored closely for swelling or discharge. Depending on the type of procedure, your pet's activity level should be limited for a week or two. It's extremely important to prevent your pet from licking excessively or chewing at the incision and avoid bathing them for the first 10 - 14 days after surgery. Please give us a call if you notice your pet licking, chewing, or scratching or if their skin sutures come undone for any reason.
Will my pet be in pain?
Animals experience pain just like humans do, although they may not show the same symptoms. Whether or not your pet will need pain medication depends on the surgery performed as major procedures will likely require more pain relief.
For dogs and cats, we may recommend an injection of pain medication on the day of surgery followed by two days of oral pain medication to reduce discomfort and swelling. The newer medications we use are are less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given safely to most pets.
Pain relief for cats is tricky as they cannot have standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol. Recent advances in pain medications provide better options for pain control in cats than ever before.
What other decisions do I need to make?
While your pet is under anesthesia we can perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip. Please inquire prior to the day of surgery if you would like an estimate for any extra services, especially if the person dropping the pet off is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.
On the day of the surgery, please arrive 5-10 minutes early to complete paperwork and make decisions about blood testing and other options. Plan to spend about 10 minutes going over your pet's home care needs when you pick your pet up.
We will call you the night before your surgery appointment to confirm the drop-off time and answer any questions you have. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions about your pet's health or upcoming surgery.
