| My owners dropped me
off at the doctor’s office early on the day I was to be spayed.
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 my tummy 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
my tummy 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 ovaries and uterus. She 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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