Surgery Information

Your Pet’s Surgery - An informed decision about quality veterinary medicine

Thank you for recognizing the need for your pet’s surgery. Many people have questions about various aspects of their pet's surgery. We hope this information will help. We want you to know everything we do to make sure your pet is comfortable and safe. The answers to these questions will help you understand how Companions Animal Hospital will exceed your expectations for your pet's care and safety. Protecting your pet is our top concern!

1. Is the hospital AAHA certified?

We are accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). This means that our standards of care have been evaluated by an AAHA representative and met with their high standards in 20 different categories including anesthesia, housekeeping, patient care, and surgery, just to name a few. For more information on what it means to be an AAHA accredited practice, visit their pet owner website at www.healthypet.com.

2. Will my pet receive a complete physical exam and laboratory tests before surgery?

At Companions Animal Hospital we know that an animal that suffers from such disorders as a fever, a parasite infection, an infectious disease, or a heart murmur should not undergo surgery without being treated or stabilized. A thorough pre-surgical exam is our chance to detect these conditions before administering anesthetics. Things change quickly so even if an exam was done a month ago we still recheck the morning of surgery. Age-appropriate bloodwork reveals problems that are not obvious and helps determine how your pet’s internal organs will process anesthesia and what doses and types of anesthesia and pain medications will be safe. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing. For some pets additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be needed or required prior to surgery. Dosages, combinations and types of anesthetic drugs are adjusted based on the individual pets age, breed, test results and health status. For most species 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 prior to surgery. The timing will vary depending on the individual and will be discussed with you at the time surgery is scheduled and again when we call the night prior to surgery. All of these things help us make anesthesia as safe as possible.

3. What safety precautions will you take during and after surgery?

While most surgery is uneventful, emergencies sometimes occur. Detecting problems early improves our ability to intervene and correct them. We place a breathing tube in all anesthetized animals to keep the airway open and give oxygen and gas anesthesia. We use the safest anesthesia available. A heart and blood pressure monitor allows the doctor to track heart rate and rhythm to ensure circulation is normal. A specially trained veterinary nurse or assistant is carefully monitoring and recording vital signs during the entire procedure. In addition, all surgery patients have an IV catheter inserted to receive fluids during surgery to support circulation. We keep an emergency cart with drugs and supplies stocked and close at hand and can quickly give them through the IV catheter if necessary. Each surgery patient is evaluated for their pre-anesthetic risk level on a scale of 1-5 (excellent to critical). We go over this information with each client along with what precautions will be taken for their pet upon their pet’s admission to the hospital for surgery. Potential surgical complications are also reviewed by your Companion’s veterinarian prior to surgery.

Surgery patients lose body heat through anesthesia and incisions. If a patient gets cold, the heart and other organs are affected; keeping pets warm also allows for a safer and speedier recovery. Therefore, all patients receive a heat source before, during and after surgery. We monitor patient temperatures at a minimum of every 5 minutes during and after surgery and provide supplemental heating as needed. If temperatures are dropping we add additional heating elements. We also monitor your pet’s gum color, pulse, perfusion, blood pressure and respiration at a minimum of every 5 minutes to ensure that respiration and circulation are normal. Since anesthesia affects each patient differently, a volunteer or team member is available to comfort your pet while in recovery. Additionally, a veterinary assistant continues to monitor your pet during its overnight stay. This is not done in many veterinary clinics; however, at Companions we know that it is critical to the health, safety and comfort of your pet. At Companions we feel it is important for patients to rest and recuperate without having to worry about you, the owner, worrying.

Some complications from anesthesia may not show up for years – for example, if your pet had low blood pressure during surgery and it was not corrected immediately, the kidneys can be damaged. This damage may not show up until later and you may not associate kidney failure with a poor anesthetic procedure years earlier.

4. How will you manage my pet’s pain?

Surgery and tooth extractions hurt! 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. The anesthetic will not provide pain control once the patient wakes up, so in addition to pain medications provided before and during surgery, we include post-operative pain control medication. Dental patients also receive an additional anesthetic if extractions are needed. This medication controls pain at the site of extraction for up to eight hours.

Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations. Preemptive pain relief means that pain medications are given PRIOR to the pet experiencing pain. Studies have shown that this prevents what is known as "wind up". Wind up leads to increased pain after a procedure and the need for more anesthetics at higher doses. By preventing or decreasing wind up we are able to keep anesthetic doses (and there fore side effects) to a minimum and stop the pain before it starts.

A balanced anesthetic protocol allows us to use lower doses of individual drugs while getting superior pain control with fewer unwanted side effects.

5. Do you do laser surgery?

We use a surgical laser for nearly all surgical procedures. The laser allows us to do surgery with reduced bleeding, reduced swelling, and reduced pain. It also increases the chances of a cure when performing cancer surgery. We also have a class IV therapy laser to treat all kinds of pain from extractions, to surgical incisions, to arthritis. Therapy laser treatments are able to be used for almost any inflammation or pain with the exception of cancer related issues. For more information about laser technology, visit www.Petlasers.com

6. Will I receive written post-surgical care instructions?

Home care is crucial for proper healing. A doctor or veterinary nurse will discuss your pet’s postoperative care; provide clear, written discharge instructions; and ask whether you have any questions. Some pets may have stitches (sutures or staples) that may need to be removed later, some will have sutures underneath the skin that will dissolve on their own and do not need to be removed. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. Most pets do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will need to watch for. You will need to limit your pet's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed until the stitches or staples are removed. We also call you that evening to see how your pet is doing and answer any questions that may arise once you and your pet are home.

7. How do you keep records?

Each pet has an individual surgical record where the results of the monitoring are recorded along with drugs given and procedures performed. In addition, dentistry patients have a record for each individual tooth – including calculus and gingivitis stage, periodontal pocket, fractures, wear, mobility, disease, x-ray results, treatment recommended and performed.

8. What kind of dental equipment or surgical equipment is used?

Our surgical packs are sterilized for each individual surgery – we do not share packs or reuse them without sterilization. Dental instruments are sterilized as well. Our doctors do a complete surgical scrub and wear cap, mask, gown and surgical gloves. Our dental unit is the most up to date high speed ultrasonic equipment. This means that it is safer for the teeth and gums. Our unit can be used under the gum line where many units cannot safely be used. The polishing unit oscillates instead of rotating to prevent overheating of the tooth which can lead to permanent damage or even death of the tooth.

9. Do you have dental x-rays?

Yes! X-rays are very important to dentistry and are considered the minimum standard of care when extractions are needed or performed in a veterinary hospital. We use digital dental x-rays specifically designed for doing dentistry to help give us the clearest picture of your pet’s teeth. When evaluating a pet’s teeth, 50% of disease processes cannot be seen. That is because it occurs under the gum line and affects the bones that hold the teeth. Without x-rays this disease will be missed and left untreated. Dental x-rays are also used after extractions to ensure that no root fragments have been left behind. Pieces of root left behind cause pain, inflammation and often will abscess. According AAHA standards dentistry, including extractions should not be performed without dental x-rays. The American Veterinary Dentistry Society recommends that veterinarians who do not have dental x-ray capability should not be performing dentistry. Our tooth extractions are performed surgically to reduce the risk of fractured root tips and fractured jaws. We use a bone polymer in the hole left by the tooth to allow better healing and bone regrowth into the spot left by the tooth and all extraction sites are properly sutured closed.

10. Are there any other services offered at the time of the procedure?

Yes! We do a complimentary nail trim, anal gland expression, and a deep ear canal exam as part of each anesthetic procedure. While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other procedures such as ear cleaning, dental cleaning and treatment, fluoride treatment, or implanting an identification microchip. Most surgery days we have a surgical recovery volunteer available to stay with your pet, talk to them and pet them while they are waking up. Our recovery volunteers favorite thing is to offer care and comfort to your family member! If you are interested in becoming a surgical recovery volunteer, please contact our office manager (officemanager@companionsweb.com).

11. What about the sutures?

We do a courtesy suture removal approximately 2 weeks postoperative. Our neuters do not have sutures that need to be removed; however, if you would like a nurse to do a recheck at no charge please let us know. Dental patients also receive a courtesy recheck to see how their mouth is healing and to set up a home care plan and teach you to brush teeth. A dental basket with home care products is sent for you and your pet to try. Home care is critical to the continued success of dental care.

12. What training is required by team members?

Only Certified Veterinary Technicians are allowed to perform the cleaning associated with dentistry at Companions - this is critical for the health and safety of your pet. Only licensed veterinarians perform surgeries including spays, neuters, declaws, tooth extractions etc. Although this is the law in the MN veterinary practice statutes, not all clinics comply. All employees at Companions are required to complete continuing education credits – this includes our doctors and certified veterinary technicians, along with our client care representatives, veterinary nurse assistants, animal care takers and our office managers. This is above and beyond what most clinics do. Employee education keeps your pet safe and allows us to keep quality people. We do everything we can to make sure your pet is safe and comfortable.

Not all surgeries and dental procedures are the same. With this information, you can make an informed choice as to what level of health care you would like for your pet. We encourage owners to come watch other surgeries before scheduling their own pet or if they are comfortable with it, they are welcome to stay and watch their own pet's surgery as well.

It is our policy that we will not provide our clients and patients with anything less than the best care. People entrust us with the pets that they love and consider family members. We feel it would be irresponsible for us to cut corners on the care we provide. Just as you would not seek out a heart surgeon for yourself based on cost alone, we ask, for your pet's sake, that you do not seek veterinary care for them in that way. There is a reason that costs vary widely between clinics. Although we cannot make the decision for you as to what level of care you are comfortable with, we have made the decision that we will provide the best care available in the veterinary medical field.

When you bring your pet in for surgery we will need 5-10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork and make decisions on the other options available. 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. In the mean time, please do not hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or surgery.