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My owners dropped
me off at the doctor’s office early on the day I was to be
neutered. They needed me there early because there was so much to
do before the surgery could be started and so they could give me
some medicine to help me relax. A licensed veterinary technician
took some of my blood for a pre-anesthetic test and also ran an
EKG test. They wanted to make sure that I wasn’t anemic or had
low blood sugar and that my liver and kidneys were all working
properly and to make sure my heart was OK. Their laboratory had
all sorts of machines and they were able to get my results right
away. Fortunately, everything was normal. Then the doctor came
in to do her pre-operative examination. She was the same doctor I
had seen in the office a few days ago! But, she still did the
whole exam over again. She wanted to make sure I was still
healthy. By the time they clipped a little hair and put an IV
catheter in my arm I was already getting kind of sleepy. They said
the IV was to help make the anesthesia safer and to protect my
kidneys while I was anesthetized. I don’t remember much after that
except waking up in a warm blanket where a veterinary assistant
sat next to me. She was the one that helped me get back to my
kennel. I felt a little groggy but that only lasted about an
hour. I went out for a walk and had something to eat. The
assistant came to check on me several times. She told me that
after I had fallen asleep, the technician shaved some of my hair
where the incision was going to be and then carried me into the
operating room. I was connected to a computerized
anesthetic/ventilating machine that helped make sure I got enough
oxygen throughout the surgery. There was a monitor that measured
how fast my heart was beating and how much oxygen I was getting.
The technician gave me an injection so I wouldn’t feel any pain
and then she used a special antiseptic soap to clean the incision
area and make it ready for surgery. The doctor came in and
covered me with a sterile drape. She used a surgical LASER to
make an incision through my skin. Then she used other special
surgical instruments that are sterilized in an autoclave to do the
rest of the surgery. She removed my testicles and made sure that
nothing was bleeding and then she sewed me up with special suture
that would dissolve and not have to be removed! No one likes the
idea of having surgery, but now I will be safer and healthier. I
heard them say that there was a video in the waiting room that
shows more about the surgery for my owners to see if they are
interested.
When I went home the next day, I felt
great! I wanted to run and play!! The doctor cautioned my family
to try to keep me calm and how important that was for proper
healing. She also advised them to check my incision every day and
make sure that I was eating, drinking and going to the bathroom.
It would take about ten days for me to heal.
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