The following information will help answer questions you might have about elective or non-elective surgical procedures that your pet may require.  We understand that many people have anxiety about surgical procedures and anesthesia.  The staff at Bear Valley Veterinary Clinic meets the highest standards set by the American Animal Hospital Association, in order to provide care with the least possible risk for your cat or dog.

The Following example relates to a cat declaw surgery.  We will perform declaws, but we prefer alternative procedures due the the painful nature of this procedure.  A tendonectomy is an excellent alternative surgery that is significantly painful with a similar end result.  Call for details. (You must be able to trim your cats nails for this option)

Other surgical procedures follow a similar pattern with minor detail changes.

1. The doctor will perform an examination of the body systems the morning of surgery to make sure there is no recent illness that may cause complications or affect recovery.
2. If presurgical bloodwork has not already been performed prior to the day of surgery, we will test the function of the kidneys and liver, and check for evidence of dehydration.  These results would affect the type and amount of anesthesia and intravenous fluids that are used.
3. Next we place an IV catheter into the leg so that we have access to the cardiovascular system for intravenous fluids, and monitoring.  The IV fluids also help the liver and kidneys process the anesthesia and supports blood pressure for a faster and smoother recovery.   
4. We give the cats an injection prior to anesthesia that helps them relax, provides pain control during the surgery, and decreases the amount of anesthesia that is needed overall.
5. The cat is then given a painless injection through the IV catheter to help him/her fall asleep.
6. As soon as the cat falls asleep, he or she will be intubated to provide oxygen and gas anesthetic to the pet safely.  The pet is completely asleep and can not feel pain, or be able to remember the surgery.
7. The gas anesthetic we use is called sevoflourane.  It’s the same anesthetic used in children for surgical procedures.  It allows us to control the depth of anesthesia minute by minute, and cats recovery quickly from this gas.
8. Anesthesia is monitored by a dedicated surgical nurse who records heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, blood pressure etc, during and after the surgery.
9. The Dr will use a LASER for the surgical procedure.  The benefit of using the LASER instead of a scalpel blade or the old-fashioned method with nail trimmers, is that the LASER allows for careful dissection of the curved part of the bone so that bone fragments are not left behind that could cause pain later in life.  As the LASER cuts, it seals the nerve endings and blood vessels to reduce pain, bleeding and swelling, and therefore a faster recovery.
10. The instruments used during the procedure are sterile and not shared with other patients.   Surgery is performed in a sterile operating suite.
11. We provide the cats with a local anesthetic during surgery and a pain injection after surgery, as well as pain medications to give at home for several days after the procedure.
12. The cats spend one evening in the hospital so that there activity is restricted fully and their surgical bandages can be removed in the morning.
13. Next you come to pick your cat up where you will receive written and verbal instructions on how to care for your cat best during the recovery time.