So your pet is having an anesthetic...

How do you prepare?

1. Your pet should have no food or water after midnight the night before the surgery day.

2. Make sure you reserve about 15 minutes on the appointment day, to complete the admitting procedures and again when picking your pet up.

What will happen when you arrive the morning of surgery?

1. Your pet will be weighed and taken into an appointment room with a veterinary assistant. A current weight is very important for proper anesthetic dosing.

2. The assistant will confirm the procedure, answer any specific questions you may have about the procedure, will go through the anesthetic consent form and have you sign it, confirming you have read it.

3. The assistant will read through the "special procedures" options. These are optional procedures which may be recommended for your pet for added safety and comfort while under anesthetic and after surgery. These include: IV fluid therapy during the procedure ($35-40), pre-anesthetic blood work ($89), pain management for home (variable cost depending on what is used). We also offer a reduced cost for microchipping while they 're under anesthetic as an option.

What happens to your pet while in the clinic?

1. Your pet will be housed individually, in a closed kennel, with a comfortable blanket.

2. Your pet will be given a sedating drug and then a full dose of general anesthetic which will put them completely to sleep. For  major procedures, a gas anesthetic is then added to keep them asleep for the duration. We have blood pressure, oxygen and heart rate monitoring while they are under anesthetic.

3. After the procedure, your pet will be monitored during recovery and administered any necessary medications to keep them comfortable in the immediate post-operative phase.

4. The doctor will call you and let you know how the procedure has gone and any other discussions regarding further treatment and to confirm a pick-up time.

What happens when my pet is ready to be picked up?

1. At the time of pick-up, the assistant will go through any special home-care instructions and answer any questions you may have. If there are questions the assistant can't answer, a note will be left for the veterinarian to get back to you at a later date.