Outpatient Appointments

Outpatient appointments include the following types of procedures:

	Wellness Care, Examinations, and Vaccinations
	Pre-Surgical Consultations
	Sick Pet Examinations
	Lameness and other Orthopedic Examinations
	Routine Chemotherapy Treatments
	Behavioral Counseling
	Nutritional and/or Weight Management Counseling
	Blood Pressure Monitoring
	Glaucoma Testing
	Micro-chipping
	Blood Draws and other Laboratory Specimen Collections
	Laser, Massage or Acupuncture Therapy

  Appointments are preferred for outpatient procedures. Our hours for appointments are:

	Monday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
	Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
	Saturday, 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Inpatient Appointments

Inpatient (In Hospital Procedures) are by appointment only and include the following types of procedures:

	Elective surgeries (spays, neuters, canine dewclaw removal, etc)
	Non-Elective Surgery (tumor removals, hernia repairs, gastrointestinal and orthopedic surgery)
	Dental Procedures & Dental X-rays (cleaning, polishing, fluoride treatment, extractions, and gum surgery)
	Diagnostic Digital X-rays of thorax, abdomen, pelvis, spine, skull and extremities
	Blood Glucose Curve testing for Diabetic dogs & cats and other types of serial blood draws
	Ultrasound appointments
	Extensive Chemotherapy Treatments
	Other procedures where your pet may need to stay with us such as IV treatment for dehydration or renal failure

    When you set up your appointment, you will be either scheduled for hospital admittance of your pet (if they have been examined recently) or you will be set up for a Pre-Surgical Consultation with a Veterinarian (if they have not been examined recently).  Blood may be drawn for  pre-anesthesia blood screening tests at the time of the pre-surgical consultation. We would prefer to examine your pet and perform the pre-anesthesia lab work prior to the actual day of surgery. If this is not possible, then we will schedule an appointment between 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. the day of surgery, and have the owner present in case the doctor has any questions. Animals who have been examined recently, within the past 3 months, may be admitted between 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Please see below for more information about pre-anesthesia blood testing and other anesthetic considerations. 

   Many of our In Hospital treatments are “same-day” procedures which allow your pet to go home later the same day, generally after 3:00 p.m. You may call to check on your pet’s current status at any time, but we can tell you when your pet will be ready for discharge if you call us after 2:00 p.m.

 

                   Pre-Anesthetic Considerations for Your Pet              

Testing Needs and Treatment Choices

Lone Rock Veterinary Hospital

 

          Once your pet is scheduled for anesthesia or surgery, you will want to make this experience as safe and as comfortable for your pet as possible.  While no procedure involving anesthesia and surgery is 100% safe, there are specific steps we can take to minimize risks and discomfort, including Pre-Surgical Examination, pre-anesthesia blood tests, intravenous fluids during the surgery or anesthesia and pain medications to provide comfort after the procedure.

         If your pet is scheduled for anesthesia or surgery and we have not examined it recently (within the last 3 months), we require that the owner be present during a Pre-Surgical Examination.  This means that your pet needs to have a specific appointment time to come in from 8-8:30 a.m. the day of the procedure.  Alternatively, an appointment can be made prior to the day of the procedure. Pets who have been examined recently (within the last 3 months) may be admitted between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.   

            Pre-anesthetic blood tests look for problems that might adversely affect your pet’s ability to undergo anesthesia safely.  At an absolute minimum, each pet needs to have a BUN  (a kidney function test), Total Protein (to help assess hydration levels) and a Packed Cell Volume (to check for anemia or dehydration). Additionally, we offer other levels of more thorough blood testing which test kidney function, liver function and other body functions. They will provide a baseline level of information, which is important in monitoring your pet’s health now and in the future.  If we find any abnormalities, we can then make adjustments to our treatment plan and/or perform follow-up tests to better diagnose the problem. The following is a description of these tests to help you decide which is the most appropriate for your pet’s age and health. 

Description                 Includes                                  Comments                          

Pre-Anesthesia Panel 3	BUN, TP and PCV	Minimal information needed for routine anesthesia.
Pre-Anesthesia Panel 5	BUN, TP, PCV, Blood Sugar ALT (Liver function test)	Better information. Appropriate for younger pets .
Pre-Anesthesia Panel 7	TP, PCV, Blood Sugar BUN &Creatinine (Kidneys) ALT & ALKPhos (Liver)	More thorough kidney and liver function assessment.  Best for assessment of younger pets. Minimal  assessment of older pets.
Pre-Anesthesia Panel 13	13 test Chemistry Panel with  all of the above + 6 more body chemistry tests + PCV	Good for older pets or younger pets with existing health problems.
SA 120 Panel	25-27 Blood chemistries, CBC (White & Red Cells, Platelets) Thyroid Level	Best for older pets. These panels are sent out to a lab in Denver, so blood must be drawn at least 2-3 days prior to anesthesia. This is also recommended as part of our annual Senior Wellness Exam.

            The doctor will recommend a panel that is appropriate for your pet, taking into consideration their age, health and the procedure.  You may waive your pets right to have any pre-anesthesia testing or select a different panel on the surgery admissions form. 

IV Fluids and Pain Management

            In addition to pre-anesthetic testing, we recommend two other treatments. The first treatment  we recommend  is the use of IV fluids, which involves placing an intravenous catheter and administering IV fluids during the anesthetic or surgical procedure.  This provides us with an instantly available IV line for administration of medications in case of complications or emergencies.  In addition, the use of IV fluids increases your pet’s hydration during the procedure and helps maintain better blood pressure and organ function.  This results in a  faster recovery from anesthesia and decreases the chances of any complications related to marginal kidney and/or liver function.

            The second treatment we recommend is Pain Management which includes pre and post-operative pain-killing injections and 72 hours of pain relieving medication.  This should always be included in any procedure that might result in discomfort for your pet, such as surgery or tooth extractions.  All patients receive a pre-operative pain killing injection even if the Pain Management recommendation is waived. 

            You may waive your pet’s right to receive the IV Fluids and Pain Management procedures. If you have any questions about these pre-anesthesia testing or treatment choices, please call and a Veterinary Technician or Veterinarian will be glad to discuss these issues with you. Our phone number is 303-838-7494.

 General Information About In Hospital Procedures

           Hospital admit times for patients undergoing In Hospital Procedures such as Surgery, Dentistry and X-rays are from 7:30-8:30 a.m. for patients recently examined, and from 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. for patients who we have not examined recently.  Admit times on the previous day may also be scheduled.  Please call us if you have any questions about these times.

         If your pet is a cat or dog, it should not be fed after 7:00 p.m. the night before surgery.   Your pet may and should have water available until coming into the Hospital.  Other species may have different fasting requirements, so please be sure to find out our specific recommendation for species other than cats and dogs.

            Please let us know if your pet is taking any medication other than that which we have prescribed, including any non-prescription medications.  Please do not give any aspirin products within 72 hours of a surgical or dental procedure unless specifically recommended by the doctor. 

            Pets having “same-day procedures” usually go home between 3:00 p.m. and closing. These include neuters, most dental procedures, most tumor removals and X-rays. Please call us after 2:00 p.m. and we should be able to set up a discharge time. Overnight stays are sometimes required for spays, and most other soft-tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures. 

            We highly recommend bringing cats to the Hospital in carriers for both the cat’s and your safety.  Dogs should be leashed.