A Dog's Day at SNC

A day in the life of a dog getting fixed at Spay Neuter Charlotte:

6:00 am: Time to wake up! Hey... Where's my breakfast?

6:30 am: That's my leash! Where am I going? Grandma's! Yay! Best Day Ever!!

6:45 am: Car ride?! Yay again!

7:15 am: The car has stopped. This is not Grandma’s.

7:25 am: I'm in the car. By. Myself. This never happens. How do I drive this thing? Bluetooth, call Grandma, we are lost.

7:45 am: Who's this lady in the white coat? Why are you touching me there? Who are you?

7:48 am: Wow. I like whatever that lady in the white coat gave me. I see rainbows!

.....The next several hours are a trance, but here is what really happens:

When you arrive at Spay Neuter Charlotte to get your pet fixed we ask that you keep your dog in the car. We do this because it helps keep the lobby a litte less chaotic as we check-in everyone in the morning and give you important instructions. All cats are required to be in a carrier and after we finish with the check-in announcements you are allowed to drop off your cat while dog owners return to the car and hang out with their dog and wait for a vet tech. A vet tech will come to your car to ask you a couple questions before taking your dog into the building. Once your dog or cat is in the building they will get a physical exam by the doctor to make sure they are healthy for surgery. Afterwards, they get their first dose of meds to help them relax before surgery.

When it's your pet's turn for surgery, they will be given an additional dose of medication that makes them fall asleep as they are intubated to help them breathe during surgery. Once intubated, your cat or dog gets their belly shaved, sanitized, nails trimmed, etc. They are moved to a sterile surgical table and hooked up to an anesthesia machine. The doctor will perform the surgery while the vet techs monitor their breathing and heart rate. Before surgery is complete, a pain block is given at the incision site, to numb the area, and make sure they're as comfortable as possible. Once the doctor has completed surgery, they are moved to a warm soft bed that we call "the beach." Each dog and cat is wrapped in blankets and surrounded by heated packs that keep them nice and warm. A vet tech monitors them as they are waking up. Once they are awake, they are moved back to their kennel where they rest and are continuously monitored for the rest of the day.

Back to your dog's thoughts...

2:00 pm: That was a strange nap. I feel funny.

2:30 pm: Hey person. Why are you looking at me there? You have NO respect for my privacy. Geez.

3:00 pm: I swear I hear my mom out there.

3:06 pm: Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. I know she hears me. Mom. Mom.

3:25 pm: Hey person. Where are you taking me? Wait. I see mom!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!

Your dog will begin to wake up only a few hours after surgery as they recover in their kennel. Pet owners will arrive in the clinic to be discharged at 3:30 PM and receive walk out instructions about how to care for their pet post surgery. These instructions and the information packet given at this time are very important. We discuss why making sure that your pet doesn't lick their incision while they recover is crucial. (Licking causes lots of post op problems.) Before each dog is returned to its mom or dad (or Grandma) a vet tech checks their incision site to make sure that there are no problems and it looks good. From there we walk your dog out into the lobby where they are reunited with their family.

Here are some SNC patients with their families! :)