Prior to Your Pet’s Surgical Procedure
Whether your pet is young or old, a pre-anesthetic physical exam will be performed with the necessary blood work to assure that your pet is as healthy as possible. This will help uncover any previously undiagnosed conditions and allow us to score their pain level to better customize medication needed before, during and after their procedure.
In addition to examining your pet, our staff performs a safety check on all tools and equipment as well as double checks operations just before the procedure begins. This allows us to maintain focus on your pet while simultaneously reducing the time your pet will be anesthetized.
To reduce your pet’s stress and promote comfort, we balance anesthetics with pre-anesthetic administration of analgesic and sedative drugs. Depending on the protocol used, this approach can also allow for a reduction in the amount of anesthetic required, making for a smoother recovery. At Comal Pet Hospital & Resort, anesthesia is individualized for your pet based on a number of factors, which includes the type of procedure, his or her preexisting conditions, blood test values, age, breed, and prior anesthetic experience.
During Your Pet’s Surgical Procedure
Anesthesia and cardiovascular monitoring are integral aspects of every surgery we perform. At Comal Pet Hospital & Resort, we follow anesthetic monitoring recommendations set forth by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists, and have invested in state-of-the-art, automated vital signs monitoring equipment specially designed for use on animals. A trained Veterinary Technician (Veterinary Nurse) will also be at your pet’s side, responding to feedback from the electronic monitoring system and using their hands-on clinical expertise to manage your pet’s proper anesthetic depth. Our surgeon is kept steadily informed on your pet’s arterial oxygen level, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and core body temperature throughout the procedure.
To maintain acceptable levels of your pet’s blood pressure, and to avoid dehydration, we place an IV catheter in our surgery patients which provides an immediate route for administration of fluids, especially in response to changes in blood pressure trends or to administer other medications as needed, during and after the procedure.
Core body temperature directly affects how the body metabolizes anesthetics, so we use an array of warming methods to keep your pet’s temperature at the desired level. You can be assured that your pet will be monitored during recovery and every accommodation will be made to ensure their warmth, comfort and well-being. We will also monitor certain vital signs so that any adverse responses are addressed immediately.
After Your Pet’s Surgical Procedure
Upon discharge you will be provided with specific home care information regarding what to expect during the recovery process as well as a thorough explanation of proper use and dosage of any post-operative and/or pain management medications we may provide. We will call you the next day or shortly after to check on your pet’s progress, however, should any questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Before any Surgery, get a second opinion from us. Contact us today.