Surgery

coastway

Getting ready for your pet’s operation

If your pet is booked in to have an operation with us there are several things you need to do in the weeks leading up to the operation, the 24 hours beforehand and in the days following surgery at home. Depending on how soon your pet is due to have its operation we may recommend that you get its vaccinations up to date. This is because the stress of an operation can lower your pet’s resistance to infectious disease. 

24 hours before the operation

It is extremely important that:

  • No food is permitted after midnight on the night before the operation, although water can be given until your pet is admitted.
  • Dogs should be encouraged to urinate/defecate before arriving at the surgery.
  • Cats must be kept indoors the night before the operation and have access to a litter tray.
  • Small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc., should be allowed access to food and water until they are admitted.

The morning of your pet’s operation

During your pet’s admissions appointment at the surgery, you’ll be asked to read and sign a consent form for its operation. The form also gives you the opportunity to ask for us to do several pre-operative health checks on your pet, the results of which can help improve your pet’s recovery. 

We offer a high level of care at Coastway, especially for our surgical patients. There is a ward nurse with them throughout their stay in our hospital. They will reassure your pet and monitor them during their procedure and their recovery. Please be aware that during surgery we may need to clip fur from your pet in several areas to help attach monitoring equipment, or to administer intravenous medicines. 

When you leave your pet, you will be given a contact number to call to check on its progress throughout its stay and to use after its discharge to contact us should you have any worries.

Discharge Appointments

Following surgery, at your pet’s discharge appointment, you’ll be given after care sheets and advised to keep your pet warm and quiet indoors for at least 24 hours. You will need to ensure your pet doesn’t lick its wound, as this can cause complications and in serious cases, the need for additional surgery. If your pet is likely to do this we advise you to use an Elizabethan collar to protect the wound, we can advise you on its correct use. If you are at all worried or concerned about your pet following its discharge, you can call us at any time of the day or night for advice, our Veterinary Hospital at Brighton is staffed 24 hours a day.

If your pet is due to have an operation with us, download our full Surgical Guide or pick up one from your local Coastway surgery.