SURGERY

We perform a range of surgical procedures at CVC – from elective neutering and lump removals to emergency limb amputation and exploratory laparotomy for a foreign body.

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An admission appointment will be arranged with our nurse from 8:15am the morning of surgery and we aim to treat all surgical patients as day care patients. If there is any reason why your pet has to stay overnight, please be assured it will be for their best interests and we will transfer them to the 24/7 hospital for monitoring through the night. 

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We modify the premedication protocols to suit the needs or relevant associated risks for each individual. Most surgeries require a full anaesthetic, so there will be a combination of injectable and inhalational drugs used. For lower level interventions we can sedate them instead, which uses a combination of injectable drugs.

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We follow a routine where the vet will examine the patient before proceeding with any medications and make a plan for surgery.  A dedicated surgical nurse will monitor the patient throughout the surgical procedure and into the post-operative period. Throughout we will be monitoring the patients heartbeat, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and muscular tone. All of these can cause complications if they become too low or high, so needs assessment all the time. 

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Once the procedure is over, we transfer to the post-operative period, where measurements continue to be taken, and once the patient can swallow on their own, we will remove the tube that has been maintaining their airway for breathing through the procedure. Once they are stable, they are allowed to recover steadily in a kennel, with supplementary heat source if required, and regular checks with the kennel nurse.

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We will only arrange for our patients to go home once we are satisfied they are stable post procedure, this can often take a couple of hours.
Please also see our advice pages for pre and post-operative care.