Our caring veterinarians will perform an exam and obtain pre-anesthetic bloodwork prior to sedating your pet. The safe use of anesthetics depends on the normal function of many vital organs, including the liver and kidneys. The cost of pre-anesthetic bloodwork is included in your estimate.
Your pet's health and safety are our top priority. Advances in anesthesia and anesthetic monitoring have made anesthetic procedures relatively safe, with a low rate of complications. Nevertheless, occasional problems can arise and any anesthetic procedure carries a certain risk that serious complications or even death may result. To minimize the risk of such occurrences, we mandate baseline bloodwork be performed in order to assure proper organ function, clotting ability, detect anemia, or infection, and serve as a baseline for future references. The complete blood count (CBC) is a more sensitive indicator of disease than a physical exam. Additionally, white blood cells (WBC) and platelets can change within hours due to acute infectious diseases. Abnormal glucose levels can increase the anesthetic risk and differ markedly between fasted and non-fasted samples, breed, age, and sick and healthy patients. Evaluating electrolytes, hematocrits, and total protein in fasted patients is essential for monitoring during anesthesia, minimizing the risk of arrhythmias and hypotension, and facilitating patient recovery. As the owner of the patient/s, I certify that I am over 18; and I authorize the staff of this hospital to perform the procedure(s) listed above, as well as those deemed necessary to treat life-threatening emergencies. As with all anesthetics, treatment, and or surgical procedures. I understand there are risks inherent in these services. I acknowledge that staff members at this practice have explained the procedures to me, answered questions to my satisfaction, and can not be held responsible for any unforeseeable results. Further, I am also aware that unforeseen events resulting from anesthesia or procedure(s) will not relieve me from any obligation to all reasonable costs incurred regarding the animal. While I accept that all procedures will be performed to the best abilities of the staff at this facility, I understand that veterinary medicine is not an exact science and that no guarantees have been made regarding the outcome of these procedures. I have read and understand the nature of the above procedures and accept the specific terms and conditions set forth herein.