We know that surgery can be a very difficult and stressful time for both you and your pet. It is our goal at Trusty Vet to provide your pet the best in care throughout the stay for their surgery. Let’s take a closer look into the day of your dog’s or cat’s surgery.

• It’s early in the morning, and your dog or cat is begging for breakfast, but you have been informed by staff by a reminder email, text message or phone call in the last few days that your pet needs to be fasted before surgery. You also remember to take away any water that your pet may have access to as soon as you get up.
• The staff at Trusty Vet requires that your pet arrive at the hospital very early to allow proper preparation for its surgery to be completed. Luckily, it’s not quite as early as they would require for you at Huntsville or Crestwood hospitals, but we need to see your pet’s darling face between 7:15am-7:30am. During the check-in process, the veterinary assistant goes over the surgery consent form and answers any last minute questions you may have.
• Your dog or cat is weighed the day of surgery to allow for accurate calculations of anesthetic medications. The veterinarian then performs a pre-surgical examination.
• Blood samples are collected from your pet if you elected to have pre-anesthetic bloodwork performed allowing the veterinarian to be aware of any potential risks or complications involving anesthesia or the surgery.
• The veterinarian and assistants are now ready to administer “premeds” which allow your pet to relax in preparation for the surgery.
• After 10-15 minutes, the veterinary assistants then assist the veterinarian with administering induction anesthesia. At Trusty Vet, we are routinely attending continued education seminars and reviewing our anesthetic drug choices to provide the safest anesthetic procedure as possible.
• An intravenous catheter is placed in your dog’s or cat’s arm for your pet to have IV fluids during surgery to keep his or her blood pressure from dropping dangerously low and for fast administration of emergency drugs if an emergency were to arise.
• After your pet is asleep and unable to feel anything, the veterinary assistant scrubs the surgical site with a strong antimicrobial agent and alcohol. The veterinarian sterilizes his or her hands and dresses in a sterile cap, mask, gown, and gloves in preparation for the surgery.
• Your dog or cat is transported into the sterile surgery room where the veterinarian performs the time-efficient procedures discussed below. During the surgery, a veterinary assistant monitors your pet, keeping a very close watch on his or her vital signs including heartrate, blood pressure, body temperature, and gum color. We utilize a ventilator to assist in maintaining your pet’s breathing and appropriate oxygen levels during the anesthetic procedure. Knowing how your pet is doing under anesthesia is very important. Proper monitoring provides greater safety during surgery.
• After the surgery is complete, your dog or cat is moved to a recovery area that is warm and quiet. The veterinarian and assistants continue to monitor your pet closely until he or she is able to sit up well on its own. This is also when you would expect a picture of your pet in recovery via text message or a phone call from a staff member. Your dog or cat is given a post-operative pain injection and allowed to “sleep off” their anesthesia until it is time for discharge later in the afternoon.
• At your pet’s discharge, the veterinarian will go over post-operative care instructions and any medications that may be sent home with your dog or cat. The veterinarian will also answer any additional questions you may have for taking care of your pet. A follow-up appointment will also be made before you and your pet leave for 10-14 days later.

A decision was made by the Trusty Vet founders early on that our services will be offered at an affordable rate and in a timely manner. In order to maintain that mission, we will provide limited surgery capabilities at our facility.

Emergency or Elaborate Surgeries

After careful evaluation of your pet’s condition, it may be determined that your dog or cat requires surgical care that is extra time-consuming or beyond the scope of capabilities of the veterinary surgeon. If this were to be the case with your pet, the Trusty Vet veterinarian would explain to you that the best treatment plan for your pet would be to transfer their care to a more full-service hospital that would allow the opportunity for your pet to receive the critical or emergency care that it deserves.

Surgeries Performed at Trusty Vet

Surgeries such as simple tumor removals, urinary bladder stone removal, front paw declawing in cats, laceration or abscess repairs, and other time-efficient procedures as determined by the veterinarian are also available at Trusty Vet.