Safe Pet Surgery
Thank you for visiting the Brogli, Lane, Weaver & Alexander Animal Hospital website as you make choices about the care of you pet. As a complete veterinary surgical center, the safety and comfort of your pet is our most important consideration We know that our clients share these concerns but also know that they are understandably aware of fees. For this reason, we find it important that you understand the difference between the “low-cost” at one facility versus a higher cost somewhere else. Simply stated, a facility can cut corners to save cost of follow higher standards to insure safety and comfort, but it is difficult to do both. With this in mind, we do our very best to follow the highest standards for surgical procedures and anesthesia while providing a fair price to our clients. When choosing a veterinary surgeon we encourage you to have all of the following questions answered so you may make an informed decision about the best care for your pet. As you review these questions, be aware that standards of care may vary greatly between surgery facilities.
Is an intravenous catheter placed in every animal and are intravenous fluids administered during anesthesia?
One of the greatest risks of anesthesia is low blood pressure caused by many of the drugs used. Intravenous fluids help insure that blood pressure is maintained at a safer level. Also, in the unlikely event of and emergency, an intravenous catheter is critical so that fluids and emergency drugs can be administered immediately. Every animal at our clinic will receive intravenous catheters to insure the safety of you pet.
What pain medications and anesthetic drugs care used?
Surgery hurts! This is true for both humans and pets. The types of pain medications and anesthetic used can greatly influence the comfort and safety of your pet. Modern anesthetic protocols should strive to block pain before it occurs while trying to block as may pain pathways as possible. Also, anesthetic medications should be chosen based on safety not cost whenever possible. The choice of medication used can have a great effect on safety and comfort. For this reason we strive to use the best possible medication and not the cheapest.
Is my pet ever left alone during anesthesia and how is my pet monitored?
It is critical to monitor the patients vitals while under anesthesia to ensure that the respiratory rate and cardiovascular systems are functioning well and to ensure that the patient is not under too lightly or too deeply. Most importantly, the surgical technician monitors the heart rate, respiratory rate and anesthetic depth. At our clinic a dedicated surgery technician is constantly monitoring your pet from the time of induction until your pet is able to sit up. AT NO TIME IS YOUR PET LEFT ALONE WHILE UNDER ANESTHESIA. We also use the following monitoring techniques to ensure safety: 1) An electrocardiogram (EKG) to monitor the heart 2) A pulse oximeter to monitor the percent of oxygen in the blood 3) Blood pressure monitors 4) Continuous monitoring of body temperature 5) Repertory rate monitoring. Dedicated technicians and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment increase cost but are critical to the safety of your pet.
Is the pet’s temperature maintained during and after anesthesia?
All animals, especially cats and small dogs, loose a lot of body heat under anesthesia. The resulting hypothermia can slow recovery after surgery. For this reason, we use a hearted surgery table in addition to continuous monitoring for the body temp.
Is the pet intubated and is gas anesthesia used?
Intubation means that the patient has an end tracheal tube placed through the mouth and into the trachea through which gas anesthetic is administered. This tube allows controlled respirations if the patient is not breathing well on his or her own and prevents accidental inhalation of stomach contents if your pet vomits under anesthesia. This provides oxygen through out the procedure and allows us to control the depth of anesthesia to increase safety.
Can pre-anesthetic blood work be preformed for my pet?
All patients, not just the old or sick, should have basic pre-anesthetic blood tests preformed to detect and abnormalities that could affect anesthesia. At our clinic we run these tests in house on the day of surgery to provide for the safety of you pet.
Keep in mind that even in surgeries that we consider “routine” there is always the possibility of complication. It is or goal to minimize this possibility by adhering to the most current, not cheapest, standards of care. Also understand that procedures like spays are often considered “routine”, many of the procedures are not minor. In fact spaying your pet is more invasive than a hysterectomy or c-section in women and safety and pain management should not be taken lightly. Thank you for your interest in providing for your pet’s care and please print the coupon below to be applied to you pet’s spay (ovariohysterectomy) or neuter (castration).
