Dog and Cat Surgery in North Kingstown

The Village Veterinary Center offers first-rate surgical services including cat and dog neuter and spay in North Kingstown, RI. Our equipment and processes are designed to maximize your pet’s comfort—and your peace of mind. Our exceptional, experienced surgical team works carefully and deliberately, and we monitor each patient’s condition very closely before, during, and after any surgical procedure.

Pre-Surgical Screening

Before beginning a surgical procedure, we make it a point to educate each pet’s owner, not only to the specifics of the surgery in question, but also to the importance of evaluating each animal’s ability to safely handle the anesthesia necessary to perform the surgery. To do this, each patient receives a thorough physical exam, looking in particular for common circulatory and/or respiratory conditions that might preclude the decision to proceed with surgery. In addition, it is recommended that each patient, based largely on age and overall health, receive pre-anesthetic bloodwork to screen for hidden problems that might escape notice on a physical exam. This bloodwork is critical for uncovering organ dysfunction, in particular with the liver and kidneys, whose primary roles are to break-down and eliminate the anesthetic drugs. If these organs are not working properly, anesthetic drug levels can begin to build up in the body, with potentially dire consequences.

The Day of Surgery

Once a patient has been cleared for surgery, in most cases, they are pre-medicated with a combination of pain-medications and sedatives. We then place an IV catheter and carefully administer anesthetic medication both intravenously and via an endotracheal (ET) tube. The importance of having an IV catheter and an ET tube in place can’t be overemphasized. The IV catheter provides direct access to the circulatory system, allowing for drugs and fluids to be immediately and continuously administered and adjusted as the surgery progresses. The same holds true for the ET tube, which provides direct access to a patient’s lungs. Each patient’s anesthesia is maintained by a combination of inhaled anesthetic gas and oxygen. This combination is constantly being adjusted based on the individual’s needs. Having direct access to a patient’s respiratory tract allows for accurate monitoring of respiration rate and quality, as well as the patient’s oxygen and carbon-dioxide levels. Having this vital patient feedback allows the surgery team to rapidly and continually adjust anesthetic delivery as well as providing immediate and direct access to supply oxygen and supplemental respiration when needed.

Anesthesia Safety

As outlined above, anesthetic safety is of paramount importance at The Village Veterinary Center. Not only are the veterinarian and anesthesia technician continuously monitoring a patient’s level of anesthesia, we also have invested in a state-of-the-art electronic anesthetic monitor which provides reliable and objective measurements of respiratory rate, CO2 level, heart rate, EKG, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and core body temperature. We also use a convective warming device designed to maintain your pet’s ideal body temperature during surgery. This has a clinically proven benefit in limiting surgical and post-surgical complications by helping the patient to maintain a healthy body temperature. This, in turn, has a direct and positive impact on the patient’s overall metabolism, blood pressure, and heart rate, protecting the internal organs, minimizing blood loss and infection, speeding up the time required to recover from anesthesia, and most importantly, keeping your pet as safe and comfortable as possible during and after the surgery.

Post-Surgical Procedures

When the surgery is completed and the patient is awake, we remove the endotracheal tube and perform the first of many post-surgical evaluations. During the recovery process, we provide continuous one-on-one staffing; your pet is never left unattended after surgery until fully awake and stable. It is only after we feel they are completely recovered from anesthesia that we remove the IV catheter. This is left in for as long as is reasonable to allow for the administration of supplemental pain-medication or other resuscitative medications as needed. While your pet is in recovery, the surgeon will discuss the results of the surgery with you. Prior to sending your pet home, we will give you detailed, written home care instructions and any necessary medications.