What happens when your pet comes in for an operation?

On arrival a receptionist will greet you and take your name and your pet’s name.  If your pet has been seen by one of our veterinary surgeons in the last 14 days then you will be seen by one of our nurses, otherwise a pre-operation health check will be done by a veterinary surgeon.  The nurse or vet will go through the admit form with you to find out any relevant information such as, when your pet last ate, how they have been since they were last in the practice.  The procedure will be discussed with you together with any concerns or questions you have for us.  We will then take your pet to our kennel area.

If you have opted for pre operative blood tests then we will take a blood sample before settling your pet in their kennel.  Blood samples are usually taken from the jugular vein in the neck or from the cephalic vein which is located in the fore leg.  Once the blood sample has been taken, tests are done immediately.

We will then place your pet into their kennel; cat and dog kennels are separated.  To encourage your pet to feel at ease we try to maintain a quiet area for them to rest in until their operation.

Operating normally starts about 9am.  The nurses prepare theatre for the operation, setting up the anaesthetic machines, ensuring the surgical kits are ready.  When it is time for your pets operation we usually start by giving them a premed. 

The process of an anaesthetic can be separated into 4 phases:

1. Induction – this is when we take the patient from a sleepy state of premed into a managed state of unconsciousness.  The vet will usually administer this as an injection into the vein of the front leg, which is clipped before hand to prevent the introduction of infection into the vein when injecting.  A tube is placed into their throat and connected to the anaesthetic machine.  From now until they are fully awake again they will be under constant observation from the veterinary nurse with regular heart rate, respiratory rate and anaesthesia depth checks.  This phase takes just a few minutes.
2. Maintenance – they are connected to the anaesthetic machine and a mixture of oxygen and anaesthetic gas is administered through the tube in their throat to their lungs.  This allows us to keep them in a state of carefully managed unconsciousness so we can perform their surgery.  All surgeons like to be efficient with their operations but care and precision are never sacrificed for speed during a procedure.
3. Recovery – Time to wake up!  Surgery over and all is well, the anaesthetic gas is turned off and the patient continues to have oxygen delivered via the tube in the throat.  As the patient starts to come round from a state of unconsciousness to sleepiness the tube is removed from the throat and the patient is returned to the kennel.  We look for many signs to demonstrate how awake a patient is such as :

• eye reflex, (does the eye blink when gently touched in the corner)
• swallow/cough reflex (do they swallow/cough when the tube in the throat is gently moved)
• pedal reflex (this is when pressure is applied to the feet and if the patient pulls their leg back)

 

 

As the patient is awake now and holding their head up we can leave them to recover from their anaesthetic, but the vet and nurse in charge of kennels always keep a watchful eye on all recovering patients.  Recovery time is hugely variable depending on the individual and procedure involved sometimes taking minutes and sometimes a lot longer.  We always aim for a quiet steady recovery back to normal, much like waking up from a long deep sleep.  This can be helped a lot by keeping the recovering patient in a warm, quiet, dimly lit area, with as little fuss as possible.  Some pets can have quite dramatic responses during their recovery from an anaesthetic.  As many of the drugs we use have an effect similar to alcohol on human behaviour, occasionally we may see staggering about the kennel, seeing imaginary objects or vocalising from some patients.

Once your pet has woken up the nurses will offer them a small amount of bland food and a bowl of water.  They give the cats litter trays and take the dogs out for a short walk.

Once we are happy your pet has recovered from the operation, a nurse will then phone you (usually between about 12pm-2pm) to update you on your pets progress.  We will then arrange a time for you to collect your pet, this time will vary depending on what time your pet was operated on but collection times can be anything from 3pm-6pm.  Your pet is under observation until we are happy they are recovered enough for you to take them home.

When you arrive to collect your pet you will be greeted by a receptionist and asked to take a seat.  A nurse will then come and speak to you about your pets post operative care, medication and give you an information sheet with everything written on it.  You can ask any questions or concerns you may have.

Once home if you have any concerns about your pet or if you have any questions you forgot to ask just phone on 01296-715660.

Most operations require a post operative check, this can be with a nurse or a veterinary surgeon, at which we will discuss how your pet has been since the operation, how they recovered from the anaesthetic and check the surgical site.  If there are stitches from the operations these are usually removed during an appointment with a nurse or a veterinary surgeon typically 10-14 days after the operation (the time stitches stay in vary on the operation performed and the site of the wound).  At this point your pet should be fully recovered and can return to a normal routine.