How to Prepare Your Furry Companion for Pet Surgery

It doesn’t matter if it’s an extensive dog bone surgery or regular neutering, as knowing your pet requires surgical treatment can already be stressful and upsetting for anyone. Every pet parent wants their furry babies to be treated by experienced and proficient vet surgeons. However, you should remember a few pointers before taking your pet in for surgery. Let’s discuss how you must prepare your furry buddy for a successful surgery.

5 Pre-Surgery Care Tips for Dogs

Whether your furry baby is scheduled for complex orthopedic surgery or a simple spay and neuter, you might get nervous and do everything possible to ensure your pet’s surgery goes smoothly and hassle-free. This is why we’ve compiled five pre-surgery care tips you should do to relieve your worries and confidently take in your canine on their surgery day.

1. Refrain from giving them food and water on the surgery day

An important thing you must do the morning of your pet’s surgery is to guarantee they do not have access to water and food. This is because eating and drinking may cause them to aspirate during anesthesia, which can be lethal. Many vets have people drop their pets at their office in the morning for additional blood work, catheter positioning, and testing, so it is essential to get there at the time of the appointment.

2. Train them with basic commands

If the surgery date is in a week or so, this is a great time to strengthen your pet’s obedience skills. Some basic commands your pet needs to learn are stand, sit, stay, and down. The stay command will be helpful after the surgery if you need to momentarily leave your pet to prevent them from following you around the house.

3. Ensure your pet’s vaccinations are up-to-date

Ensuring your dog’s core vaccines are up-to-date protects them and your whole neighborhood and family. This is why most pet facilities urge all visiting pets to be up-to-date with their vaccinations. Dogs that aren’t vaccinated are vulnerable to life-threatening pet diseases and can also pass these conditions to their fellows and pet parents.

So when preparing your furry companion for surgery, take your pet in for routine veterinary wellness exams. This is to ensure your pet is healthy and qualified for the surgery they need to take and for vets to find out whether your pet should not proceed to surgery if there are conditions that may put their life at risk.

4. Give your pet a bath on their surgery day

Once your pet is admitted, cat surgery professionals will administer sedatives and perform health check-ups to soothe your pet. However, you can help the vet surgeon’s team by giving your furry buddy a bath and bringing them clean because the pet’s surgery site will be clipped, sterilized, and cleaned before the surgical treatment.

This will also help guarantee that the veterinarian in Novato, CA, doesn’t spend too much time cleaning the surgery site. Otherwise, your dog will be under anesthesia longer.

5. Make them a safe healing area

When preparing your dog for surgery, it’s essential to have a safe place prepared for their healing when you get home. You can also utilize a big cage for your pet to stand and turn. Put comfy blankets and padding so they do not lie on a hard surface. When selecting a location for your pet to heal, place them in an area with limited traffic that can keep them less socially and physically active to ensure quick healing.