Four Tips To Prepare For Your Pet's Inpatient Surgery
There might come a moment in time when your beloved pet has to have a surgery done. This could happen for a number of reasons. Your pet is hit by a car, injured when playing outside, or simply because of an underlying health problem. Whatever the case, if you have worked out with your vet that inpatient surgery is what's best, you will want to consider these four tips to help you prepare:
- Prepare for Fasting: Chances are, your pet will have to fast, which is usually the case when anesthesia is involved. Typically it's up to twelve hours before the surgery that your pet will have to fast. Be sure that you talk to your vet about the specifications of how long your pet should fast from both drink and food. While it may be difficult since your pet is sure to beg for food, you must remember why this is important. If your pet throws up during surgery, because the anesthesia slow down the swallowing reflex, your pet could choke. So just prepare for a long twelve hours of completely resisting the temptation of giving your pet food.
- Bring a Meal: After surgery, it might be a couple of hours before your pet is ready to eat, but you should bring food right after the surgery is done. This way, your pet has one of their favorite meals you know they will enjoy once they are ready to eat. Relying on food at the veterinarians office is a problem because your pet might not be used to this food and could have a hard time keeping it down. This is much less likely to be the case with food that they enjoy.
- Arrive Early: On the day of the surgery, be sure that you arrive early to the appointment to fill out paperwork. This also gives your pet more time to relax. You should also be prepared to talk with your vet and give any information that is important, such as contact numbers, medications that your dog is taking, and whether or not you have any other concerns.
- Pack a Bag: Finally, you should be sure to pack a bag that includes your pet's favorite meal in case you aren't able to be there right after surgery, a blanket or toy that they love to cuddle with, medications, and anything else that your vet might recommend.
With these four tips in mind, you can be better prepared for your pet's inpatient surgery, which makes it much less stressful to deal with. Contact a vet's office, like Coastal Carolina Animal Hospital, for more help.