Procedure Day

What can I expect the day of my pet’s procedure?

Before Arrival

Before you arrive for your procedure we will provide detailed instructions on when to arrive, what medications to give or not give to your pet, and when to withhold food so that we can ensure a safe and uneventful anesthesia.

Upon Arrival

When you arrive at your scheduled drop off time your pet’s surgical nurse will go over any paperwork and other details that are specific to your pet. You will be given a timeline of what to expect for the day and when to expect phone calls or text message updates from the NBVD team.

Treatment Area

Once check in is complete, the technician will bring your pet to the treatment area and begin checking your pets vitals and weight. Dr. Fulton will then perform a brief examination and discuss any details that you may have mentioned during check in. At this time the technician will bring your pet to a kennel personalized to their needs.

Cats

Cats will be provided a quiet kennel that will include a comfy bed, a place to hide and a litter box. Feliway diffusers, which dispense calming cat pheromones, are near by to reduce anxiety.
There will be NO dogs in this area as we want to limit the stress on your cat. There will be soft sounds of instrumental music or a sound machine with nature sounds playing.

Dogs

Small dogs will have the option of either a comfortable bed in a quiet small kennel or a large kennel run with space to run around.
Large dogs will have a large kennel with a comfy bed.
A bed in Dr. Fulton’s office and/or with our reception staff is available for those who don’t do well in kennels.
During the day pets may change to a different spot depending on how they respond. They will all be monitored closely to maintain as low stress environment as we can.
We will have an Adaptil diffuser, dispensing calming dog pheromones in the kennel room.
The sounds and smells of home also help for your pets comfort. So feel free to bring in a small toy or blanket that’s special to your pet.
We will have different sounds playing throughout the kennel room whether it be music or even an audio book. If you have requests, let us know!
Every dog will get a chance to go out to our pet relief area before and after surgery.

On each procedure day we will have an idea of which patient should be treated first based on their age and anesthetic risk, their level of anxiety, and what procedure is being performed. Based on this, we will assign specific drop off times to try to minimize the amount of time your pet will be away from you. There is a chance this will change on the day of the procedure, and we will do our very best to keep you informed as the day proceeds.

What will happen during the surgical procedure?

Imaging/Procedure

After being examined, Dr. Fulton will develop an anesthetic protocol for your pet that is specific to them. For every patient there are things that we provide that will make anesthesia as safe as possible this things include:

Once at a stable anesthesia level, an RVT or Dr Fulton will image your pet’s mouth and head. This includes Cone Beam Computed tomography imaging and/or full mouth dental radiographs, that will provide the highest quality 3D imaging that will give us access to what is going on with the teeth, roots, bones and soft tissues of the mouth and head. Dr Fulton will review these images at that time to make a plan for the procedure. She will reach out to you via phone or text message depending on if the plan stays the same as from the consultation or if there are any changes.

While Dr Fulton is formulating a treatment plan, a second RVT will be cleaning the plaque and tartar from all of the teeth (the first will be continuing to monitor anesthesia). It begins with a full oral cavity rinse using an antiseptic rinse to minimize bacteria. The teeth will be cleaned using an ultrasonic scaler that helps with removing bacteria above and below the gumline. The mouth will be rinsed removing any debris and prepped for Dr Fulton’s oral examination and surgery.

Anesthesia

Imaging/
Procedure

Oral Evaluation

Dr. Fulton’s oral evaluation includes:

Periodontal pocket probing of every tooth
Oral soft tissue evaluation
Tonsil and back of the mouth evaluation

Once Dr Fulton can combine the oral examination and imaging findings, and a plan for the procedure has been made, she will administer a nerve block in the area of the mouth that requires surgery. This will ensure your pet will be numb and virtually pain free while the surgery is being performed. This will last up to 24 hours after the procedure and will aid in postoperative pain management. Time is of the essence while your pet is with us, so as soon as we have come up with our plan and communicated with you any updates or changes, Dr. Fulton will get started on any other treatments that are indicated, whether it is additional cleaning, surgery, or other therapy. Most pets are under anesthesia for a total of 30 minutes to 2 hours.

During recovery your pet will be continuously monitored by an RVT and Dr Fulton will phone you to let you know how the procedure went and what to expect next. She will then schedule a pick up time.

When your pet has recovered well from their anesthesia, Dr Fulton will discharge your pet to you at the prescheduled pick up time. At this time she will go over in detail the procedure and imaging, medications and any dietary or exercise restrictions, as well as when to come back for follow up appointments and preventive care.