Today we are going to look behind the scenes at Rowan to continue Callie’s spay journey.

Pain scoring is an important part of our patient care.  We use a pain scoring system to see how your pet reacts to handling and contact from us during their stay.  The first score provides a base level and allows us to accurately assess your pets behaviour and pain levels whilst they are in our care and throughout the process.

We do a minimum of three pain scores throughout the day.  We do one pre-operatively to gain an accurate assessment of your pet’s behaviour whilst in a different environment as it’s likely that it will differ slightly to that which they display at home.

Our second score assesses their pain levels post operatively whilst their pain relief is still in their system and the third pain score determines how comfortable they are after their pain relief post operatively.

Visit our YouTube channel HERE to see how pain is scored.

Preparation

Once Callie has been admitted by the vet and had her weight and health check, the nursing team come into play.

The nursing team will prepare Callie for her procedure.  They place an intravenous catheter prior to sedating her.  There are TWO main reasons for this; this is the quickest way of administering medication and it also means that if an emergency situation should arise during the procedure, IV access is already established, allowing us to act as quickly and efficiently as possible.  The catheter also allows us to administer intra-venous fluid therapy if required.

To ensure the catheter is placed in a safe manner,  the area is clipped and cleaned.  Because the catheter sits directly in the vein the team need to be confident that infection is not introduced during placement.

Monitoring

Once Callie’s sedation has started to take effect the team pre-oxygenate her using an oxygen tube to increase her oxygen levels.  During sedation a patient’s breathing rate becomes slower so the levels of oxygen may reduce.  This process is undertaken to reduce the risk of low oxygen levels occurring.

We also use local anaesthetic in most of our procedures.  This makes it possible for us to use smaller amounts of anaesthetic drugs administered throughout the procedure making it safer as well as reducing post operative pain.

Equipment

We have access to some really useful equipment too.  One piece of equipment that is used regularly during procedures is an infusion pump.  An infusion pump accurately administers intra-venous fluids.  These fluids are a prescription only medicine and are administered carefully throughout Callie’s procedure.  The rate will be adjusted pre-surgery, throughout surgery and post surgery to help to maintain blood pressure and to address any other risk factors relating to any pre-existing conditions the patient may have.

Visit again on 23^rd December for the next stage of Callie’s spay, the surgery.

If you have any questions regarding neutering or have any concerns about the health of your pet in general, contact the client care team on PetsApp or call 01772 639800 OR 01253 766352.

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