THE NIGHT BEFORE SURGERY:
Do not give your pet any food after midnight, as he or she will be getting a sedative and/or general anesthetic in the morning for which an empty stomach is required.  Water is okay during the night.

THE MORNING OF SURGERY:
Remove your pet's source(s) of water at 7 am.  Take your pet for a long walk before you come to the hospital and make sure that he or she both urinates and defecates.  The sedatives and anesthetics relax control of these bodily functions and we do not want your pet to become soiled or to contaminate the surgery site(s).  We cannot stress enough the importance of this point, as this puts your pet at risk for infection of any surgical sites.

ADMISSION TO THE HOSPITAL:
Unless you are told otherwise, we generally have you bring your pet to our hospital between 9:00 and 9:30 am on surgery day.  The doctor generally has multiple procedures and surgeries on the same day, but we have your pet come early for several reasons.  First of all, we like for you to come early before the doctor goes into the operating room, in case you have any "last minute" questions or concerns that you need to discuss with the doctor.  Also, your pet will probably receive both a sedative/analgesic and an IV catheter.  Lastly, our patients oftentimes receive a variety of eye drops before the actual surgery is performed.

COMMUNICATION DURING THE DAY:
One of our staff members or the doctor will call you when your pet has come out of surgery.  You can be assured that you will be contacted if there is any problem with your pet.  If you have not heard from us, it means that we have not finished your pet's surgery.  We understand your concern while your pet is hospitalized.  Please understand that we have many patients and that sometimes we become delayed in our schedule due to either emergencies or unanticipated delays in the operating room.  We do our best to plan the day, but not all circumstances are within our control.  If you are concerned about your pet, you can always give us a call for a progress report.  If all of our staff members are working with our surgery patients, you will reach our voice mail and one of us will call you back as soon as possible.

DISCHARGE FROM OUR HOSPITAL:
Please allow some flexibility in your schedule on surgery day.  In general, you can plan a late afternoon or early evening time to pick up your pet from our hospital.  Under some circumstances, your pet may be ready to go home earlier.  When we call you after surgery, we will give you a more exact time for discharge from the hospital.  If you have not heard from us, please call before coming to the hospital.

ONE LAST NOTE:
Be aware that your pet will probably have a front leg clipped for an IV catheter and the area around the eye(s) may be clipped for a sterile prep.