Dog Surgery Preparation

Before a surgical operation it is important to observe a series of rules that will help the animal to be better prepared for the intervention, diminishing significantly the obvious risks of placing the anesthesia, especially general. Dogs like the Bullmastiff, Carline, Bulldog, etc, should be looked after more carefully since they may present a series of clinical history problems with their ancestors that may influence the way they react to certain medication in a surgical procedure. As well, it's convenient to know that dogs older than 7 years, when placed under surgical intervention may present bigger difficulties in the recovery process, so the precautions should be doubled in these cases.

How to prepare a dog for surgery.
48 hours before the surgical procedure

• Inform the veterinarian if the animal is being medicated, since some medication may be dangerous to use during the operation
• Inform the veterinarian if there have been any difficulties in previous procedures
• Inform the veterinarian if your dog's race has special tolerance difficulties with being sedated or general anesthesia
• Get all the information you can from the veterinarian about length of the procedure, length of the recovery, post surgical attention, etc.

Operation Day: The Surgery

• Except when the veterinarian tells you something else, the animal should not eat or drink for at least 12 hours before the operation
• If the animal were to eat or drink hours before the operation, tell the veterinarian about this and the kind of food or drink you've given your animal
• Arrive at the clinic at the stipulated time, carrying a blanket where the animal can rest after the intervention and during the recovery period
• Don't loose your nerves or dramatize the situation, this will only create a tense ambience, and you might transmit the nerves to your dog
• In the entrance, at reception, make sure you leave all the proper contact information in case anything were to occur and the clinic needed to contact you soon

Did you know? With large dogs, you may improvise a stretcher with one or two resistant blankets to carry your animal to the clinic and to the resting place for the post surgical procedure.