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Your pet will be admitted by a vet or nurse, and the operation or treatment will be discussed with you before you leave your pet with us.
All procedures are carried out in the fully equiped clinical area, which includes separate preparation area, surgical theatres, radiography and dental forms.
We will contact you following your pets procedure to put your mind at rest and to make arrangements for your pet to be discharged or to discuss their case as necessary. We understand how worrying it is to leave your pet, so do ask questions as they arise and let us know your pets likes and dislikes.
What happens on the day of the procedure?
Admission
On the day scheduled to perform the procedure your pet will be admitted by a Nurse (or Vet) who will discuss the plan for the day, after checking a few details with you. If you are uncertain whether your pet has eaten please ensure you advise us.
If a pre-anaesthetic screen has been requested a blood sample will be taken and tested in our laoratory. The vet, who will be undertaking the procedure, will examine the results. If there are any abnormalities they will contact you to discuss.
Premed
Your pet will be taken to its kennel/cage where a premed will be administered. This is a small injection that relaxes the patient. It reduces anxiety, aids a smoother anaesthetic and safer recovery. Within 10-20 minutes the patient is usually relaxed and becomes quite sleepy.
Anaesthetic and Procedure
When the vet is ready to start the procedure anaesthetic is administered. This is usually via a vein on the front leg and necessitates a small amount of hair being clipped away. The patient is normally asleep within seconds.
A tube is passed down the throat in order to sustain an airway whilst asleep and to maintain the anaesthetic using carefully measured amounts of Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide and Isoflurane.
Throughout all procedures the vets are assisted by a highly trained nursing team. They continually assess the patient’s condition utilising the latest equipment to monitor vital signs - heart, respiratory, blood/gas levels, etc.
Recovery
Once the procedure is completed pure Oxygen is administered and the patient rapidly wakes up. Once the swallowing reflex has returned the tube is removed.
The patients are then returned to their heated kennel/cage and monitored closely by the ward nurse. Once the vet is content that recovery has been non-eventful and complete the patient will be ready for discharge.
Progress and Discharge
We understand that you will be anxious to know how your pet is and when you can collect them. However, please do not phone before 2.00pm as procedures are conducted throughout the day and your pet may not have had sufficient time to recover.
Your pet may go home once recovery is complete. An appointment with a Nurse will be provided to discuss the procedure and any post-operative care that will be necessary.
A small number of pets may suffer a sensitive throat for 24 hours as a result of the tube. This is quite normal and you should not be concerned.
Is my pet too old to have an anaesthetic?
Age is not a barrier. We often give anaesthetics to very old patients (19-20+) with few problems. It is the presence of disease that increases the risk. Hence, the importance of the pre-anaesthetic blood screen. Older animals are much more likely to require anaesthetics due to bad teeth & gums, tumors etc. The longer these problems are left, the longer the anaesthetic required and the more severe the disease which may become life threatening, so concentration on preventative control, early diagnosis and intervention is the key to only needing simple quick solutions. In particular, it is now well established that bad teeth can cause kidney, heart and chest problems as well as a sore mouth.
In an emergency please telephone (01793) 522483 (24hrs).
Drove Veterinary Hospital, 252 Croft Road, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 4RW.
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