About Surgery

• Keep your pet indoors. Your pet can eat until midnight, then take away food. Water should be taken away the morning of the procedure. Please do not overfeed your pet the day before surgery- they will be fine with their normal diet.
• This is a good time to gather information and make notes about any medications your pet is currently taking or has taken within the last month, any injections in the last two weeks, vaccination records, or health conditions your pet has experienced recently. Our staff must be made aware of these conditions because they may affect the anesthetics and other drugs we will be using for surgery.

Please keep your pet safe! All dogs need to be on leash. All cats should be in a sturdy hard carrier with a clean towel inside. If you do not have a carrier, contact us in advance of your surgery date for information on borrowing a carrier with a deposit.

• Cat owners:
  • Check in: 8:00 am
  • Expect to be here for 30-60 minutes
  • When you arrive, bring your cat inside the clinic with you to check in. Cats must be brought in a clean, secure, hard-plastic carrier with a towel inside. Only one cat per carrier.
  • Remember to bring any medications your pet is taking and your notes about other medications, vaccinations, or health conditions.
  • We do NOT accept soft carriers, fabric carrier, backpack carriers, cardboard carriers, etc.
  • Feral cats must arrive in a humane trap lined with a towel or newspaper and covered with a sheet or towel; only one cat per trap is allowed.
• Dog owners:
  • Check in: 8:30 am
  • Expect to be here for 60-90 minutes
  • When you arrive, leave your dog in your vehicle (please crack a window for air) and come inside the clinic to check in. We will go over requested services, take your pet’s vaccine history, and verify when they last ate. Please let the staff know if your dog has special needs, i.e., does not do well with other dogs, cats, or people, or needs to be muzzled, etc.
  • Remember to bring any medications your pet is taking and your notes about other medications, vaccinations, or health conditions.
  • We will then send you back to your car with a buzzer that will ring when we are ready to examine your dog. While you wait your turn, please do not let your dog interact with other dogs.

We perform multiple spay and neuter surgeries throughout the day. We do not routinely call clients unless we need to. This enables us to keep our focus on anesthesia and surgery. However, if you are worried about your loved one, of course you may call us to check in on your pet.

• Your pet will be examined by a veterinarian in the morning to make sure they appear to be in good health. Our doctors reserve the right to cancel a surgery if we think your pet is not a good anesthesia candidate and needs to be seen by your local veterinarian.
• After examination, your pet will be sedated and anesthetized for the procedure. We use a combination of drugs that produces excellent pain management with minimal stress to the patient. When your pet is asleep, we administer oxygen and additional gas anesthesia. The surgery is short, varying from 5 minutes for a cat neuter to 20 minutes for a large dog spay. At the end of the procedure, your pet will receive a tattoo. This will ensure that if your pet is ever lost and found by somebody else, they know without a doubt that your pet was already spayed or neutered. This is required. We are adhering to a national standard of care that is supported by organizations like the ASPCA.
• Your pet will be monitored as they recover from anesthesia.

• Pick up occurs at 4:30 pm daily unless directed otherwise. If you have questions regarding discharge time please refer to your confirmation email. You are expected to arrive as directed. You will have an opportunity to ask any questions regarding records at time of discharge.
• You can refer to our Post-Operative Care Section: https://www.nutmegclinic.org/post-operative-care/

• A spay or neuter is a common surgery, but it is still general anesthesia and major surgery. Your pet may be lethargic, have a poor appetite, and/or appear anxious when you get them home from surgery. The most important thing is to let your pet rest and realize that these effects are temporary. You may offer your pet a small meal and water. If your pet is not hungry, it is no cause for concern that night. It is important to keep you pet calm throughout recovery – make sure small children and other pets do not bother them and minimize activity such as running, jumping, and use of stairs. You will be given thorough discharge instructions when you pick up your pet and can view them here. Our staff is always happy to answer any questions you may have.

• It is important that you monitor your pet and follow discharge instructions closely after their spay and neuter. They are not fully healed for 2 weeks! During this time your pet should be kept quiet and exercise should be limited. If there are any questions or concerns directly related to the surgery during the recovery period, please call our clinic at (203) 690-1550 or email us at info@nutmegclinic.org. If there is a concern when we are not in the office, please follow up with your regular full service vet. If your pet is experiencing an emergency, contact your regular veterinarian or any of the following 24-hour emergency hospitals: