Anaesthetics

Is you pet coming in for surgery?

This can be a worrying time for owners so do ask us if you have any concerns that we have not addressed. When you arrive at the practice you will be met by one of the nurses who will admit your pet and go through all the necessary paperwork with you. We will do everything that we can to ensure that your pet’s stay with us is comfortable and stress-free and will let you know once they have had their surgery. The vets will discuss the outcome of any investigations as soon as possible but do feel free to ring the practice at anytime for an update.

If you have made an appointment for your pet to have an operation please read the following instructions before you bring them into the surgery:

It is important that your dog or cat has an empty stomach before the sedative or anaesthetic so please do not allow access to food after 8pm on the night before the operation. Rabbits and other small furries should be allowed food right up until admission. All pets may have drinking water up until the time of admission.

Bring dogs in on a lead with a collar or halti and all other pets in a suitable basket or cage. If at all possible please give them the opportunity to defaecate and urinate before bringing them into the practice.

Please alert us to any recent illness, inury or anything else that concerns you. Also feel free to bring to our attention any problems such a overlong claws, bad teeth or matted hair. We will be happy to discuss these with you and remedy the problem if possible.

When you bring your pet in for an anaesthetic you will be offered a pre-surgical blood test and the chance to opt for an even safer form of anaesthesia. These options are both detailed below but if you have any questions do please contact the surgery or speak to your admitting nurse.

Payment is expected at the time of collection. We will be happy to quote an approximate price for the procedure.

We strongly recommend that your pet is fully vaccinated, identi-chipped and insured. Please do ask at reception if you require any further details.

Pre-surgical blood sampling

Many owners are concerned about their pet having an anaesthetic. In order to minimise any anaesthetic risks we will examine your dog fully before their operation. However there may be clinical problems that are not evident physically but which may lead to complications. A pre-operative blood test will help to ensure that your pet is in a healthy condition to receive the anaesthetic. We particularly recommend the tests for middle aged and elderly patients.

One of our vets may have already recommended that your pet is blood tested before the anaesthetic or you may decide that you would like to have your pet tested. In either case please let your admitting nurse know. The cost of the pre-op blood test is £29.50

If any problems are shown up by the blood test then the vet will ring you to discuss the results before we proceed. If you have any questions regarding your pet’s anaesthetic please ask your admitting nurse.

Sevoflurane Anaesthesia

When we anaesthetise your pet we generally use an injectable anaesthetic to make them go to sleep and then we keep them under anaesthetic by using a gas. The products that we use have a high degree of safety but all anaesthetic agents carry some risk.

The gaseous anaesthetic that we use routinely is very safe but we now have available an inhalation anaesthetic with an even higher degree of safety called Sevoflurane or Sevo for short. Sevo has been used in human medicine since 1995 where it is used particularly in the very young, the very elderly and the very sick.

Sevoflurane enters and leaves the body very rapidly giving us better control over your pet’s anaesthetic and allowing your pet to have a rapid and smooth recovery from anaesthesia. One of our vets may have already recommended that your pet is anaesthetised using Sevo or you may wish to have greater peace of mind while your pet is with us. In either case please let your admitting nurse know.

Sevoflurane is more expensive than our routine anaesthetic so there will be a supplementary charge of £10 per 15 minutes of anaesthesia. The nurses or vets will be able to let you know approximately how long your pet’s procedure will take and thus how much extra the anaesthetic will cost.