In the veterinary hospital, a team of caring and dedicated vets and veterinary nurses are focused on the care and wellbeing of your pet – just like the experience of Betty, the six-year-old labrador, who had just undergone surgery to remove a large tumour from her side.
Veterinary nurse Jen sat with Betty whilst she recovered, monitoring her breathing, heart rate and temperature. Jen had covered Betty with a special hot air blanket to help warm her up as her body temperature had started to drop a little towards the end of the procedure.
As Betty started to wake up, she became unsettled and started whining loudly. Jen called Dr Sarah over, and together they discussed the possible reasons Betty was unsettled. Betty’s opioid pain relief had been topped up near the end of her procedure, so they didn’t believe that pain was the cause of her agitation. Betty had been taken out for a toileting walk right before her procedure, so a full bladder was also unlikely. Dr Sarah and Jen agreed that Betty was likely feeling a little disoriented, so Sarah administered some calming medication into Betty’s intravenous catheter to settle her down.
Betty recovered calmly with Jen continuing to monitor her. However, when Betty sat up, she started to drool copiously.
Once again, Jen called Dr Sarah over for an assessment. Dr Sarah believed Betty likely felt nauseous as a side effect of her anaesthetic (which can happen in some pets) and prescribed some anti-nausea medication. Within 15-20 minutes, Betty’s drooling had stopped and she started wagging her tail a little.
For the rest of the afternoon, Jen monitored Betty’s recovery and administered pain relief as prescribed by Dr Sarah. Betty was taken out for a gentle toileting walk and then (to her delight!) was offered a meal of roast chicken.
With the care and expertise of Dr Sarah and Nurse Jen, plus ongoing TLC at home, Betty made a full recovery from her surgery. And now, she associates Nurse Jen with roast chicken, so they are best friends forever. Winner winner, chicken dinner!