 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Surgical And Dental Procedure Information
|
|
Spaying or neutering your pet is a basic procedure used to control the animal population, and to aid in your pet's overall health and well-being. The health benefits are particularly high for female animals, as they are prone to mammary (breast) cancers and uterine infections if they are not spayed. Depending on your pet's age and overall health, your doctor will perform bloodwork to make sure that your pet is a safe candidate for anesthesia. The bloodwork can be done either the morning your pet is admitted to the hospital, or up to four weeks prior to the procedure (as long as there are no obvious changes to your pet's health in those four weeks). A heartworm test must also be current (for dogs). The bloodwork and heartworm tests are two separate tests. Your pet must be fasted for 10-12 hours prior to the anesthetic procedure. Water can be available for your pet overnight but please ensure that dogs do not drink in the morning of the procedure. The anesthesia we use at BHAMC is a gas anesthetic called isoflurane. This is the safest anesthetic available and is used in human hospitals as well. Your pet will be given an injectable sedative prior to the gas anesthesia so that we can place an endotracheal tube (a small plastic tube) into the airway through which we deliver the anesthetic gas. A full examination of your pet is required within four weeks prior to the surgery to ensure that your pet is healthy enough for the surgery and anesthesia. This too can be performed the morning of the procedure. Your pet will be monitored with a machine that measures heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels. Your pet will also be on a heating pad to maintain his/her body temperature. When a female is spayed, the doctors remove both the ovaries and the uterus. The ovaries are the hormone-producing organs, so by removing these it decreases the chance of many hormone-related diseases such as mammary cancer. With male pets, we are removing the testicles. This not only prevents the animal from breeding, but can also alleviate or prevent many unwanted behaviors. All animals are given IV fluids while under anesthesia for all procedures. The fluids help maintain proper kidney function, maintain blood pressure and reduce risks of side effects of postoperative medications. If there are complications during surgery, the intravenous catheter is in place for immediate administration of medications. Because the majority of our surgeries are elective procedures, we want to assure our clients that we do everything possible to make sure their pets recover quickly from their anesthetic procedures.
Other procedures that are offered while your pet is in the hospital and under anesthesia: * Microchipping - a small chip that is placed under the skin between the
shoulder blades. If your pet is lost and taken to a welfare league, veterinary
hospital (most hospitals have scanners) or animal shelter, the pet can be
scanned and the information on the scanner can be matched to your information and your pet can be returned. You may also register your dog
with AKC Companion Animal Recovery which is a nation-wide registry. * Hip x-rays for large breed dogs - we recommend x-raying the hips of
large breed dogs to screen for hip dysplasia. * Lumps and bumps - Many dogs and cats, especially older patients, will
have various growths that can be removed. Any and all of these procedures can be modified to your pets needs. If you have any questions, please ask the doctor or one our staff members to help you. All of the animals are given injection pain medications immediately following surgery. We also start oral pain medication the night of surgery. Cat spays and dog spays or neuters must stay overnight. We require this stay to keep them confined for the first 24 hours. We are not staffed overnight, however, the staff does not leave the hospital unless all the animals are stable and fully awake. The animals will be fed a light evening meal and a full breakfast. Male cats do not require an overnight stay. The morning after surgery, the animals are examined by a doctor to make sure that they are fully recovered and are showing no signs of complications. They are discharged on the second day with oral pain medications. Post-operative instructions will be given to you before you take your pet home. We hope that this information will allay any fears you may have about a procedures, and give you confidence that your pet is receiving the best medical care possible. |
|
Your doctor has recommended a dental cleaning for your pet. The purpose of this handout is to explain the basic procedures used by our hospital. Depending on your pet's age and overall health, your doctor will perform bloodwork to make sure that your pet is a safe candidate for anesthesia. The bloodwork can be done either the morning your pet is admitted to the hospital, or up to four weeks prior to the procedure (as long as there are no obvious changes to your pet's health in those four weeks). A heartworm test must also be current (for dogs). The bloodwork and heartworm tests are two seperate tests. Your pet must be fasted for 10-12 hours prior to the anesthetic procedure. Water can be available for your pet overnight but please ensure that dogs do not drink in the morning of the procedure. The anesthesia we use at BHAMC is a gas anesthetic called isoflurane. This is the safest anesthetic available and is used in human hospitals as well. Your pet will be given an injectable sedative prior to the gas anesthesia so that we can place an endotracheal tube (a small plastic tube) into the airway through which we deliver the anesthetic gas. A full examination of your pet is required within four weeks prior to the surgery to ensure that your pet is healthy enough for the surgery and anesthesia. This too can be performed the morning of the procedure. Your pet will be monitored with a machine that measures heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels. Your pet will also be on a heating pad to maintain his/her body temperature. The dental cleaning itself includes hand and ultrasonic scaling of the teeth. Once the tartar has been removed, we use instrument especially designed for dogs or cats to examine under the gums for any lesions or problems with the roots. We then use a prophylaxis paste to polish the enamel of the tooth to keep the surface free of microscopic scratches which promote plaque build-up. Lastly, a stannous flouride foam is applied to the teeth to strengthen the enamel. All animals are given fluids under their skin to aid in quick anesthesic recovery. An antibiotic injection is administered to prevent infection from the plaque removal. Other procedures that are offered while your pet is in the hospital and under anesthesia: * Microchipping - a small chip that is placed under the skin between the
shoulder blades. If your pet is lost and taken to a welfare league, veterinary
hospital (most hospitals have scanners) or animal shelter, the pet can be
scanned and the information on the scanner can be matched to your information and your pet can be returned. You may also register your dog
with AKC Companion Animal Recovery which is a nation-wide registry. * Hip x-rays for large breed dogs - we recommend x-raying the hips of
large breed dogs to screen for hip dysplasia. * Lumps and bumps - Many dogs and cats, especially older patients, will
have various growths that can be removed. Any and all of these procedures can be modified to your pets needs. If you have any questions, please ask the doctor or one our staff members to help you. We hope that this information will allay any fears you may have about the procedures, and give you confidence that your pet is receiving the best medical care possible. |
|
|
| Home | Location | The Vets | Newsletter | Pet Care | Surgery / Dentistry | Hospital Photos | Careers |
| Site designed by VetNetwork© |