Surgery Day For Your Pet
Providing The Quality Care Your Pet Deserves

We at Northern Animal Clinic understand that you may be concerned with the thought of anesthesia and surgery for your family member.

By understanding our procedures and knowing what you can expect, we hope to relieve some of your concerns

The night before surgery . . .
Feed your pet his or her usual evening meal with plenty of fresh water as usual. By 10:00 PM please take away any remaining food, but allow access to the water bowl. Be sure that other animal’s food (and yours too!) has also been put out of reach, so that your pet will have nothing further to eat. If your pet has special needs (e.g. diabetic), or if your pet is a rabbit or rodent, please ask for specific instructions.

The day of surgery . . .
Your pet should come to the office without any food (including treats!) in the morning. Small amounts of water are acceptable. Allow your pet to have normal urination and defecation before arriving, unless otherwise instructed. You should have been given an arrival time between 8:00 and 8:30 AM, unless an earlier time has been previously arranged. (In some cases when owners are unable to drop their pets off in the morning, arrangements can be made to leave the pet the evening before surgery).

You will be greeted by one of our receptionists and/or assistants who will ask you to read and sign the release forms, which will discuss pre-anesthetic blood screening, and the projected services and costs.

We will ask for a phone number where someone can be reached. This is important! We want to be able to keep you informed along the way. Usually this involves something as simple as finding a tooth that needs attention, or a mass that you may want removed. Sometimes we find abnormalities on the pre-anesthetic blood screen. We may not be able to proceed with the procedure if we cannot reach you when these types of questions arise.

We will ask some questions about your pet’s recent general health.

If your pet is given medications on a regular basis you will be asked if the medication was given the morning of admission.

You will be told when your pet is expected to be discharged.
You will have any of your questions answered . . . NO QUESTION will be considered unnecessary.

We will call you after the procedure has been completed and your pet has awakened from the anesthesia. We try to make these calls in a timely manner, but sometimes we get behind schedule when other emergencies are presented to us for treatment. Please feel free to call if you have not heard from us by 11:30 AM.

LENGTH OF STAY . . .

Feline spays and neuters - stay overnight and go home sometime after 10:00 AM the following morning.
Felines being de-clawed generally stay in the hospital 2 nights and go home the 3rd day.
Canine spays and neuters - stay overnight and go home sometime after 10:00 AM the following morning.
Pets undergoing dental treatments and mass removal generally go home the same day.
Rabbits and pocket pets will go home the same day.

When will I pick up my pet?
We will set up a time for your pet to be discharged from the hospital. We may set this up when we call you following the procedure, or it may be preferable to wait until the actual day of discharge. Your pet will be examined in the morning, so that we can be sure everything is proceeding normally and he or she is ready to go home!

How will I know what to do for my pet when we return home?
We will have discharge instructions ready for you, which will be discussed with an assistant or the doctor.

These instructions will include any medication instructions, how long to restrict activity, when the incision should be re-evaluated and/or sutures removed, and any other things that we want you to watch for.

Generally we will want to evaluate your pet’s medical progress about a week later with an appointment. If you have any questions or concerns that arise before that appointment, we want you to call the office so that we can address them sooner rather than later!