Middlebury Animal Clinic offers a wide array of surgical services for dogs and cats. Spays (ovariohysterectomy) and castrations are done on a routine basis to help control the pet population. There are also many health benefits to these procedures such as reducing the risk of cancer, less behavioral problems and also decreased skin and allergy problems.
We do numerous soft tissue surgeries as well. Tumor removals are some of the most common procedures that we do. Splenectomies, enucleations, and intestinal surgeries, amongst others, also keep us busy.
Some of the most interesting surgeries that we perform are foreign body removal. Many dogs eat things they shouldn’t and these items become lodged in their stomach or small intestines and must be removed. You just never know what you will find in there. We have removed rocks, toys, carpet, blankets, plastic sacks, pacifiers, coins, and the list goes on and on.
What to expect when you drop your pet off for surgery
It is important to withhold food after 6:00pm the night before surgery. Water is fine up until they arrive at the clinic at 8:00 AM. Just like humans, sometimes anesthesia may upset your pet’s stomach. Having an empty stomach helps decrease this complication.
When you arrive at the clinic, a receptionist will take a brief history from you about your pet and verify what they are here for. Options at the time of surgery include pre-anesthetic bloodwork and placing a microchip. The bloodwork checks your pet’s liver, kidneys, blood glucose, electrolytes and a complete red and white blood cell count to make sure there are no underlying problems.
Next, a veterinarian will perform an examination on your pet to make sure they are healthy enough for surgery. Your pet will be given pre-anesthetic pain medications and will get an individually tailored anesthetic prior to their surgery. During surgery our highly-skilled technicians will monitor your pet’s heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen level, blood pressure and ECG. Once surgery is finished, the technicians continue to monitor your pet until they are fully awake. Additional pain medication is given as needed and will be sent home with you to keep your pet comfortable as they recover.