FAQ’s
Here are some questions/answers that we are frequently asked.
How do I transition to/ from a bland diet?
If you are transitioning to or from a bland diet, transition the diet over 7 days. Each day should be less of the previous diet and more of the new diet until you are 100% on the new diet on day 7. This transition will decrease the chance of Gastrointestinal upset. A diet should never be abruptly changed.
What should I do the day before a surgery or sedated procedure?
Your pet can have food and water until 10 pm the night before surgery. After 10 pm, only water is permitted. This will decrease the chance of your pet vomiting and aspirating food while sedate which can lead to aspiration pneumonia.
What should I do after surgery?
After surgery or a sedated procedure, your pet should be kept in a calm, quiet, low lite environment where they cannot jump, climb, run or play. This will decrease the chance of your pet pulling out any sutures or staples in the incision site and from hurting themselves while still sedate and in recovery. We try our best to have your pet fully awake and aware when leaving our facility to help prevent these issues. Keeping them still, calm and quiet will promote healing and prevent further injury. Only feed small amounts of food and water that evening for dinner. If any vomiting occurs, stop all foods and water, and call your us right away. If any diarrhea occurs, also call us but sometimes pets can have stress or anesthesia diarrhea as a normal side effect. Our Doctor can probably prescribe a medication to help with this and may need to change the medications that were sent home in some cases. Your pet will most likely go home with a cone (Elizabethan) collar to prevent your pet from licking and chewing at the incision site. Your pet may seem fine without it at first, but once the skin starts to heal and get itchy, your pet will start to lick and chew at the site. Please keep the collar on 10 to 14 days, until sutures/staples are removed to prevent further injury or a repeat surgery to fix the damage. Your pet can not be submerged in water, bathed or groomed until sutures/ staples are removed.
Are there any surgery or sedated procedure requirements?
We require a physical examination and pre-operative lab work. This ensures your pet is safe to receive anesthesia by checking the bodily organ values such as the kidney and liver where the medication/ anesthesia will be filtered through. If any organ is compromised before receiving medications, the organ may be damaged to an unreversible stage. It is always a good idea to check lab work at the annual visit to have a baseline idea on where the organs stand in case your pet becomes ill, we can see what has changed.
Are there any protocols required for an appointment?
- We require vaccine records provided by your previous clinic along with proof of vaccinations to review before your first appointment. We require all pets to be up to date on Rabies vaccinations to be seen to prevent any harm to our staff. The Rabies vaccine is a legal requirement, so if your pet is not up to date, we can provide that vaccine when the doctor deems the pet well enough.
- We also require a current physical exam on file within the past year along with a current rabies vaccine to have a technician visit.
What do I need to do to get my medication refilled?
For refills on Heartworm prevention, we require a current physical exam and a negative Heartworm test within the past 12 months. For any other medications to be refilled, we require a current physical exam within the past 12 months and lab work depending on the medication.