10/07/2025
An exam is required prior to all surgeries. Why? To ensure the animal is healthy, and to catch any abnormalities or concerns before it’s ‘too late’.
For dogs and cats we highly recommend bloodwork prior to any surgery or anesthesia. Why? To check the function of the liver and kidneys, electrolytes, immune system, and other parameters of organ function - this ensures the organs are healthy enough to undergo anesthesia and the stress of surgery.
Recently Cosmo came to us to be neutered. Such a young, sweet, apparently healthy boy! If we had gone straight to sedating, we would have missed that he is cryptorchid (only one testicle descended). This means a 2-minute sedated cat neuter turns into a general anesthesia abdominal surgery (more like a spay). This greatly changes the plan, the cost, the risks, etc. If the owner had declined bloodwork, we would have missed that he was moderately anemic and his liver was very angry. The exam and bloodwork findings lead us to make the decision to do treatments instead, and wait on his surgery. Since starting treatment, he is catching up to his brother and healthier than ever before!
