What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery

Many people have questions about various aspects of their pet's surgery, and we hope this information will help.  It also explains the decisions you will need to make before your pet's upcoming surgery.

Is the anesthetic safe?

Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  Here at Pacific Cat Clinic, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won't be a problem.  We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your pet.  Our handout on anesthesia explains this in greater detail, please see our friendly and knowledgeable staff for access to this brochure or for more information.

Preanesthetic blood testing is important in reducing risk while under anesthesia.  We strongly recommend that every pet receives blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic.  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.  Animals that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery.  If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.

We offer three 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, electrocardiograms, 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.  You will need to withhold food for at least 8 to 10 hours before surgery.  Water can be left down for the pet until the morning of surgery.

Will my pet have stitches?

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 tumor removals, do require skin stitches.  With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge.  Most dogs and cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will also need to watch for.  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.

Will my pet be 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. We at Pacific Cat Clinic are committed to ensuring that your pet will remain pain free for the duration of the surgery, recovery, and subsequent healing time. If for any reason you suspect your cat may be in pain, please let us know and we will do our best to alleviate the discomfort.

What other decisions do I need to make?

While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, implanting an identification microchip, or tattooing the ear as identification.  If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time.  This is especially important if the person dropping your cat off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for care.

When you bring your cat in for surgery, we will need 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork and ask any pertinent questions as they apply to your cat's individual case. Upon discharge, you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your cat's procedure, please don't hesitate to call or email us.  There is a form you can fill out on this website under Contact Us which we will try to answer as soon as possible.