Surgery and Anesthesia Consent Form

Dear Client,

Your pet is scheduled for an upcoming surgery. If you have any questions, please feel free to text, call, or email the clinic at (574) 626-3100 / waltonvetcare@gmail.com. On your pet's surgery day, you will be required to review and sign an Authorization Form. We will also double-check to ensure we have a phone number where you can be reached during your pet's surgery time.

The night before your pet’s surgery, we ask that you refrain from providing any food or treats after 8:00 pm. Water is fine and may be left out for your pet to consume. If you are currently administering any medications, vitamins, and/or injections, withhold the morning doses unless otherwise instructed by the doctor. With certain procedures, you may be given medication(s) with instructions to give the night prior to surgery.

At the time of your pet's scheduled surgery, one of our technicians will address any remaining questions or concerns you may have and will collect the Authorization Form that you have completed.

If you have elected to have any of the recommended blood tests performed, these will be collected and done prior to the start of surgery, if not already performed in advance. If any questions arise, the doctor may contact you at the number on the Authorization Form.

Upon the completion of the procedure, one of our technicians will call to update you on how the procedure went and review all discharge orders. A written copy will be provided at the time of pickup. If you do not understand any instructions, please do not hesitate to ask for clarification prior to or after departure.

We know surgery days can induce stress and anxiety. Walton VetCare appreciates the trust you place in us, and we want to make the experience as pleasant as possible for both you and your pet.

We look forward to serving you and your pet on the day of surgery.

Anesthetic Procedures and Risks

At Walton VetCare, we use a combination of pre-anesthetic medications and injectable and/or inhalant anesthetics to obtain optimal levels of anesthesia for your pet. For short procedures, an injectable anesthetic is given alone, which produces an appropriate plane of surgical anesthesia with a quicker recovery time.

For most procedures, your pet is anesthetized and then intubated (insertion of a tube into the trachea or windpipe). This ensures your pet is able to receive oxygen at all times, and prevents aspiration of any fluids into the lungs. Anesthesia is maintained with a gas anesthetic, Isoflurane, which is very safe and metabolized by the liver at less than 1%. Inhalant anesthetics allow us to have better control over anesthetic depth in our patients.

Monitoring and Pain Management

Patients under anesthesia are monitored in two ways. First, a veterinary assistant is with your pet from the introduction of anesthesia all the way through until recovery. Second, your pet's pulse, heart rate, oxygen level, ECG, respiration, and temperature are all tracked and displayed on a computerized monitor.

Being in pain is no fun. We take all necessary steps to ensure your pet’s pain is appropriately managed before, during, and after surgery. This will often include prescribed pain medication to take home post-operation.

Potential Surgical Complications

Canine and Feline Spay

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Recurrent Heat
• Urinary Incontinence
• Weight Gain
• Suture Reactions

Canine and Feline Neuter

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Testicular Swelling
• Suture Reaction (Canine Only)

Tumor/Mass Removal

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Swelling and Drainage
• Suture Reaction

At Walton VetCare, we strive to provide the highest quality care for your pet. We will always provide you with our recommendations for appropriate precautions in order to avoid potential problems; however, it is important for all our clients to understand that there is always an inherent risk of complication with any anesthetic or surgical procedure. We are thankful and honored that you have chosen to entrust the care of your pet to us.

Other tests are available that are not included in the above choices. The tests selected above give the doctor a suitable overview of healthy patients. For those patients who are sick or in their senior years (above the age of 9), a full senior profile can be performed the day of the procedure with the doctor’s recommendation or at the owner’s request.

Our ability to minimize anesthetic and surgical risks and maximize patient safety is greatly enhanced by the completion of a physical examination and blood work prior to a surgical procedure. If you have any questions or concerns about the scheduled procedure, please do not hesitate to call or email at (574) 626-3100 / waltonvetcare@gmail.com to discuss any aspect of the upcoming procedure.