Is the anesthetic safe?

Today's modern anesthetic monitors have made surgery much safer than in the past.  Here at Exclusively Cats, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure that a fever or other illness won't be a problem.  We also adjust the amount and type of anesthetic used depending on the health of your pet. 

Preanesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia.  Every pet needs blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic.  Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing.  If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications.  Cats that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery.  If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.

For geriatric or ill pets, additional blood tests, electrocardiograms, or x-rays may be required before surgery as well.

It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia.  You will need to withhold food. We recommend no food after midnight before the surgery. Water can be left down for your cat.

Will my pet have stitches?

For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin.  These will dissolve on their own, and do not need to be removed later.  Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches.  With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge.  Most cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will also need to watch for.  If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery.  You will also need to limit your pet's activity level for a time.

Will my pet be in pain?

Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals.  Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it.  Pain medications needed will depend on the surgery performed.  Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations.

For some, we may recommend an oral anti-inflammatory the day after surgery and several days after to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling.  We use newer medications, which are less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given even the morning of surgery.  Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before.  Pain medication is incorporated into our pre-anesthetic medication protocol.  After surgery, pain medication is given on a case by case basis.  Any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication.

We use Duragesic (Fentanyl) pain patches for certain painful procedures and for invasive abdominal surgeries.  The cost will depend on the size of your cat. While under anesthesia, a transdermal Duragesic patch will be applied to your cat's skin. A 2 by 2-inch patch of fur will be shaved off of one side and the patch pressed into place. Once applied, a small amount of the drug (Fentanyl) is constantly absorbed into the blood circulation, resulting in prolonged effective analgesics. The duration of the analgesia is effective up to 5 days, and at that time we recommend proper removal. If a pain patch is the pain management option chosen for your cat, we will send you home with further information on appropriate removal and disposal of the patch.

What other decisions do I need to make?

While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip.  If you would like an estimate for these extra services, call ahead of time.  This is especially important if the person dropping the pet off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.

When you bring your pet in for surgery, we will need to 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork and ask you some questions about their current diet and medications.  When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs.

We will call you the day before your cat's scheduled surgery appointment to confirm the time you will be dropping your pet off and to answer any questions you might have.  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your cat's health or surgery.