Common Surgical Procedures

Spay 
Neuter
Mass Removal​
Minor Orthopedic Procedures
Dental Extractions​​

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Safety is a Priority 

Dr. Jeff Henry

Prior to all surgeries requiring general anesthesia, Valley Veterinary Care, Inc.
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strongly recommends Pre-Anesthetic Blood-work. During surgery, your pet's vital signs are monitored using a blood pressure monitor, heart monitor, oxygen monitor and other advanced monitoring equipment. There are two veterinary assistance's by your pets side at all times monitoring and assisting the doctor.

​Pre-Anesthetic blood-work:
This blood test examines the organs responsible for processing anesthetic agents. Our pre-anesthetic blood profiles check other organ values as well:

• ALT (alanine aminotransferase): enzymes that become elevated with liver disease or injury.
• ALP (alkaline phosphatase); enzymes that become elevated with liver or gall bladder disease, but also can be associated with some hormonal problems and in younger growing pets.
• BUN (blood urea nitrogen): increases can indicate kidney disease or dehydration, while decreases can be associated with liver disease.
• CREAT (creatinine): Increases can indicate kidney disease or dehydration.
• TP (total protein): Abnormal levels can indicate liver, kidney, intestinal disorders or dehydration.
• GLUC (glucose): increased levels can indicate diabetes, while decreased levels can indicate hypoglycemia, liver disease, and certain types of tumors.
• PVC (packed call volume): indicates the amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells present in blood. A low amount indicates anemia while an increases amount can indicate dehydration.

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Why is it necessary?

• Anesthetic Safety: Pre-anesthetic bloodwork can detect problems in organs that process anesthetic medications.  If there are abnormal results, the veterinarian can make necessary changes to the types of medications used, drug dosage and intravenous fluid amounts to ensure maximum safety.  In some cases, pre-anesthetic bloodwork can alert us to patients that cannot be safely anesthetized and may need treatment for their disease prior to undergoing anesthesia.
• Early detection of organ dysfunction: Bloodwork can uncover early or hidden disease in a seemingly healthy patient.  Addressing a problem before it becomes clinically significant can dramatically affect the quality of time spent managing most diseases and the financial commitment on the part of the owners.
• Establishing a baseline: Pre-anesthetic bloodwork is also an important part of your pet's medical history.  Bloodwork has future value because it allows a reference point to compare with abdormal lab values that maybe detected in the future.

Surgery can be stressful for clients and patients, so we do strongly encourage you to ask any question that you might have.
​We are here to do our best to reassure you that your pets are in the best hands. 

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