Surgery

1. Making the appointment
Except in the case of an emergency, our staff will discuss with you an appointment for your pet. In general we admit our surgery cases in the early morning ( 7:30am-8am), we ask that your pet arrives here having not eaten since the night before. We will ask a few general health questions in the morning and you can be on your way. In general we complete our surgeries so they are ready to leave on the same day, usually by supper time. Of course there are always exceptions like in the case of a declaw, we keep them with us over night due to the complexity of the surgery. If there are any special instructions our staff will happily go over them with you.

2. The pre-anaesthetic exam
In all cases, the veterinarian will perform a complete exam of your pet to know his/her state of health the morning of surgery. The exam will help the veterinarian to determine what medications can be used and the method of anesthesia that would be suitable for your pet. In some cases it may be necessary to perform a blood test if in doubt.

In fact, you should know that certain medications and anaesthetics may cause complications or your pet may not be able to metabolize them properly. They could be more at risk than others (animals with heart failure, kidney or liver problems, injured, immunocompromised, infected, etc.)…

3. Preparation
After the veterinarian has decided the medications and method of anesthesia, your pet will be sedated and given an injection of pain medication. All our patients will receive an intravenous catheter and intravenous fluids for the duration of the surgery. The fluids allow the animal to better metabolize the anaesthetic, prevent low blood pressure, and give us a fast means of giving any medications should an emergency arise.

4. Anesthesia
Anesthesia of your companion is a significant step in the operation. The clinic is currently equipped with a volatile anaesthetic system (providing greater safety and comfort of use). After sedation has taken place, the anesthesia will be induced and she/he will be intubated to allow the delivery of a mixture of anesthetic gas and oxygen. Then, the surgical area will be shaved in preparation for surgery. After transfer into our operating room, we can proceed to aseptically clean and disinfect the area to minimize the risk of infection. After only a few minutes, she/he will be ready for surgery. At all times during surgery the oxygen saturation level and heart rate will be monitored. Our veterinary technicians have been specially trained in the induction and maintenance of anesthesia and will monitor your pet while in surgery.

5. Surgery
Under anesthesia your pet will be without pain and we take all precautions to maintain a sterile surgical environment. The quality will be the same as that of a human surgery. Once the surgery is completed she/he will closed using stitches or surgical skin glue. Appointments need to remove the stitches are always at no extra cost to you.

6. Awakening and recovery
At the end of surgery, anesthetic gas will be cut and your pet will receive only oxygen for a few minutes before he is allowed to wake up. Once awake, your pet will be monitored by one our animal health technicians until she/he is fully awake, warm, and comfortable. We like to take this time to cut the nails of your pet should she/he need it!

7. Hospitalization
Once your pet is fully awake he will be placed in an appropriate sized kennel and allowed to rest in a calm quiet environment. The animal health technician will continue to monitor your pet periodically during the day to ensure a smooth full recovery. For the majority of our surgeries your animal may return the same evening of the operation and rest in the comfort of his or her own home. However, in some more complex surgeries your animal may be kept over night with us.

8. Postoperative care
Your companion, once home, may need some care or medications. These are often very simple tasks and will be explained by our animal health technicians.

Note: During surgery, complications can occur. Previous eight points describe the ideal protocol, it is certain that some adjustments may occur depending on the condition. The veterinarian reserves the right to change the protocol at any time to suit both the situation and the health of your pet.