Surgery
Procedures that require sedation or a general anesthetic can be a very stressful
experience for owners and their pets. Here at the Animal Clinic of Parker we take
every safety precaution for your pet along with making sure they are hopefully
relaxed and comfortable before and after their procedure. Every animal that comes
in for surgery is weighed so the proper drugs and dosages can be calculated. A
veterinarian also examines your pet, even if they were recently seen by us, to be
sure they are healthy enough for the procedure. Blood work is done to evaluate
such things as liver and kidney functions along with any blood clotting problems,
to mention just a few hidden factors that might be revealed. This will alert us of
any additional risk that might exist before administering anesthesia so that we can
call you to discuss the risk and make an informed decision on whether or not to proceed.
Before the procedures are done, the animal’s weight is entered into a computer program developed by a board certified veterinary anesthesiologist so that the proper anesthetic dose is calculated. Just to be prepared, emergency drug dosages are also calculated. Two technicians work together to measure the drug dosage in the syringes so they can double check each other to be sure they are accurate. A pre-anesthetic injection is given to the patient to maintain heart rate, decrease secretions in the airway, reduce anxiety, decrease risk of arrhythmias, and to prevent pain that may be experienced after the procedure. If a patient is older or has greater risk factors, such as a longer surgery, we place an intravenous catheter and give an electrolyte fluid solution to maintain proper blood flow to vital organs. This also allows us emergency access to a vein in case of emergencies. The odds of needing this is extremely rare, but just like having our emergency drug dosages calculated ahead of time, we would rather be safe than sorry.
Before general anesthetic is given, vital signs are taken again to make sure the patient is doing well. Once the injectable anesthetic is given, an endotracheal tube is placed in the airway to maintain oxygen and inhalant anesthetic flow to the lungs to keep your pet anesthetized during the surgical procedure. Sensitive monitoring devices are applied to the patient to check vital signs such as the heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen in the blood, and respiration rate while a technician is manually checking vitals every few minutes. Your pet is then clipped and sterilely prepped and moved into a sterile environment. Sterile instruments and drapes are used during surgeries to help prevent infection. Our veterinarians wear caps, masks, and gowns as they would use for surgery on us. Heated blankets keep your animal warm during and after the procedure to prevent hypothermia.
It does not matter what surgical procedure your pet is having, a spay or a spleen removal,
your pet is in good hands. All four of our surgeons at the Animal Clinic of Parker have
over twenty years of experience. We have veterinarians that also have extensive experience
in orthopedic procedures as well. The Animal Clinic of Parker has board certified surgeons
to refer to or to come into our clinic for difficult surgeries.
When your pet is finished with their surgery, the technician will take its temperature and wrap it with warm blankets until fully recovered. As soon as your animal is recovered and awake we call the owners to ease their worries. Technicians continue to monitor the patients for pain or discomfort until their owners pick them up. At pick-up time a technician goes over the after care instructions with you along with a take home instruction sheet and pain medication. A receptionist then calls the next day to check up on the patient and answer any questions that the owner might have or refer your questions to a doctor.