The staff at Stuart Sound Animal Hospital understands the various emotions that accompany placing an animal under anesthesia.  Some of these emotions undoubtedly arise from the love that you share with your pet, but also from antiquated information and an incomplete understanding of that benefits and risks associated with the procedure.  At Stuart Sound Animal Hospital it is our desire to maintain the highest standard in veterinary surgical care by offering the client the most updated facilities and equipment available in veterinary medicine, as well as the knowledge and personnel necessary to minimize the risks and subsequently the stresses with surgical care.

 Pre-Surgery

At Stuart Sound Animal Hospital each patient is given a thorough physical examination in the presence of the owner unless special arrangements are made in advance.  At this time a brief overview of the procedure is given and any problems which may alter the normal operative outcome are discussed.  For your pets safety and the safety of other pets, we require routine vaccination against the major infectious diseases and strongly recommend all routine health maintenance procedures.  Food should be withheld after 9:00 p.m. the prior evening, and water withheld after 7:00 a.m. the day of hospital admission.

 Surgery

The technical staff of Stuart Sound Animal Hospital is comprised of highly competent individuals abaiable to assist our licensed veterinarians during all phases of your pet's procedure.  Sophisticated electronic monitoring as well as the safest and most up-to-date anesthetic agents combine to create a surgical environment comparable to most human facilities.  In addition to the skilled staff and highly technical equipment, the veterinarians at Stuart Sound Animal Hospital offer several procedures to further reduce the risks associated with anesthesia.  The placement of an intravenous catheter is a procedure routinely performed prior to human surgical care.  This procedure helps to minimize surgical risk by providing a route for fluid and drug administration in case of emergency.  At Stuart Sound Animal Hospital, intravenous catheter placement is offered as well as state-of-the-art cardiac and respiratory monitoring.

Procedures and Benefits

NEUTERING - Orchiectomy, more commonly referred to as a castration or nueter, is a procedure in which both testicles are surgically removed through a small incision just in front of the scrotum while the patient is under general anesthesia.  This procedure is usually recommended prior to sexual maturity.  In addition to the more traditional reasons for neutering a pet, namely population control, several behavior and medical benefits are also realized.  Neutering helps to control sexual anxiety, roaming and intermale aggression.  Neutering significantly reduces the incidence of prostate gland problems and perineal hernias, as well as eliminating the possibility of testicular cancer or infection.  It is important to note that neutered animals respond physiologically, not psycologically.

SPAYING - Ovariohysterectomy, more commonly reffered to as a spay, is a procedure during which the entire female reproductive tract is surgically removed through an abdominal insicion while the patient is under general anesthesia.  This procedure is usually recommended prior to the first heat cycle.  In addition to the more traditional reasons for spaying a pet, namely population control, several medical benefits are also realized.  Ovariohysterectomy prior to the first heat almost eliminates the development of mammary cancer, significantly reduces the incidence when done prior to two and a half years of age. In dogs nearly 50 percent of all mammary tumors are malignant whereas in cats 70-80 percent of mammary tumors are malignant.  Ovariohysterectomy eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer as well as uterine infections.

 DENTAL CLEANING - Professional routine dental cleanings are needed by most pets by the time they reach 4-5 years of age.  Periodontal disease has been named the "The Silent Killer" as it can shorten your pet's life by affecting the liver, kidney, and heart.  After performing the pre-surgical work-up, appropriate anesthesia is administered and the oral evaluation and dental cleaning is performed.  The mouth is first rinsed with a disinfectant to reduce the bacteria flora.  Each individual tooth is scaled with a subsonic cleaner.  The sulcus (where the gum attaches to the tooth) is cleaned using a gentle curette.  All the teeth are polished to make the enamel a smooth as possible and fluoride foam is applied to the surface of each tooth.  After a thorough rinse, the condition of the gums and teeth are charted in a medical record and home care recommendations are documented.

Recovery

The surgeons at Stuart Sound Animal Hospital have also planned extensively for the post-operative and recovery period.  In most instances the surgical site is closed utilizing two layers of  sutures, one of which is placed just under the skin.  After surgery, each patient is carefully monitored by our veterinarians and trained technicians until fully awake and stable. 

Discharge

Patients are usually discharged after 4:00 p.m.  Food and water should be restricted for 1-2 hours after arriving home, and activities should be limited for 10 days after surgery.  If some unforeseen circumstance arises requiring veterinary attention after hours, please call (772) 287-0024 for emergency instruction.