When your dog has surgery
My dog, Sky, has been a frequent surgical patient over the last few years. She loves to sunbathe; she has pink skin and very little hair on her belly. Because of this, and despite my best efforts to keep her out of the sun, she is prone to develop a form of skin cancer which can be very aggressive. I have to inspect her belly regularly. The tumours start as tiny red spots like blood blisters and if I find them early enough, the vet can freeze them off with liquid nitrogen. Occasionally, there is one we miss, which then grows rapidly into a purplish lump requiring surgical excision.
Sky is now 16 years old, so a general anaesthetic for her is a major worry for me, even though she is pretty healthy. Even if your dog is not old, a general anaesthetic is not to be taken lightly. So, nothing to eat or drink before the surgery means exactly that, and it also means more than just witholding food and removing the water bowl. It means making sure you know that your dog has not eaten or drunk anything. The only way to be sure about this is to keep the dog under your supervision until you hand him over to the vet nurse.
When you get your dog home again, carefully follow any post operative instructions you have been given. Have a warm, clean, comfy place prepared for the dog, preferably in a quiet location. If your dog is allowed to eat, give him a small, light meal.
It’s amazing how quickly they recover. They are much more stoic than we are.
