Is Your Animal Having Surgery? Do You Know How To Prepare?
November 18th, 2009
I took my ferret in for surgery this morning. I realized, very late last night, I was not sure if she could have food or water? If so, when do I stop it, or do I? I got up early and searched the web. I guess my veterinarian felt I had so much knowledge about ferrets that he didn’t have to remind me about this issue. He was incorrect. I found articles telling me that ferrets should eat and drink prior to surgery so they won’t crash. Ferrets digest food quickly, that is why they eat every 3-4 hours. I noticed that for other animals the preparations were different. It seems that for dogs and cats you are not suppose to feed them after 9PM the night before or give them water after midnight.
Other things to consider:
1. Be sure your pet is cleaned because it might be awhile before you will be able to bathe it, clean ears, teeth, trim nails, etc.
2. Don’t let your animal do extensive exercise the day before. You don’t want them to have sore muscles, they will already be sore from the surgery.
3. Clean the animal’s laundry so they come back to a nice, clean sleeping area.
4. Prepare an area for the animal to recuperate in a safe, quiet area. They may not be able to climb into their normal area with stitches.
5. Be on time for the veterinarian. You don’t want undue stress on them or yourself. Also, don’t have emotional goodbyes. Animals can pick up on your anxiety, if there is any. You want them to stay as calm as possible.
I feel it is very important for people to talk with their veterinarians about the preparations that should be made prior to surgery, for their specific animal. You want to be sure you have a successful surgery and easy recovery. An example….my veterinarian gives his animals something called a “stress pack”. It’s a powder and he likes the patient to take this at least 5 days prior to surgery and then after surgery. He has found that animals using it are a lot stronger for the surgery and recover much faster afterwards.
Once your animal is home be sure to follow post-op instructions. There may be medications that have to be taken at specific times, the veterinarian might want to see the patient in a certain number of days, etc. If you have concerns about your animal once you get it home call your veterinarian!!! They won’t mind and it’s better to be safe than sorry. You are taking the time, and spending the money, to care for your animal. Be sure you get the best outcome for them and yourself.
Please let us know your thoughts, comments, etc.
There is a nice book out that I found helpful in getting ready for my dog’s surgery. It lists helpful questions to ask the vet, “Speaking for Spot”, by Dr. Nancy Kay.
We tell our clients with ACL repair that the dog will be lame for about a month. With aggressive pain management and physical therapy we usually have them using the leg pretty well in that time frame. The thing you should be aware of is that this injury is degenerative in a dog and therefore all dogs with ACL injury are at a higher risk of needing surgery on the other knee at some point in their life. The most important thing that you can do is keep the weight off of your dog. Overweight dogs are at increased risk for many degenerative diseases. It also increases the recovery time after surgery.
Fast patient for at least 8 hours, usually water is ok. Make sure appropriate bloodwork has been or will be done. Make sure you understand risks of surgery and have or will discuss appropriate post op care kiss patient before admitting to hospital
My dog recently had conventional surgery to replace a torn ACL in her left rear leg. Any thoughts on how long recovery should really take so the opposite side knee doesn’t give way due to compensation?