Frequently Asked Questions

Preparing for Your Specialist Appointment – Surgery and Internal Medicine FAQ

Having an empty stomach helps improve the quality of testing such as X-rays and abdominal ultrasound, and may be required for certain blood tests. If your pet may be sedated, it is also much safer to have an empty stomach.

Having surgery the same day as a Surgery appointment is our goal, but not always possible. Occasionally, procedures have to be moved around to account for emergencies. Please let our Client Service team know if you have strict limits on your schedule, and hopefully we can work around them.

The initial consult is scheduled for 1 hour. How much testing needs to be done will determine how long your pet needs to stay. We have extensive lab equipment so that much of your pets testing can be done in-house, with answers in 1-2 hours.

An ultrasound is a special testing procedure which requires us to call in a specialist to perform. As such, we are coordinating multiple schedules. The ultrasound exam itself takes 30-40 minutes, but we may ask that your pet be dropped off to facilitate scheduling.

Sedation is used whenever it makes the procedure safer for your pet, and/or improves the quality of the exam. Whenever possible, we use ‘reversible’ sedation so that your pet recovery quickly. Your doctor will discuss sedation with you during your appointment.

Our specialists are available 24/7 for emergency scope procedures. Most (non-emergency) scope procedures are scheduled Monday-Friday during the specialist’s normal hours.

To facilitate the acquisition of information, sometimes it is more feasible to have us hold onto your pet. Particularly, when scheduling an ultrasound, we are coordinating multiple schedules and a drop-off may be easiest.

Several of the tests we run also require several hours in the hospital – “response tests” require us to give a drug, then check blood levels at several time points afterward. Your doctor can discuss these tests in more detail if indicated.

We schedule appointments in the mornings to allow time in the afternoon for procedures, so that your pet can get all the care it needs in 1 visit whenever possible.

Our specialists work weekdays and take appointments. Our nights and weekends are staffed by emergency veterinarians who are available to assess your pet 24/7 without an appointment. We also have support from our specialists around the clock if emergency procedures or consultations are needed.

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