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Scheduling

 

• When are you open?Surgery Appointments may be scheduled Monday through Thursday at 8:30 AM.  Our phones are answered Monday-Thursday 9 AM - 4 PM and Friday 9 AM- 11 AM.  Please leave a message if your call is not answered.  We do return phone calls throughout the day.

 

• What form of payment do you accept? We can only accept check or cash.  You may pay either at check-in or check-out.  We can not accept debit or credit cards in order for us to keep our rates low-cost.

 

• How can I make an appointment for a feral cat? You can bring in a feral cat whenever you trap it, Monday through Wednesday until 4pm.  We will hold it overnight, fast it ourselves, and do surgery the next day.

 

• How long do they stay?They will stay overnight and go home the next morning.

 

• Why do you require them to spend the night?Because we are doing so many surgeries, our staff is performing surgery until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. This will ensure a proper recovery and allow our staff to guarantee the animal is stable before being sent home.

   

Medical Questions

• Can they drink water all night before surgery? Yes

 

• How long does the surgery take?

  Surgery times depend on the individual animal. Actual surgery time (not including pre-medication and surgery prep) can last anywhere from a few minutes for a male cat to almost an hours for a large female dog who is pregnant.

 

• Is it safe?Our full-time Veterinary and medical staff specialize in spay neuter. They performed over 4,000 surgeries last year alone. Because they have done so many spays they are faster at this surgery than a general practice vet. This means the animal is under anesthesia a shorter amount of time which is safer and their incision is smaller which helps limit any possible infections and they have a faster recovery period.However, with every surgery there is risk.  Just as with people, your animal could experience an allergic reaction to a drug or other unforcine complication. 

 

• Do you send them home with pain medication?They receive pain medication before surgery. In addition to that, you can purchase an extra pain med that will last about 24 hrs after surgery – it’s an anti-inflammatory, like Ibuprofen.

 

• Do you give vaccinations?Yes, but only at the time of surgery. We are required to administer a rabies vaccination if your pet does not have a current one. We will administer additional vaccinations at the time of surgery at your request.

 

• Can I come in for just a rabies shot?No, we can only give vaccinations at the time of surgery. Athens Area Humane Society offers a monthly Pet Care Clinic which offers rabies for $5/shot.

 

• Do you microchip? Yes, the cost is $25 and that includes registration.

 

• What vaccinations can I get?Vaccinations for cats – rabies, feline distemper, or feline leukemia Vaccinations for dogs – rabies, distemper/parvo, or kennel cough (kennel cough is a non-fatal virus that usually results in nasty coughing for a few weeks and then goes away, often recommended for folks who board or groom their dogs)

 

• How old do animals have to be?Two months and two pounds.

 

• When do they start coming in heat?They usually reach sexual maturity at about six months. How long are they in heat? It really depends on the animal.

 

• How long are they pregnant?63 days.

 

• Can you fix them while they’re pregnant?Yes.Is it dangerous if they’re in heat/pregnant?There is a higher risk if they are in heat or pregnant. If you can wait until they are no longer in heat to bring them in, that’s the best. If they are pregnant, the sooner you can bring them in, the better.

 

• How soon after they have a litter can they be fixed?You need to wait about two weeks after the babies are completely done nursing – the mother has to stop lactating before we can do surgery.

 

• What is the recovery period like? The recovery period is 7-10 days. You need to restrict their activity and keep them indoors. You also need to watch their incision closely. We will give you a complete list of post-op instructions when you pick your pet up. (See Post-Op Instructions)

 

• What is that green line?That is a tattoo, to identify that your pet has been spayed.

 

• Should I be worried that my dog/cat is licking his/her incision?Yes. You will need to bring them in for us to take a look at them. We are available for rechecks Monday through Thursday from 11am – 4pm. Please call to schedule a time for a recheck.

 

• What should I do to keep my dog/cat from licking his/her incision?You can purchase Bitter Apple or Bitter Orange (from Walmart or Pet Supplies Plus) – rub the ointment around the incision, not directly on it (it stings!). If that doesn’t work, you need to get them an E-collar (lampshade).

  If you have any questions that are not answered above, please call 706-353-2287, extension 2 and option 2.