We offer a wide variety of surgical procedures including:
 

Before your pet has surgery:

Surgical patients should arrive between 7:30 and 8:00 AM unless arranged differently.

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 Arbor Creek Animal Hospital , 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.  The handout on anesthesia explains this

in greater detail.

Preanesthetic 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. 

Your pet's age and medical history will determine the level of blood work needed.  

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.

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.  All our doctors are members of the

International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management  and are current on the

latest options in pain control available to your pet.

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, or implanting an identification microchip. 

If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time. 

When you bring your pet in for surgery, we will need to 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill

out paperwork and make decisions on the blood testing and other options available. 

Forms may only be signed by the owner of the pet.  When you pick up your pet after

surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care

needs.