Welcome to our Website

P R E   &   P O S T   O P

Note that these instructions are of a general nature for most procedures involving an anaesthetic  and/or basic surgery. In many specific instances your pet may have different needs and your vet will alter these. Individual instructions for your pet supersede the general ones given below.

PRE OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS

Prior to your animals procedure we ask that you starve your animal for at least 16 hours i.e.: feed the normal amount of food for dinner at 5pm the night before then pick up all food at 6pm. We advise you to leave water down overnight in summer to prevent dehydration, especially in older animals or those with kidney disease, but pick up the water at 6am the morning of the procedure.

In the case of dogs, please make sure that they have been out to the toilet in the morning as they will be hospitalized for the day.

A 15 minute consultation/admission time will normally be booked for you between 8 and 9am in the morning so the veterinarian can check that your animal is fit for surgery/anaesthesia. They will go over the procedure with you while obtaining a day time contact number from you so that if necessary you can be reached during the day.

POST OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS

• Your animal has had a general anaesthetic today and needs to be kept inside in a warm, quiet, stress free environment

• It can take up to 24 hours for the anaesthetic in some individuals to wear off so please keep you animal restricted during this time. Dogs can be toileted outside with supervision but cats need to be kept inside with access to a litter box

• You can feed your pet a small meal and free access to water post operatively

• You may notice some small shaved areas other than the surgical site on your animal, this will be because we have placed an intravenous catheter, taken blood from a vein or used blood pressure monitoring equipment and is quite normal.

• Any drugs dispensed should be given as prescribed

• Please prevent your animal licking at or chewing at the stitches or dressings. If necessary we have preventative collars which are available from the clinic if needed.

• Please ensure all dressings are kept clean and dry. We recommend covering bandages or splints with a plastic bag when taken for a walk outside. Do not leave a bag on for a long period of time

• Please contact us immediately if there is any damage, moisture, swelling, discharge or smell from any dressing or cast.

• Until sutures are removed, usually 10-14 days post operatively, please allow gentle leash walking only. Cats will need to be kept inside for a period specified by the veterinarian for that case.

PERSONALIZED PAIN MANAGEMENT PLANS

• Each animal is treated as an individual. A pain management plan is tailored to each surgery and for the level of expected post operative pain for that procedure

• Effective pain management depends on giving the correct combination of drugs in effective doses by the appropriate route-we use a balanced pain management approach i.e.: preoperative pain relief injections/post operative pain relief injections/local anaesthetics as indicated /epidural injections and sometimes patch medication for ongoing pain relief at home

• Animals are monitored closely post operatively in the hospital for pain and additional pain relief given as necessary

CLICK HERE for more information on Is my pet in pain?