Surgical Standard of Care

Offering Your Pet the Highest Standard of Surgical Care

Whether it’s a spay, neuter, dental cleaning, mass removal or some other procedure, a general anesthetic surgery always carries a small element of risk.

At the Northarlington Animal Clinic, minimizing surgical risks is our number one priority!

Of course, no veterinary hospital can guarantee that a surgical procedure will be free of complications, but we believe that certain precautions can help to reduce the risks and provide a safer surgical experience for your pet:

Pre-anesthetic examination
A complete physical examination includes a general evaluation of the pet’s overall health and helps to identify potential anesthesia risks and other potential problems

Pre-surgical blood work
A chemistry profile and CBC helps us to be sure that kidneys, liver and other internal organs are functioning properly to metabolize the anesthesia. Blood tests may also help us to detect underlying medical conditions that could impact the surgical procedure

IV catheterization and fluids
Fluids help to keep the pet hydrated during the procedure and assists in clearing the anesthetic agents from the body after the surgery

Anesthetic monitoring
Our state-of-the-art equipment monitors respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, temperature and EKG. An experienced technician monitors the parameters and adjusts the anesthesia as needed

Peri-operative pain management
We administer pain medications both before and after surgery to ensure a comfortable recovery

Post-operative pain management
In addition to sending pain medications home with the patient, we treat all patients post-surgically with our therapy laser, in order to reduce inflammation and speed healing

Hospitalization
While cat neuters, dental cleanings and mass removals typically go home the same day, all other surgical patients (i.e. spays and dog neuters) spend one night in the hospital so that we can monitor for pain and bleeding and ensure that the patient is fully recovered before release (declaws spend two nights in the hospital)

There may be more inexpensive surgical options…but at the Northarlington Animal Clinic we are committed to providing your pet with the safest surgical experience possible!