What Exactly Happens when Your Pet Goes in for Surgery

Many times, a large majority of pet owners wonder what happens in the back of the clinic when their pet has been admitted for a surgical procedure. Many of us worry that something will happen under anesthesia. There are many things that take place in the back of a veterinary hospital. If you are concerned when the surgery will begin on your pet, simply ask. The way in which surgeries take place are usually by what type of procedures they are. For example, your veterinarian has 4 surgeries scheduled for the morning (including your pet). Your dog is scheduled for an ACL repair and the other 3 are dental cleanings. Your dog will most likely go into surgery last, since it is a more extensive procedure than the other 3. Thereby allowing the veterinarian more time and he/she will not have to worry about other procedures to hurry up and finish.

Expect for an early morning admittance. This is so that the doctor and technicians can prepare everything and get everything done with your pet such as blood work, IV catheter placement, shaving the surgical area, etc. Once you admit your pet, the staff in the back will usually begin by drawing the blood sample. The sooner the blood results come back, the faster he/she will be able to go into surgery. Without blood, the veterinarian will not know if it is safe to use the typical anesthetic protocol. Next, an IV catheter is placed and fluid therapy is started. Once these couple of things have been done, there may be a wait time until other surgeries have been finished.

About 15 minutes prior to your pet's surgery, an injection will be give. This is called the pre-anesthetic injection and is usually a combination of a light sedative and atropine, which elevates the heart rate. The sedative will tend to lower the heart rate, as will the anesthetic inhalant, which is why the atropine is usually given, unless the dog is tachycardic prior to beginning. Once those 15 minutes have passed, the technicians will bring your pet to the surgical preparation area. Your pet will be anesthetized using an injectable induction agent such as Propofol. This injection will anesthetize him/her to the point at which an endotrac heal tube is placed in the trachea. Once placed, the anesthetic gas is then attached to the tube. The technicians will try and keep your pet under as light of an anesthetic plane as possible, yet at the same time, making sure your pet does not wake up. Once the surgical site has been shaved (if it hasn't already been), your pet will be moved into the surgery room.

While in the surgery room, there will be a technician to monitor the anesthesia and will attach all monitoring equipment, a technician to scrub the surgical site, and a technician preparing the room for the doctor. Everything from O2, CO2, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and temperature are all monitored. Once the surgery is finished, the technician will turn the gas off and will begin the recovery process. Your pet will usually be transferred to a recovery kennel post-surgery. You will then be notified about your pet's post-surgical status, and a time will be arranged for you to come and pick him/her up.