The PetCare staff undertake many procedures that are routine to veterinary practice but are new to pets and their owners. We are always ready to answer questions that you may have regarding any procedure that you pet requires to make the experience as pleasant for you and your pet as possible. Please scroll down for information regarding caring for your pet before and after surgery and on dental care.
Caring for your Pet Before and After Surgery
The following information may help you when preparing your cat or dog for a procedure requiring general anaesthesia. Please do not hesitate to call should you need further help or clarification.
Caring for your Dog Before and After Surgery
Most dogs will have an operation at some stage in their life, for neutering or to treat a disease. Nowadays most operations on dogs are fairly safe but the success of treatment and recovery depends to some extent on the quality of care that the owner gives before and after the operation.
Care Before the Operation
If the operation is not an emergency it may be useful for you to arrange some time off work so that you are available to take care of your dog during the recovery period. The risk of any complications during or after surgery have been much reduced by improvements in surgical techniques and in the safety of the anaesthetics used. Since the stress of an operation can lower your dog's resistance to infectious disease, check that vaccinations are up-to-date before surgery. Vomiting is dangerous when your dog is under an anaesthetic, so to reduce this risk, please do not feed your dog after about 19.00 hrs the previous evening. Water should be freely available until the time you leave home. Please take your dog for a short walk before coming in to the practice in the morning.
Preoperative Blood Tests
The vet will carry out a full clinical examination before administering an anaesthetic. In addition, we strongly recommend that a blood test be carried out before administering an anaesthetic to check the general health status of your pet. The blood tests check the health of the kidneys and liver and screen for diabetes and blood proteins and red and white blood cell counts. These tests help to ensure anaesthetic safety.
The Day of the Operation
We
carry out routine operations in the late morning or early afternoon, and
will ask you to bring your dog to the surgery at a particular time. It
is important not to be late so that there is time to prepare your dog
for its anaesthetic. A small patch of fur will be shaved from your dog's
leg so that your vet can give intravenous injections or fit instruments
to monitor your dog during the anaesthetic. It may be necessary to clip
other areas of hair to assist with the procedure.
When you leave your dog, you will be asked to sign a consent form stating that you know the purpose of the operation and agree to have it done.
Coming Home
When your dog is admitted for their operation, you will be asked to leave a telephone number where you can be contacted and a member of our team will contact you after the operation and inform you of your pet's progress. After routine operations, most dogs should be ready to come home within a few hours of waking up from anaesthesia. Some animals take longer to come round and we will not allow the release of your dog until it is fully conscious. The vet or veterinary nurse will tell you when your dog can be fed and watered, whether they will need any medication and when they will need to be brought back to have their stitches (sutures) removed. You will need to restrict exercise to short lead walks for 24 hours after surgery.
At Home After the Operation
Keep your dog warm on the journey home. Once home, your dog should be left in a warm, quiet room until fully recovered and not allowed outside for at least 24 hours. Try to keep your dog quiet because any sudden movements may put a strain on the stitches. The vet may prescribe pain killers, antibiotics or other drugs to keep your dog comfortable and prevent infection.
After the Anaesthetic
It
is quite common for a dog to appear 'groggy' for a few hours after a general
anaesthetic and to sleep longer and more deeply than normal. If your dog
is hungry, feed a small meal when you get home. You will be given special
food and an advice sheet with details of medications and aftercare before
you leave the surgery. Warming the food slightly and feeding by hand may
help if your dog has a poor appetite. Most dogs try to lick their wounds
but they should eventually get used to having stitches. If your dog does
try to remove stitches the vet may give you an Elizabethan collar to fit
around the neck to prevent licking of the wound.
What To Watch Out For
If your dog is still dull or moving unsteadily after it has been home for 24 hours, call your vet for advice. If the stitches have come out or split or your dog is experiencing convulsions (fits), prolonged retching or vomiting or signs of swelling, discharges or bleeding from the operation wound contact the surgery immediately.
Caring for your Cat Before and After Surgery
Most cats will have an operation at some stage in their life, for neutering or to treat a disease. Nowadays most operations on cats are fairly safe but the success of treatment and recovery depends to some extent on the quality of care that the owner gives before and after the operation.
Care Before the Operation
If the operation is not an emergency it may be useful for you to arrange some time off work so that you are available to take care of your cat during the recovery period. The risk of any complications during or after surgery have been much reduced by improvements in surgical techniques and in the safety of the anaesthetics used. Since the stress of an operation can lower your cat's resistance to infectious disease, check that vaccinations are up-to-date before surgery. Vomiting is dangerous when your cat is under an anaesthetic, so to reduce this risk, please do not feed your cat after about 19.00 hrs the previous evening. Water should be freely available until the time you leave home. Please keep your cat indoors during the night before surgery.
Preoperative Blood Tests
The vet will carry out a full clinical examination before administering an anaesthetic. In addition, we strongly recommend that a blood test be carried out before administering an anaesthetic to check the general health status of your pet. The blood tests check the health of the kidneys and liver and screen for diabetes and blood proteins and red and white blood cell counts. These tests help to ensure anaesthetic safety.
The Day of the Operation
We carry out routine operations in the late morning or early afternoon, and will ask you to bring your cat to the surgery at a particular time. It is important not to be late so that there is time to prepare your cat for its anaesthetic. A small patch of fur will be shaved from your cat's leg so that your vet can give intravenous injections or fit instruments to monitor your cat during the anaesthetic. It may be necessary to clip other areas of hair to assist with the procedure.
When you leave your cat, you will be asked to sign a consent form stating that you know the purpose of the operation and agree to have it done.
Coming Home
When your cat is admitted for their operation, you will be asked to leave a telephone number where you can be contacted and a member of our team will contact you after the operation and inform you of your pet's progress. After routine operations, most cats should be ready to come home within a few hours of waking up from anaesthesia. Some animals take longer to come round and we will not allow the release of your cat until it is fully conscious. The vet or veterinary nurse will tell you when your cat can be fed and watered, whether they will need any medication and when they will need to be brought back to have their stitches (sutures) removed. You will need to restrict exercise to short lead walks for 24 hours after surgery.
At Home After the Operation
Keep your cat warm on the journey home. Once home, your cat should be left in a warm, quiet room until fully recovered and not allowed outside for at least 24 hours. Try to keep your dog quiet because any sudden movements may put a strain on the stitches. The vet may prescribe pain killers, antibiotics or other drugs to keep your dog comfortable and prevent infection. It is advisable for you to keep your cat indoors for the night or until sutures are removed.
After the Anaesthetic
It
is quite common for a cat
to appear 'groggy' for a few hours after a general anaesthetic and to
sleep longer and more deeply than normal. It may alos be a little unsteady
on its feet. If your cat is hungry, feed a small meal when you get home.
You will be given special food and an advice sheet with details of medications
and aftercare before you leave the surgery. Warming the food slightly
and feeding by hand may help if your dog has a poor appetite. Most cats
try to lick their wounds but they should eventually get used to having
stitches. If your cat does try to remove stitches the vet may give you
an Elizabethan collar to fit around the neck to prevent licking of the
wound.
What To Watch Out For
If your cat is still dull or moving unsteadily after it has been home for 24 hours, call your vet for advice. If the stitches have come out or split or your dog is experiencing convulsions (fits), prolonged retching or vomiting or signs of swelling, discharges or bleeding from the operation wound contact the surgery immediately.
The PetCare staff are always willing to help you with advice and information. Please contact the surgery if you have any queries or concerns.
Good dental care is vital to enhance and prolong your pet's life. Neglected teeth and gums can cause discomfort and bad breath and lead to difficulty in eating, loss of appetite and weight loss. Untreated dental infection can cause liver, kidney and heart disease.
Symptoms such as drooling and loss of appetite in rabbits is potentially serious and veterinary advice should be sought immediately. In addition to problems such as misaligned or unchecked growth of teeth (the latter can be a problem with rabbits and rodents if not fed correctly), dental disease is caused by a build of of plaque on teeth and gums.
Plaque
comprises bacteria, dead cells and food. It collects on gums and the static
surface of teeth within forty eight hours of eating where it can calcify
to form tartar. Plaque is often only fully visible when stained with a
disclosing solution; tartar will form a brown deposit around gums and
on the surface of teeth. Plaque bacteria produce volatile sulphides that
cause halitosis and eventually ginigvitis and periodontitis. Healthy gums
(gingigva) are coral pink and/or pigmented. They have firm tissue that
is adapted to the tooth and do not bleed during chewing or brushing. The
gum is attached to the enamel at the base of the tooth's crown and has
a depth of up to 3mm in the dog and 1mm in the cat.
Gingivitis
Gingivitis
is inflammation of the gum (oedemus) due to irritation by plaque and tartar.
It is usually accompanied by mild halitosis and some bleeding may occur
during chewing or brushing. There is no change in the gum attachment or
bone support and the condition is completely reversable with good home
care.
Mild Periodontitis
Mild periodontitis is caused by plaque and/or tartar with inflammation
of the periodontal ligament and migration of the gingival attachment leading
to periodontal pocket formation of up to 3mm in the dog and 1mm in the
cat. There is loss of bone at the top of the socket, up to 25% of the
root attachment. The breakdown of tooth support is irreversable but the
disease progression can be halted with periodontal treatment and good
home care.
Moderate Periodontitis
Moderate periodontitis produces gingival pockets of up to 6mm in the dog and 2mm in the cat with 25-50% loss of bone attachment and gum support and possible tooth mobility. There is a noticable build up of plaque and tartar producing significant halitosis and noticable bleeding when chewing or on brushing. The disease progression can be slowed with good veterinary and home care.
Advanced Periodontitis
Advanced periodontitis produces periodontal pockets of more than 6mm in
the dog and 2mm in the cat with severe gingivitis and halitosis. Levels
of plaque and tartar are significant and there is more than 50% loss of
bone attachment and gum support and much tooth mobility. There are high
levels of sub-gingival infection with pus possibly exuding from the gums.
Extraction of loss of teeth is inevitable.
Preventative Care
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Good dental care can be established from infancy with good feeding and ideally daily brushing of teeth. If started from young, dogs and cats can be very tolerant and even enjoy their teeth being cared for. Always use toothpaste for animals in the recommended dose. Never use human toothpaste.
Feed a high quality diet and include 30-50% Hills t/d (tooth diet) which has large kibbles with aligned fibres that do not shatter when bitten and that scrape deposits off teeth during chewing. Hills t/d is not suitable for puppies or kittens. In addition, dogs may be fed raw bones under supervision. Never feed cooked bones as they can splinter and cause intestinal obstruction. Also be aware that raw bones can carry infection such as salmonella and campylobacter.
A large range of dog and cat dental products are available such as kong toys, rawhide chews and enzymatic dental chews. Some dental chews may not be suitable for puppies or kittens. Dogs may be fed small amounts of raw carrot.
Rabbits and guinea pigs should be fed large quantities of fresh hay on a daily basis (at least 50% of their total diet). Their teeth are fast growing and need to be worn down by fibrous materials. Rabbits should not be allowed to feed selectively by choosing part of mixed feeds. Checking your rabbit's mouth should be part of a daily routine. For further information on good care for rabbits, please see our links page. We will be pleased to advise you on any aspect of dietary and dental care and can provide toothpaste, chews and dental toys.
Please contact us should you require information that is not available on this site or to make an appointment for a dental check.
The Internet can be a useful resource when seeking information about your pet's health and welfare. However it is advisable to bear in mind that sites are unregulated and that much medical information can be difficult to interpret without professional advice.
We recommend the following link providing information regarding some of the medical procedures that your pet may need to undergo. This Web site can only provide a very limited amount of information and is no substitute for professional veterinary care and advice.
Please call PetCare on 020 8995 1582 if you have any queries or concerns about your pet.
Please note that PetCare does not take responsibility for information provided on other Web sites.
