All patients receive a pre-op physical exam which allows us to address any physical concerns prior to anesthesia. They will receive pre-op blood work to check liver, kidney, red blood cells, and blood sugar. We check these levels on the day of the surgery to help ensure safe anesthesia. If any abnormalities are detected, they will be addressed and resolved prior to surgery. Surgery patients have an IV catheter placed prior to anesthesia, except for the healthy, young cats; their medication goes into the muscle. This gives IV access throughout the procedure to administer IV fluids and/or medication. All patients are intubated (tube placed in the windpipe) and maintained on gas anesthesia and oxygen. They are monitored by an experienced certified veterinary technician throughout the procedure. We also monitor with an EKG, pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer. Our patients are placed on a heated table to help maintain body temperature. Our surgeries are performed by Dr. Maryann Nelson. She has 17 years of surgery experience and 9 years of laser surgery experience. The laser cauterizes the blood vessels and seals the nerve endings as it cuts providing for less blood loss and adding pain relief. These features help the patient recover faster from surgery. In addition to the pain relief provided by using the laser, patients go home with oral pain medication. Our cat patients receive a long-acting injectable pain medication. Animals with pain relief recover more quickly. Most surgery patients come in the morning and are able to go home in the afternoon. Our cat declaw patients stay overnight.
