Pre op info: How to get your pet ready for their procedure
It can be a nervous time if your pet is getting ready to come to us for a procedure, but rest assured that they’re in safe hands.
If your pet is preparing for a dental, much of the advice will be consistent with other procedures – but you can read specific advice here.
To help you prepare for the day as best as possible, we’ve put together the following advice.
We’ll stay in touch throughout the day – if you let us!
Our team will send you updates throughout the day to reassure you that your pet is safe and well – but to do so we’ll need you to download PetsApp, which you can do via this link.
Using this, one of the team will open a chat with you to send you updates, pictures, discharge instructions and a payment link prior to discharge.
Let us know if you have trouble with the app and we will help you at the admit appointment or communicate a different way.
Don’t miss out on savings!
Not only do Fire Plan members receive free consultations, they get discounts on treatments such as neutering and dentistry.
Don’t pay more than you need to.
Find out more and sign up online here.
Preparing for an anaesthetic
Anaesthesia is used for all surgeries, most procedures and imaging.
If your pet is having an anaesthetic, please do not feed them after midnight the night before. However, they can have free access to water until the morning.
The exception to this is if you have a rabbit, guinea pig or young pet less than four months old – please feed them as usual.
Please make sure you keep cats in overnight so you know they will be there in the morning – we all know that they seem to have a sixth sense about the arrival of the cat basket!
Walk your dog in the morning so that they can toilet before coming in, but avoid dirty areas to keep them nice and clean for their procedure.
Just so you know…
For the procedure, we will likely need to clip a few patches of fur off.
For sterility and access purposes, your pet will have a clipped area on one of their front legs for intravenous access, as well as around the surgical site if necessary, to keep the area clean.
If they are having bloods there may also be a small clipped patch on the neck.
Ultrasounds will also need fur clipped from the area that we need to image in order for the probe to make contact with the skin and give a good clear image
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When and how to pay
We will ask for payment in full on collection.
For non-routine procedures, if you would like to do a direct claim where your insurance company pays us, you will need to discuss this with the client care team prior to the operation date and a direct claim fee of £30 will apply.
We will also need you to leave a signed claim form with us on the day, or to have started the claim on-line with your insurance company.
If you have not received an estimate of costs for your procedure, please send us a message and we will send this over to you.
Keep an eye on your pet prior to treatment
If your pet becomes unwell before the procedure please let us know as we may need to reschedule.
Please note that we will likely keep your pet with us for the majority of the day. They will need pre-op checks with the team and medications and/or blood tests prior to the procedure.
We will also want to observe them afterwards and will only discharge them when we are sure that they have recovered.
We will have a nurse watching them closely throughout the day and any pets with separation anxiety will have some one on one cuddles with the team.
Remember to download PetsApp so we can send photos and updates throughout the day!
You are welcome to bring something from home that will make your pet feel more comfortable during their stay with us – but please label the items if you can.
We look forward to seeing you at your admit appointment, and if there is anything else we can do for you in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask!