The day before your pet’s procedure
Coming in for surgery:
- Dogs and cats will need to have a late meal of wet or dry food at 10pm, this then needs to be removed at 10:30-11pm at the latest to ensure they are then starved before surgery. Water can be left down overnight, but taken up on the morning of the procedure.
- Please keep cats indoors overnight with a litter tray so they don’t scavenge for food or hunt.
Coming in for a dental procedure:
- Ideally, dogs and cats will need to have an small early meal of wet food at 6am, this then needs to be removed at 6:30am to ensure that they are starved before the procedure. Should your dog or cat not eat wet food, then the above instructions apply for feeding at 10pm.
Small Furries:
- Small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and rats do not need to be starved, feed as normal. Ferrets should have their food withheld 4 hours prior to coming to the clinic.
Brachycephalic Breeds:
- Certain breeds are more predisposed to gastric reflux, one of our nurses will contact you in advance should this apply and advise on any necessary pre-operative medication.
A veterinary nurse will aim to call you the day before your pet’s surgery to run through the admit form and answer any questions that you may have. This allows us to admit patients promptly on the day.
They will then allocate an admit appointment for the morning of their procedure, between 8:30 – 9:30am.
The day of your pet’s surgery
- We ask that dogs are clean, have been walked outside and have toileted before coming to the practice.
- If your pet has any special dietary requirements, such as a sensitive tummy or is raw fed, then please supply this on the day. We are happy for some bedding and toys to be brought in with your pet if you wish.
- Small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs may bring in a bonded companion for the day. Let our staff know ahead of the procedure. Please bring in their usual diet and greens, as it is important that small animals eat as soon as possible after surgery.
- We ask that you are contactable throughout the day. These numbers will be confirmed with you. If you are not contactable, then all decision making regarding emergency and additional treatment will be left to the duty vet.
- A veterinary nurse will call in the afternoon and update you on how your pet is recovering. We will then confirm Stray Rabbit’s home time.
- Discharge appointments are between 3-6:30pm dependent on the day. If special requirements are needed, these will need to be arranged prior to or discussed on the day.
Pre Anaesthetic Blood Sample
- Blood sampling allows us to identify any existing problems which would have an impact on the anaesthetic, such as kidney or liver dysfunction.
- It allows us to establish normal baseline measurements to refer back to in the future should Stray Rabbit become unwell. These baseline measurements are very helpful should there be post-anaesthetic complications.
- An additional cost of £74.00 applies.
Information on General Anaesthetics and Sedations
- On admission we will give Stray Rabbit a health check and an intravenous catheter will be placed. We give a small dose of sedative to suppress anxiety and calm them: this dramatically reduces the amount of anaesthetic needed. Pain relief is also administered pre-emptively, dependent on the procedure.
Pain relief: We will most likely prescribe a pain relief, an anti-inflammatory drug for your pet to go home with. This will help reduce pain post-surgery, as well as reducing inflammation around the surgical site. Please let us know if you already have some at home and we can then advise on the correct dosage.
- Anaesthetic induction: a small dose of short-acting anaesthetic is used to enable us to place an endotracheal tube, which supports the airway during the operation. This induction agent is an intravenous injection of a drug called Propofol.
- Anaesthesia is maintained with oxygen and a gas called isoflurane. Isoflurane has very high safety margins. A Veterinary Nurse will monitor your pet through their anaesthetic. We use a multi parameter machines to monitor their blood pressure, carbon dioxide and oxygen levels and temperature.
- Additional pain relief is given to your pet before they go home, if necessary.
- Once the procedure is over, your pet is transferred into recovery for one-to-one care with a dedicated kennel nurse, who monitors and provides them with some TLC.
- By carefully balancing the drugs given to your pet, we can ensure the safest and most pain-free operation possible.
Insurance
If your pet’s condition is covered by your insurance policy and you would like us to process a direct claim for the anticipated procedure, please contact the team to let them know. Direct claim requests need to be submitted to our team at a minimum of 7 days before the procedure is performed. This allows our team time to assess your insurance cover and submit a preauthorisation form to the insurance company where appropriate. You will then be asked to complete a direct claim agreement on the day.
Failure to notify the team of your wishes to settle your balance via direct claim may result in denial of a direct claim request or delay to your pet’s procedure.
If you are happy to pay the balance for the procedure on the day and for us to then make a subsequent insurance claim on your behalf, please refer to your insurance company as to how claims are processed and bring in a completed insurance claim form if required. Please be aware this may take up to 7-10 working days to be processed during busier periods.
There is a charge for processing insurance claims and pet owners are liable for any costs incurred for the treatment of their pet if their insurance company denies payment.
Out of Hours and Emergency Care
Out of hours care is provided by Vets Now Colchester. Mayne Vets do not have the facilities in place for hospitalising patients overnight. Veterinary advice can also be sort from Vidivet, exclusively for our clients. Please visit the website for more information: https://www.maynevets.co.uk/24-7-advice/
If you have any questions regarding the operation or information on these sheets please phone the clinic and speak to one of us on 01206 851338.