Before putting your pet under anesthesia for surgery or a dental procedure, we check medical records to see if we’ve done blood work within the past six months. If these recent test results are on file, we look for indicators of health problems that could make administering anesthesia too risky.
If the blood work on file indicates your pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia, we go ahead with scheduling the procedure.
If we have no recent blood test results on file, or if the most recent results indicate a potential problem, we ask you to bring your pet into the clinic for a technician to check your pet’s weight and draw a blood sample at least 48 hours (or two business days) before the scheduled procedure.
To save you an extra visit, we may go ahead and draw blood for the necessary tests at your pet’s final regular appointment before the scheduled procedure.
The Evening Before the Procedure
If your pet is like most of our patients, we ask you to withhold food after 8:00 p.m. and water after midnight the evening before the procedure. This is to minimize the risk of potentially deadly vomiting and aspiration during anesthesia.
Your veterinarian may have different pre-anesthesia instructions specifically for your pet and will let you know of any recommended deviations from our usual protocols.
Relieving Your Pet’s Nausea
We prescribe an anti-nausea drug—Cerenia—to help our patients avoid the upset stomach that often comes with drugs we give immediately before anesthesia.
Before the food cut-off time on the night before the procedure, we ask you to give Cerenia to your pet in pill form.
The pill lasts 24 hours and helps head off nausea well in advance of your pet’s receiving the pre-anesthesia meds.
We suggest you pick up the Cerenia pill at your pet’s final visit before the procedure or when you come in to have blood drawn for testing so you will have it on hand the night before.
If You Have Questions
Our veterinarians and team members are happy to answer your questions about our pre-anesthesia protocols.
Feel free to ask us during your appointment, or call us at (317) 852-3323.