PRE-OP INSTRUCTIONS
What Must I Do for My Pet Before Surgery?
- All pets 3 months of age or older are required by Hamilton County law to be vaccinated for rabies. Please bring proof of a current rabies vaccination (rabies certificate or vet record) with you the day of surgery. A rabies tag alone is not sufficient proof. If you do not have a rabies certificate or vet record showing a current vaccination, your pet will be given a 1-year rabies vaccine for $10.
- Do not give your adult pet ANYTHING to eat after 10 p.m. the night before surgery, including bones, rawhides, treats, etc. You should continue to give your pet water. Puppies and kittens 6 months of age and younger may eat up until 6:00 a.m. the day of surgery.
- If within the last 30 days your pet has been injured or had any symptoms of illness, including vomiting or diarrhea, or has been on any medications, you must let the staff know when you make the appointment or at check-in. If your pet is on steroids, it cannot have surgery until at least 30 days after its last dose of steroids. For the safety of your pet, approval for surgery is at the sole discretion of the veterinarian.
- Any pet that has had a seizure of any kind or duration will not be approved for surgery under any circumstances; for the safety of the pet, it should have surgery at a full-service veterinary clinic with the resources and medications to treat seizures.
- On the day of surgery, please arrive at the clinic promptly at 8:00 a.m. If you are late, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment. Please allow at least one hour to complete the check-in process.
- You will need to complete a short admission form for each pet having surgery.
- For everyone’s safety, please leave dogs in the car until the check-in process is complete and the staff tells you to bring your dog in, do not use retractable leashes, and make sure your dog's collar is snug enough that it cannot escape out of it. Cats may be brought into the lobby as long as they are in a secure carrier; carriers should have newspaper or a towel on the bottom in case the cat has an accident on the way to the clinic.
Pick-Up Times After Surgery
- Dogs: Must be picked up at 3:00 p.m. the day of surgery unless the dog had abdominal cryptorchidism. The clinic closes at 3:30 p.m. If you cannot get here by 3:30, or your dog spent the night because it had an abdominal cryptorchidism, you can pick up your dog the following morning at 7:30 a.m.
- Boarding Fee. A boarding fee of $15 will be charged for any pet not picked up at 7:30 a.m. the day following surgery.
- Cats: For their safety, because cat surgeries are performed in the afternoon, cats are kept overnight so that they can have a calm and quiet environment to rest and come off their medications after surgery. They each have their own individual cage, they are given a towel and small amount of food, and they are checked several times before staff leaves for the night. Cats must be picked the morning following surgery promptly at 7:30 a.m. If you arrive late, you may have to wait during the 8 a.m. check-in of that day's surgery patients to be completed before you can check-out your cat from the prior day.