Before Your Pet Has Surgery

Fasting

Pets undergoing a general anaesthetic or sedation will need to have an empty stomach on admission. Please fast your pet from 10.00pm the night before their procedure. Please also take care to remove other pets’ food that may be accessible. Water is allowed overnight, but no other fluid (ie. no milk). Your pet can also have water on the morning of the procedure.

Please note: rabbits and guinea pigs should not be fasted for surgery. If they have a particular diet they like to eat, please bring a little bit in for their pre & post surgery grazing.

Admission

Admission time is usually scheduled for between 7.30am and 9.30am with one of our qualified nurses. For this appointment time, we ask clients to allow 15 minutes for the admission process so the nurse can complete all necessary paperwork with you, conduct a pre-operative check on your pet, and answer any questions you may have. 

During your admission appointment, the nurses will discuss pre anaesthetic blood tests and intravenous fluids for your pet. Please follow the links for more information.

If possible, please bring in an early morning urine sample from your pet. We test this in-house before their procedure to check their hydration, as well as how well their kidneys are functioning. If you don’t have a suitable container at home, we would be happy to provide one at no charge.

Medication

If your pet is on medication, please consult the veterinarian prior to the surgery date to confirm if any changes are required.

Illness

If your pet has experienced any illness in the week or so leading up to surgery, no matter how minor, please advise us during the admission appointment.

Females on Heat

Please be aware that female dogs that are currently on heating, or have been on heat in the past month, should ideally wait 8 weeks after finishing before undergoing their desexing procedure. There is a risk of hormonal complications if done during this window.

Signs of a female being on heat are:

• Bloody discharge from the vulva
• Swollen Vulva
• Licking between legs
• Nesting
• Change in behaviour

Please phone the hospital to discuss if you have any questions regarding your pet being on heat.

Discharge

Most pets undergoing routine procedures such as dentals and desexing go home the same day. One of our Vets or nurses will contact you after the procedure is complete to arrange a suitable discharge time. This depends on how your pet is recovering from their anaesthetic, some like to hit snooze for the afternoon!

On discharge, the nurse will go over your pet’s medications (if applicable) and post-operative instructions. Again, we ask clients to allow 15 minutes for the discharge consultation to ensure we have enough time to go over at home care for your pet post-surgery. 

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call on (02) 9960 2856. We look forward to seeing you and your pet soon!

Last updated on 6 October 2023
Tagged with: surgery