General Information

The surgery department is staffed by a team of specially trained doctors and nurses who contribute to the care of every surgical patient as a team. Because patient rounds are conducted as a group, you may be speaking to any of the surgery department staff members during daily patient up-dates or after discharge.
 

Family members are contacted after surgery and anesthetic recovery are complete, typically in the afternoon or early evening. Each morning after surgery, contacts are made between 10 am – 12 noon until the time of discharge. If there is a substantial change in a patient’s condition, additional updates are given 24 hours a day.  

Because of the increased demands of delivering sophisticated specialist care, it is difficult to give additional updates beyond the scheduled communication hours. Family members are asked not to call after hours for additional updates from the emergency department staff members.

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Family veterinarians are contacted by telephone after the initial consultation and when surgery is complete. At the time of discharge, family veterinarians are sent a summary copy of the medical record including the surgery and biopsy information.
 

Visitation is generally discouraged during brief hospitalizations (less than five days) because of the stress experienced by the pets at the conclusion of each visit associated with the family's departure. Most pets acclimate to their new surroundings (including fold-down beds with fleece blankets and exercise pads) almost immediately and are kept comfortable by the 24-hour nursing staff. In certain circumstances, when deemed necessary by the surgery staff, visitation can be arranged by appointments made by the surgery department staff.

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Discharges are scheduled with discharge nurses by appointment to permit adequate time to answer questions, discuss medications and after-care instructions. When medical conditions permit, patients are bathed or cleaned prior to release.
 

Laboratory results and biopsy findings are reported on a daily basis as results become available. Most results are available within 5 business days however, some tests require several weeks to perform. If you have not received results in 5 business days, please call and leave a message for the surgery department and staff members will return your call.

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