preparing for a procedure
Your pet may be scheduled for a procedure for a number of reasons, including surgery, x-rays, ultrasound, dentistry, and more. To ensure your pet is prepared for sedation or anaesthesia, refer to this guide.
Before the Procedure
- Fasting: Depending on the species, your pet may need to be fasted prior to anaesthesia. Please ensure you have received fasting instructions from the vet at least 24 hours prior to the procedure. Species which may vomit are at risk of developing aspiration pneumonia if they vomit while under the influence of anaesthetic medications, so it is crucial that the correct fasting instructions are followed for your pet. Feel free to bring any of their favourite foods to encourage them to eat after their procedure – we have an assortment of food options available, but often it’s impossible to cater to all tastes!
- Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Tests: Prior to anaesthesia, your pet’s veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination to ensure that your pet is well enough for the procedure, and that there are no new medical conditions that could complicate the procedure and compromise the health of your pet. There is always the possibility a physical exam alone will not identify all of your pets’ health problems. Prior to anaesthesia, a pre-anaesthetic blood test can be performed. Blood tests allow us to screen for illness, dehydration, infection, inflammation, and organ dysfunction – all of which may increase the risk of complications while under general anaesthesia if not addressed prior. Please note that pets considered geriatric for their species (e.g. dogs and cats over the age of 8) are strongly encouraged to have blood tests prior to undergoing anaesthesia.
- Vaccination and Parasite Control: to ensure the safety of your pet and others staying in our hospital, please ensure that their vaccinations and parasite control are up to date before their procedure. If they are due (but not overdue) for parasite prevention or vaccination, we may be able to administer this during their stay.
- Moral Support: If your exotic pet is closely bonded with another animal (of the same species), we encourage owners to bring their friend along for moral support. Even if the friend isn’t having a procedure for the day, their presence can help to reduce stress before and after the procedure.
Anaesthetic Risk
We use a combination of pre-anaesthetic medication, injectable and inhalant anaesthetics to achieve optimum levels of anaesthesia that are safe for your pet. Pre-anaesthetic medication, or ‘premedication’, is often a combination of pain relief and sedation. It helps pets to feel nice and relaxed leading up to the procedure, and decreased stress levels mean that animals require lower (and therefore safer) levels of anaesthetic agents during the procedure.
To clarify the different forms of anaesthesia:
- General anaesthesia: an injectable anaesthetic that produces a good plane of surgical anaesthesia, followed by inhalation of anaesthetic gas combined with oxygen for maintenance of anaesthesia. Depending on the duration of the procedure (and the species), your pet will most likely be intubated (which involves the insertion of a tube into the trachea or windpipe). This will ensure that your pet is able to receive oxygen at all times and protects the airway against the aspiration of any fluids into the lungs.
- Sedation: for minor procedures, in some cases we may elect for sedation over general anaesthesia. While light, sedation produces a good plane of sedation with a quick recovery. Many owners believe that sedation is safer than a general anaesthetic, when this is not often the case. The gas used to maintain general anaesthesia is short acting, and patients are intubated throughout the procedure – meaning we are able to easily breathe for them in case of an emergency. All anaesthetic drugs carry a degree of risk when being administered – this is where your vet’s experience and knowledge comes in – trust us to choose the safest, most suitable option for your pet.
The Day of Surgery
On the day of surgery, an admission appointment with one of our nurses will be booked between 9am and 10am. For more complicated procedures, your admission consultation will be scheduled with a veterinarian. This admission process will take a few minutes as you will be asked questions about your animal’s health and you will also be required to sign an anaesthetic consent form (if this has not already been completed in advance of the admission appointment). This form explains that no anaesthetic or surgical procedure is without some risk to the patient.
Every care is taken to ensure the health and safety of your pet, however we would be irresponsible not to inform you of the risks involved. If you are uneasy about this procedure or the complications that may arise please contact us for more information – we are here to help.
It is also important to note here, that while we do our best to minimise your pet’s wait time, not all pets can be first for the day. This may mean that your pet’s procedure isn’t finished until 4 or 5pm (at the absolute latest).
If your pet is particularly anxious, please speak to a team member about a custom admission and discharge, to see if we can accommodate your presence during premedication and recovery.
Please note that admission in the morning allows us time to perform a full physical examination, calculate drug doses based on their admission weight, administer premedication, place an intravenous catheter, and perform any pre-anaesthetic blood tests. We appreciate your understanding that your pet will be with us for the day to allow adequate time for us to perform the necessary pre-anaesthetic checks.
Intraoperative Monitoring & Care
Monitoring of patients during anaesthesia is done in two ways. First, a veterinary nurse is with your pet continuously from beginning of anaesthesia to recovery. Second, we have a digital monitor that records heart rate, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, respiration, ECG, and temperature.
All patients undergoing general anaesthesia will have an intravenous (IV) catheter placed (note that for some exotic pets this may not always be possible), and intravenous fluids will be administered during their anaesthetic. This allows us to have quick, available access to the circulatory system in case of an unforeseen emergency. The fluids not only help to maintain hydration and normal blood pressure throughout anaesthesia, they also aid in a quicker recovery from anaesthesia.
Patients undergoing general anaesthesia are unable to maintain their body temperature, so to prevent hypothermia, we use a combination of heated air blankets, a heated surgery table, blankets, booties and heated discs to keep them toasty warm. Maintaining body temperature not only ensures that they recover quicker – being wrapped up in warm blankets also reduces their anxiety (enough so, that most pets often drift off to sleep again after their initial wake up!).
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 dispensed for your pet to go home with. Additional information will be given at discharge. We hope this will reduce any discomfort experienced and aid in a quicker recovery.
Patient Discharge
Once your pet is awake, we will contact you and arrange for a discharge time. Discharge instructions will be emailed on the day of surgery, and one of our veterinary nurses (or vets, for more complicated procedures) will be available to answer any questions about post-operative care upon discharge. We will also teach you how to administer post-operative pain relief at home, and will ensure that you are comfortable nursing them at home during their recovery.
During your discharge consultation, the nurse will book a follow-up appointment to check on your pet’s wound and remove their sutures (if skin sutures were placed). This appointment occurs approximately 10 days after surgery. If you get home and you have any concerns regarding your pet, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
When you pick your pet up they may be slightly sleepy, and it is important that they stay calm so their wound isn’t subjected to tension. As such, it is important that they are transported home by vehicle and are not expected to walk. Once at home they need to be kept confined in a warm, quiet place to recover. We always administer and/or dispense additional pain relief after the procedure, so your pet should have a comfortable night back at home.
Ready to Book?
If you’re ready to book, or if you have any questions, give us a call on 1300 WILD VET (1300 945 383)