Frequently Asked Questions about Anesthesia and Surgery

We will call you the night before your scheduled surgery appointment to confirm your appointment and to remind you of our fasting instructions which can vary with patient , species and condition.  Please bring some of your pet's food along for after surgery.  

Bring your pet to the hospital between 7:30-8:30 a.m. on the day of surgery.  Allow 10-15 minutes to fill out paperwork and to get your pet settled in.   At the time of discharge you should allow for 15-20 minutes so that we can go through your pets information and instructions.  

We do ask that you remain available by phone throughout the day so that our team can contact you with updates on or questions about your pet.  Also feel free to call anytime throughout the day for an update, we appreciate how difficult it is to have a family member in hospital!

Is the anesthetic safe?

Anesthetic always carries a risk and we worry too when our pets need to be anesthetized. However, our team at SouthPaw minimizes the risk through a combination of a physical examination, pre-anesthetic bloodwork, intravenous intra-operative fluids, anesthetic monitoring equipment and a veterinary technician who is with your pet from start to finish.  We choose which medications to use based on your pet's age, health, temperament and the reason for anesthesia.

Will my pet be in pain?

As little as possible! Pain control is extremely important to us at SouthPaw and we approach pain management through a combination of analgesics, comfy warm beds and lots of tender loving care!

What about the incision?

We will ask you to monitor the incision for redness, swelling or discharge and please do not allow your pet to lick the incision.  Give us a call with any concerns.   We usually place buried, absorbable sutures - these will dissolve and do not need to be removed.  Occasionally skin sutures are needed and these will be removed at your pet's recheck appointment.