Before Your Appointment
- Fill out your pet’s consent form by clicking this link:
- Cats-purchase a carrier if you do not have one already.
- Catching Your Cat: Leave your carrier near your pets’ feeding station several days before your appointment. Feed your cat in the carrier if possible. Cats need to eat to stay healthy so if your cat does not eat the food while in the carrier, offer some food next to the carrier as well. This process will make it much easier to catch your cat the morning of surgery.
- Consider a complete physical exam and/or bloodwork. Neither are required but please read our recommendations here:
PRE-OPERATIVE BLOOD TESTS AND EXAMS
- If not already seen, you might be interested in these links:
- Read “AFTER SURGERY” (below) so you know about post-operative care.
- Reschedule if your pet becomes sick.
Night Before Surgery
- Feeding Instructions:
- No food after 10 pm. Leave water down.
- If your pet is 3 months old or younger AND under 10 lb, give 1 tsp of canned food at, or before, 6 am the morning of surgery.
- Do NOT withhold water from any pets.
- Place a note on the food or at the feeding station the night before surgery to prevent accidental feeding.
Morning of Surgery
- Reschedule if your pet eats.
- Arrive at 1485 Route 38, Hainesport, NJ at your scheduled time. There is a map below. Drop off time is between 8-9 am.
-
Bring your consent form. You will find this in your e-mail once you fill the form out online. If you haven’t filled it out yet, here is the link: CONSENT FORM. If you have trouble with this for ANY reason, please do not worry. We can do it at the office with you when you arrive.
-
A rabies certificate is NOT needed unless you want a 3-year rabies shot for your pet.
- Cats MUST be in individual cat carriers or traps.
Pick Up Time
- Pick up at your scheduled time. If you cannot manage your scheduled time, pick up anytime between 4-5 pm. Do not wait for a call. All pets will be ready to leave by 4 pm. No pick-ups after 5 pm ($50 fee per 15 minutes late fee).
- Be sure to leave with:
- your invoice (has doctor’s cell number)
- any medications that may have been prescribed
- your post-operative instructions
After Surgery
- Be sure water is available immediately on returning home.
- Keep warm. Avoid heating pads.
- Offer a small amount of canned food when you get home. Feed 1/2 of a normal meal 2 hours later.
- Resume normal feeding in the morning.
- No over-the-counter pain medications. TOXIC!
- Confine to a small area with food, water and litter for a 10 day period in order to minimize running, jumping and playing.
- No Baths for 10 days.
- E-Collar, if purchased, for 10 days.
What to Expect (In Some Pets) After Surgery
- Minor sleepiness
- Watery eyes and/or drooling
- Rare vomiting
- A non-painful lump by the incision. Resolves within 3-6 weeks.
- Sutures are under the skin. They get absorbed by the body so suture removal is not needed.
What Requires Veterinary Care After Surgery
- A “lump” near the incision that disappears when pushed on or that is accompanied by poor appetite
- Anything protruding from the incision
- Vaginal bleeding
- More than a few drops of blood from the incision the night of surgery or any bleeding thereafter
- A pet that is unwilling to move around
- Unwilling to eat for more than 24 hrs. Cats that do not eat for prolonged periods develop liver disease.
- Decreased appetite that lasts more than 2 days
- Skin discoloration, pus or a highly painful swelling around the incision
- Anything that has you concerned. Trust your instincts: when in doubt, call the vet.
Emergency contact numbers
Dr Cobb’s cell phone number (for post-operative concerns ONLY) will be provided on your invoice. She greatly prefers texting. If the situation is urgent, do not wait for a reply. Pennsauken Animal Hospital (856-662-4450) runs a reasonably priced urgent care. When they are closed, we have been most happy with Blue Pearl Levittown (215-750-7884), or, locally, Mt Laurel Animal Hospital (856-234-7626).
Non-Urgent Post-Operative Concerns
You can e-mail non-emergent questions, including photos, by using this link: