It doesn’t matter if it’s an extensive dog bone surgery or routine neutering, as knowing your pet needs surgical treatment can already be worrying and upsetting for everyone. Every pet owner wants their furry babies to be treated by skilled, knowledgeable, and proficient surgeons. However, you must remember a few pointers before taking your pet in for surgery. Let’s discuss how you must prepare your furry companion for a successful surgery.
5 Pre-Surgery Care Tips for Dogs
Whether your furry baby is scheduled for complex orthopedic surgical treatment or a simple spay and neuter, you might get nervous and do everything possible to guarantee your pet’s surgical treatment goes smoothly and hassle-free. This is why we’ve put together five pre-surgery care suggestions you should do to ease your worries and confidently take in your canine on their surgery day.
1. Give your pet a bath on their surgery day
Once your pet gets admitted, surgery vet specialists will administer sedatives and perform health check-ups to calm your pet. However, you can help the vet surgeon’s team by giving your furry friend a bath and bringing them clean since the canine’s surgery site will be clipped, sterilized, and cleaned before the surgical operation.
This will also help guarantee that the vet team doesn’t spend too much time cleaning the surgery site. Otherwise, your furry companion will be under anesthesia longer.
2. Ensure your pet’s vaccinations are up-to-date
Ensuring your dog’s core vaccines are up-to-date protects them and your whole community and household. This is why most pet clinics urge all visiting pets to be up-to-date with their cat vaccinations. Dogs that aren’t vaccinated are susceptible to dangerous pet diseases and can also pass these conditions to their fellows and pet parents.
So when preparing your furry buddy for surgery, take your pet in for a wellness exam. This is to ensure your pet is healthy and qualified for the surgery they need to take and for veterinarians to find out whether your pet should not have surgery if there are conditions that might put their life at risk. You may browse the internet for more details on the importance of routine pet exams.
3. Refrain from giving them food and water on the surgery day
An essential thing you must do the morning of your pet’s surgery is to ensure they don’t have access to water and food. This is because eating and drinking might cause them to aspirate during anesthesia, which can be life-threatening. Many vets have people drop their pets at their office in the morning for extra blood work, catheter placement, and testing, so it is vital to arrive at the time of the appointment.
4. Train them with basic commands
If the surgery date is in a week or so, this is an excellent time to boost your pet’s obedience skills. Some essential commands your pet needs to know are stand, sit, stay, and down. The stay command will be valuable after the surgical treatment if you need to momentarily leave your pet to prevent them from following you around the house.
5. Make them a safe healing area
When preparing your canine for surgery, it’s necessary to have a safe place ready for their healing when you get home. You can also use a big crate for your pet to stand and turn. Put comfy blankets and padding so they don’t rest on a hard surface. When picking a spot for your pet to heal, place them in a place with limited traffic that can keep them less socially and physically active to guarantee their swift healing.
