General anaesthesia is a state of reversible unconsciousness which stops the brain recognising messages from nerves in the body. The purpose of which is so that surgical or other procedures can be carried out painlessly.
Preparing your pet for surgery

• Fast your pet from the night before—remove the food and allow no access to food or treats after 6pm. DO continue to allow access to water however until they are brought in to the surgery.

• Cats should be kept in the night before the procedure to prevent access to food outside.

• Your dog should be walked on the morning of the procedure to allow him or her to empty the bladder and bowels.

• If your pet has been showing any signs of illness it is important to bring our attention to this on the morning of the procedure.

• Your pet should be brought in at 9am unless given a specific appointment time to be admitted for his or her procedure.

• Please bring in a note of any medication your pet is currently on and the times the medication was last given.

• You will be offered pre-anaesthetic blood testing for your pet which is advised in all pets and recommended in dogs and cats over the age of 7 years. This test gives us vital information on your pet's internal organs, in particular the liver and kidneys. In cases of disease or older animals, the liver and kidneys of cats and dogs may not work as well as they should. Often, particularly in the early stages your pet may not show symptoms of illness which can be identified with the pre-anaesthetic blood test. If your pet has a pre-existing problem and has an anaesthetic this may further compromise your pet's internal organs.
After your pet has been admitted

• Your pet will be given a bed in a secure area and a premedication given. The nursing staff will ensure your pet is kept calm and comfortable until taken into the theatre for the procedure.

• Your pet will be taken into the theatre and either given an intra-muscular or intravenous injection for anaesthetic induction which allows placement of an endotracheal tube into the wind pipe (trachea) which will be connected to the anaesthetic machine for administration of oxygen and maintenance of anaesthetic gases throughout the procedure.

After your pet's procedure

• Your pet will be returned to their bed, kept warm and monitored closely. He or she will have been given pain relief in the form of a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and or an additional analgesia.

• In the majority of cases your pet will be up on their feet and ready to go home by 3pm or 4pm the same day.