Knowing your pet will be going under anesthesia, even for the most routine of procedures, can be a scary thought. Studies show that 1 in 10,000 pets have a negative reaction to anesthesia — odds that seem small, until it is your pet who is going under the knife and the “what ifs” begin to invade your thoughts.

There are many things you can do to ensure your pet’s health during a surgical procedure, and it’s important to make sure you are informed of the care that will be taken with your pet, wherever you go. We recommend asking the following questions of your veterinarian before any procedure:

1. What precautions do you take to make sure my pet is healthy enough to undergo surgery? At Animal Care Clinic, we require that pets have pre-anesthetic bloodwork analyzed within 30 days prior to surgery. This comprehensive panel checks the function of various organs and helps us look for underlying diseases. An unidentified health condition could complicate surgery, and it is best to know this beforehand when determining what surgeries your pet should undergo and what precautions should be taken.
2. How will my pet be monitored during the surgery? At Animal Care Clinic, pets undergoing surgery are monitored by many of the same machines used in human hospitals. Vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration are monitored constantly by machines and checked manually by nurses every 10 minutes.
3. Will my pet receive IV fluids during surgery? At Animal Care Clinic, we provide pets with IV fluids throughout surgery. IV fluids support vital organs such as your pet’s heart and kidneys to help prevent long term complications from the surgery and anesthesia. In addition, it enables us to immediately administer IV medications at the first sign of an adverse reaction to anesthesia. Precious seconds count when a pet’s life is in danger and we take the time to prepare for this ahead of time so that we can react more quickly if the unthinkable begins to occur.

Though the benefits of surgery generally outweigh the risks, it’s important to make sure your veterinarian takes every precaution possible to ensure your pet’s safety. Cutting costs often means cutting corners, so if you find a deal that seems too good to be true, be sure to ask some clarifying questions such as those listed above. At Animal Care Clinic we work hard to keep our surgeries affordable, but we won’t risk your pet’s safety to cut costs.

Have questions? Give us a call at 859-223-8866 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and discuss your pet’s individual health needs.