The Jockey Hollow Veterinary Practice team wants to make you and your pet's experience with anesthesia and sedation as stress-free as possible. Anesthesia and sedation carries some risk of complications whether the patient is a person or a pet. To help identify those risks your pet will have a complete physical prior to sedation. In addition, your pet may have blood work on the same day or prior to admission to our hospital. On the day of admission, our staff will take time to explain the procedure, timeline, complication risks and verify your agreement with our plan. In addition, we will want to know how to act in the event of an unexpected complication. Having these discussions ahead of the procedure will allow all of us to work together for the best interest of your pet. At drop-off we will need you to sign consent forms. The person dropping off the pet will need to be authorized by the pet owner to sign the forms and must be over the age of 18. If the owner is not able to drop the pet off, we will need to arrange to have the consent papers sent to you prior to your pet's admission. Who will be dropping the pet off for anesthesia?

Sedation and anesthesia will suppress your pet's gag reflex. This could cause your pet to regurgitate or vomit during the event and subsequently inhale stomach contents. To reduce the risk of aspiration, we ask that you do not feed a meal on the morning of surgery. Your pet can consume water and should have all prescribed medications. Diabetics should receive 1/2 dose of insulin. To reduce complications please confirm the instructions

Each pet has a tailored sedation and anesthetic protocol that addresses their specific needs. This evaluation will include a full history, physical exam, and laboratory results. We take into consideration the age, breed, temperament of the pet. In addition we evaluate the medications in accordance with the procedure's invasiveness and anticipated pain as well as the risk of bleeding and the risk of reduced or increased body temperature. In order to design a safe protocol, we need to know if your pet has any health changes. Has your pet experienced any of the following symptoms over the last 24 hours

Please continue to give all medications as prescribed. You may safely give medication on the morning of the procedure in a small amount of food unless otherwise directed. Diabetic pets should be given 1/2 of their insulin dose. Pain relievers should be given on schedule prior to surgery. Please list your pets medications and times you administer these medications.

Your pet does not need to feel anxious. Stress for hospital stays can be alleviated with medications that you can administer at home the night before and the morning of the sedation/anesthesia event. Do you want your pet to receive medication prior to drop-off?

Please give us the number of your local pharmacy in case we need to prescribe medications for your pet.

Please describe your pet's experience with previous anesthesia or sedation events

Anesthesia and sedation may pose a risk for your pet regardless of their health status. Our doctors and staff are all trained to respond and react to these unforeseen events. While we understand it is uncomfortable to talk about these subjects we believe it is best to understand how you would prefer us to react. To provide clear communication we need to know how you want us to proceed in the case of an emergency. Please choose one of the following options