Welcome to Oxford County Veterinary Clinic Animal Hospital

 We hope that you will find answers to your questions regarding companion animal surgery on this page. If the question and answer are not found, please feel free to contact us so that we can make sure you are as informed as possible.

Q: What is required prior to surgery?
A: All pets must be up to date on their vaccinations especially Rabies prior to their surgical appointment and proof must be supplied. All pets must be healthy prior to their surgery date (i.e. no vomiting, diarrhea, fever or other illness). Female pets must not be in a heat cycle at the time we perform their spay. We recommend that pets are at least 2 months post a heat cycle or pregnancy. Spay and neuter surgeries are often performed at 6 months of age and older to ensure proper growth and the presence of all adult dentition. 

Q: What is pre-anesthetic bloodwork and why do you recommend it/require it?
A: Pre-anesthetic bloodwork involves having a small sample of blood withdrawn from your pets leg or neck region. The blood is then either sent to a laboratory to be analyzed or analyzed in house at our clinic. The veterinarian will go over the results prior to surgery to ensure that your pet is as healthy as they can be. Should there be any concerns, we will contact you to discuss the details prior to any surgical procedure. Bloodwork is testing your animal for kidney function, liver function, blood cells (red and white), electrolytes and blood sugar. Many anesthetic drugs are filtered through the liver and kidney and thus it is imperative that they are functioning normally for anesthesia to be successful and for accurate dosing.  Pre-anesthetic blood work also serves as a baseline sample to know what is normal for your pet in the unfortunate event that he/she becomes ill in the future. Bloodwork is mandatory for dogs over 5 years and cats over 8 years of age or pets who have any illness or require extensive surgery. 

Q: What are intravenous fluids and why do you require it?
A: Intravenous (or I.V.) fluids provide your pet with much needed hydration during an anesthetic. Anesthetic drugs may cause your pet to have low blood pressure which can adversely affect your pets organ function and ability to control their body temperature. Having IV fluids helps to ensure that vital organs such as the kidneys stay healthy during an anaesthetic. In addition, intravenous access allows our team members to deliver emergency medications quickly and safely. Intravenous fluids are given to each and every surgical patient and is not an option. 

Q: Will my pet need to stay overnight?
A: Pets having routine, uncomplicated surgery (i.e. spay, neuter, dentistry) will be discharged from the hospital the same day as their surgery along with post surgical care instructions, to be monitored by their families. Pets having major and/or painful surgery (ie exploratory, orthopedics etc) are advised to stay overnight for one to two nights so that they can rest and recover in a quiet environment free from family members including other pets. The overnight stay can also be beneficial to the pet if they are on IV fluids as they will benefit from the additional fluids recieved. All surgical patients are checked over the following morning and examined and assessed to see if they require additional medication prior to their discharge, particularly pain relief and/or antibiotics. Pateints staying overnight can be discharged after 9 am the following day. Please be aware that there are no team members at the clinic after hours, and thus pets are unattended for all overnight stays. If you wish your pet to be monitored overnight after a surgical procedure for additional care, he/she can be transferred by you to an Emergency Clinic for the night at an additional fee. Our team members will advise you if we recommend an overnight stay would be beneficial to your pet. 

Q: Will my pet be in pain?
A: Animals cannot talk to us with words, but they do communicate discomfort in other ways, especially through body language and vocalization. Most surgical procedures do carry with them some element of pain and thus we do our best to pre-emptively administer pain relieving medication prior to surgery and provide appropriate pain relief for post surgical comfort. Some pets require one day to several days of additional pain relief depending on the procedure performed. Peri-operative pain management is included with all surgeries.

Q: Why do you need an emergency contact number on the day of surgery?
A: Because any anesthetic procedure carries some sort of risk to your pet, it is imperative that we have an emergency contact (or two!) in case we need to contact you to make decisions quickly.  Thus, not only do you need to provide us with a contact number, but you must also be readily available to answer the phone at the number you have provided. In addition, we may contact you while your pet is under anesthetic in the chance that we discover that your pet may benefit from other procedures such as dentistry, lump removals, hernia repair, nostril enlargement, ear cleaning, blood testing, or implanting an identification microchip. 

Q: Why must I see a team member on the day of surgery?
A:  It is important that your pet be weighed and examined the day of surgery to ensure accurate dosing and to ensure that your pet is healthy as well as to address any concerns you might have. At admission, we will go over the pre-surgical options available as well as the estimated cost of the procedure.  If the person dropping off the animal is not the pets owner, it is important that the person is aware of all of the owners concerns and requests and has signed consent.  In addition, we will send you a preperatory email and consent paperwork to you via email a few days prior to the procedure. 

Q: What is included with the surgery?
A: All surgeries include a complimentary pre-surgical examination, nail trim and an elizabethan collar to go home. In addition, pain relief, multi parameter monitoring, a dedicated veterinary technician monitoring your patient, and routine procedures also include intravenous fluids. All post surgical rechecks are also included at no charge. However, bear in mind should your pet require additional treatments or medications due to a post operative complication, additional fees will apply. We recommend that all surgeries have pre-anesthetic bloodwork testing and thus have included this in our quotes, although it is optional for young, healthy patients undergoing routine procedures. All surgeries including dentistry will include a detailed estimate and consent form that we will go over with you prior to the procedure.