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What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery
Are the anesthetics safe?
Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Every pet needs 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 dysfunctions 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. In these cases, we may recommend additional tests or referral to another specialist. We can also bring in a veterinary anesthesiology specialist for the highest risk patients. 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 after 10 pm on the night before surgery. Water can be left available for the pet until the morning of surgery. Will my pet have stitches?
Will my pet be in pain?
For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflammatory the day after surgery and several days after to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling. We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset. Because cats do not tolerate standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol, we are limited in what we can give them. Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. We administer a pain injection 20 minutes prior to surgery. After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis. Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication. We use injectable and oral pain medications to keep animals comfortable after all surgical procedures. Providing whatever pain relief is appropriate is a humane and caring thing to do for your pet. What other decisions do I need to make?
In animals undergoing cataract surgery, we will discuss the placement of intraocular lenses with you. |