Appointments

Consultations

To make an appointment with the Halls Head Small Animal Clinic phone  (08) 9581 1012. Please let our receptionists know if the matter is urgent so we can attend to your pet as soon as possible.

All dogs need to be on a lead for their own protection and that of other animals.
Cats should be secured in an appropriate cat carrier crate.

We do not do accounts for consultations. All costs need to be paid at the time of the visit.

Admission to hospital for surgery

It is important that your pet is fasted the night before surgery – no food after 8pm the night before and don’t leave dry food down to nibble during the night.

Admission

On the day of your pet’s surgery one of our admit nurses will discuss the procedure with you and answer any questions that you may have. We do require you to fill out and sign a consent form. It is important that the correct contact details are checked.

Pre- anaesthetic exam & blood testing

A full physical exam is performed on your pet by one of our vets prior to administering any pre-medication drugs.
A pre-anaesthetic blood test is recommended to assure proper kidney and liver function, adequate oxygen carrying capacity of the red blood cells and to ensure adequate platelet levels for blood clotting.

Anaesthesia

We have a very experienced team of vets at the Halls Head Small Animal Clinic who take anaesthetic safety very seriously. We use the safest anaesthetic drugs available and all our anaesthetics are monitored by experienced surgery nurses as well as high tech monitoring equipment. These devices monitor your pet’s heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, body temperature and blood pressure.

Pain management

Pain management in our hospital is taken very seriously. All animals are given a premedication injection prior to anaesthesia which contains a morphine-like drug called methadone. Further pain relief is given prior to discharge as well as a non-steroidal ant-inflammatory drug.
Those animals undergoing more painful procedures, such as orthopaedic surgery or major abdominal surgery will also receive a continuous intravenous rate of pain relief drugs that is maintained for at least 24 hours post surgery.

Intra-operative fluid therapy

All animals undergoing anaesthesia will also receive intravenous fluid therapy via a catheter placed in their front leg vein.
Intravenous fluid therapy prevents a drop in blood pressure often associated with anaesthetics. A drop in blood pressure can be detrimental to organ function.

Discharge from hospital

Our surgery discharge nurse will contact you once your pet’s procedure is finished and they in the recovery ward. A discharge appointment time for you to collect them will be made at that time and your pet’s aftercare, including medication, will be discussed at that time.