Surgery can be stressful for both you and your cat. We would like you to understand the safety measures and protocols we follow. Our staff are very experienced with a wide range of procedure and if you have any questions they will be happy to answer them.

Surgery Protocol

Our surgical suite is equipped with surgical instruments that are designed to perform of a wide variety of surgical procedures for our feline patients, including spay/neuters.

When you book your surgery, you will be given a handout that will outline the procedures you will need to follow before bringing your cat to the clinic the morning of surgery. You are also able to drop your cat off the night prior if you are unable to bring him or her in the morning of surgery. You will also get a call the day before to remind of your cats surgery appointment. Your cat may need to stay overnight after surgery depending on the type of surgery and condition of your cat upon recovery.

Prior to surgery, each patient receives a physical examination by the veterinarian to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger your pet's health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, we recommend all patients undergo pre-anesthetic blood testing prior to the day of surgery. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet's health, but also allow us to tailor an anesthetic regimen that is specific for your pet.

Anesthesia and Monitoring during surgery

Anesthesia, patient monitoring, and pain management may vary between clinics. We use the aesthetic protocol that is based on your cat's breed, age, health, and the procedure performed.

All our surgeries have intravenous fluids during their procedure. By administering IV fluids, we are able to support an appropriate blood pressure which ensures adequate blood perfusion to the major organs and we have immediate venous access to administer additional pain medication should it be required and, more rarely, appropriate drug therapies for emergencies.

During surgery, we use monitoring equipment, such as blood pressure monitors to monitor your pet's vital signs and other machines to measure heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature. The anesthetized patients are monitored by our veterinary technician. We administer pain medication as needed to keep the cats as comfortable as possible.

All our surgeries are performed in our surgical suite.

Soft tissue and Orthopedic Surgery

The most common soft tissue surgeries performed at the Downtown Toronto Cat Clinic are:

• Mass or lump removal - the earlier you remove them and diagnose the type of mass, the better your cat's chances are for a longer and happier life
• Lacerations – cuts and wounds – are also common in cats, and suturing (stitching) them reduces the chance of infection and improves healing time
• Cystotomies-removal of stones from the bladder
• Orthopedic surgery for fractured bones- complicated cases are performed by an orthopedic surgeon who will perform the surgery in our clinic
• Declaws

Pain management and control

Of course pain management is of great concern to you as a cat owner. Your cat can't tell you when he or she is in pain, but you often know when there's a problem.

As in human medicine, we have a variety of medications available to manage your cat's pain both before and after surgery and in the event of trauma or age-related pain issues.

We'd be glad to discuss the options available to you and your cat.

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