Preparation for anaesthesia
If your pet is coming to SVH for a general anaesthetic we ask that you:
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Do not feed your pet from 8pm the night before.
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Water overnight is fine, remove the water bowl first thing.
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Please encourage your dog to go to the toilet before admission. This will make your dog feel more comfortable, and minimise the possibility of surgical contamination.
An appointment will be made for you to drop your pet off at reception between 8.00-9.00am. Allow for 5-10 min's for this procedure, as you will be required to answer a number of questions relating to recent health
You will be required to sign a consent form, this requires an adult (> 18 years old).
Reception / nursing staff will discuss the issue of pre anaesthetic bloods. These are strongly encouraged for safety reasons. You will be required to give separate written consent to this.
Rabbits, guinea pigs and birds are exempt from the above feeding / watering requirements.
Please note that correct admission makes everything much safer for your beloved pet, so please do be patient at drop off. It can be a very busy time of day for our reception staff.
Why Should I Consider Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Testing?
We know that dropping your loved pet off at the local vets for either essential or routine surgery is never easy. We see it every day. Clients are often very worried about the safety of anaesthetics, based upon stories they have heard from friends.
Today anaesthesia in small animals is very safe, pre-anaesthetic blood testing can increase this safety level even further. As in every day life if we do not know a risk is present then it is hard to avoid it!
In a recent study pre anaesthetic blood testing revealed significant abnormalities in 13% of animals presented for surgery.
Checking Liver and Kidney function
These organs are essential for metabolising anaesthetic agents: if they are in good shape we can be a lot more confident with the anaesthetic.
If problems are found, we can more closely match an anaesthetic to the animal's needs, thus reducing the risks dramatically.
If things are a lot worse than expected surgery may even be delayed or avoided altogether if we deem the risk to benefit ratio is too high on that day.
Early problems often have no clinical signs. Picking up a disease early on allows us to offer a more effective treatment, often extending life expectancy considerably.
Checking red and white blood cell counts
An animal may be anaemic without you being aware of it. Thus they will have extra oxygen requirements during surgery, and our nurse can focus on specific areas to monitor more closely during the anaesthetic.
Anaemia starts subtly, and can be easily missed without blood testing. It can be life threatening.
White cell counts tell us if such things as infections and leukaemia are present. This can be very important information.
Platelets are essential for blood clotting and it is important animals surgical wounds can heal safely postoperatively.
Checking other aspects..
Pre anaesthetic blood screening also looks for evidence of diabetes, infections, hints of the presence of other hormonal disease (eg thyroid and adrenal disease) and represents a good overall internal check. They examine the animal internally in a way a physical examination just cannot achieve by itself.
We can never remove all the risks your pet faces in life, but we can certainly help reduce them. Pre anaesthetic blood screening is something that is in your interest, our interest and certainly in your pet's interest.
Why Should I Consider Intra operative Fluids?
Intravenous fluids start before an anaesthetic and continue into the recovery period.
These fluids support the circulation throughout the body during an anaesthetic. This is particularly important for the over sevens.
During an anaesthetic the body's circulation is compromised. Fluids not only help maintain the circulation but also help maintain blood pressure, and offer intravenous access which allows for rapid drug administration should unexpected problems arise.
The cost?
Please call 99491288 for current costs
We offer this service at about 20% below the normal cost of these tests in order to encourage their uptake.
So when you drop off your loved pet for surgery we hope you are now in a position to make an informed choice regarding pre anaesthetic blood testing.