And he has an ear infection in BOTH ears!    The vet saw an infection when checking him and tested the scraping she did.  He has an infection in both ears and I had NO idea!  I feel terrible but we caught it very early.  He's on ear drop meds for 3 weeks and I have to use an ear wash three times a week.  Poor puppy, his mommy didn't even know! 

You know I ended up getting him lots of special treats!

He has gained 6 oz.  bringing him up to 9.14 lbs. 

Everything else checked out fine.  He had to get some shots and some more Frontline.  I got his surgery scheduled for June. 

Question:

I was given a price sheet and told that for his surgery several things were optional and several things were mandatory to do.

Mandatory: neuter(duh), general anesthesia, and pain management

Optional: perioperative fluids, preanesthetic blood screen, and Res Q microchip

I will do all of the above but I was wondering what others have done for this surgery.  Are the iv fluids necessary before surgery and the blood screen?  Just asking. 

Poor Mario!      Give him some kisses from Aunt Jenny.

9.14 lbs is still tiny compared to big Max

I was told that the blood screening was to make sure his liver and kidneys could handle the surgery.  So, I'm not sure...  also the IV fluids before hand.... again, not sure.  I wasn't asked about teeth cleaning.. his really don't need it.  The extra stuff is more than double the original surgery... 

I will willingly pay for the extra stuff but also don't want to spend money on something that isn't really necessary. 

Shannon, Apollo's vet did the blood work before his surgery for the same reasons you stated. Apollo's records state that the Pre surgery exam, fluid management, aneasthesia, surgery (duh) and pain meds are all included. But I did opt to have his teeth cleaned and his nails clipped. But you know me I'm the world's worst "rattie hypocondriac" as Brad calls me.

Okay, sounds good.  I appreciate the info...

I have wanted to do the microchip so I'll most likely have that done next month.  What about the IV fluids before surgery?  Is that pretty standard? 

The IV fluids help keep them hydrated during the surgery, and helps the anesthesia flush out of their system easier/faster because the anesthesia does slow everything down.  It is pretty standard but it is usually up to the owner if it's done or not.

Okay, that's what I wanted to know...  thanks, girlie!! 

That happened to me with my daughter...  she had a rash and the doc said it was strep! 

I'm just glad we caught it early... 

I have had the blood screens done. It just makes sense to be sure everyting is as it should be, at any age. The teeth cleaning probaly not, since he is so young. I'm not sure about the IV fluids, but it makes sense since he can't really drink before or after the surgery. Good luck. BTW I have Savanna chipped, didn't do it during surgery tho. It's simple enough for them to do anytime, but since he is there, why not.

When Lucy was between 8 months old and a year old, it seemed like she got ear infections a LOT.  Thank goodness, that phase seems to be over with for now, though.  Hope Mario is feeling better now.  My vet doesn't do all the "extras" like IV fluids, etc, unless it's specifically asked for.

Shannon, I just saw this. Lots of vets recommend blood work and IV fluids, no matter the age. I have a friend whose dog was 8 mos at time of surgery and they almost lost him because of an unknown problelm testing would have discovered. So, as much as you love this little dog, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the tests and IV fluids. The IV fluids during the surgery help if there is a problem and they have to have a vein -- if his BP drops then veins are hard to find.
In the old days, vets didn't do this so much, but veterinary medicine has changed, procedures, tests, etc. are more advanced.

Now, the odds are in you favor that Mario would be fine, givien his age, but I don't really want to gamble with my dogs.  My neighbor, who takes the attitude "she's just a dog" might, but I don't.  I have a b-i-l and two close friends that are vets and they do this for their dogs.  That means something to me.

Thank you very much for your replies.  I did think it was odd that some of these extras were optional.  My vet HIGHLY recommends the IV and blood work.  It's worth my peace of mind to have all of that done.  Mario's worth it... 

I'm just debating about the microchip...  I'll probably go ahead and do that too.  Mario is a little houdini! 

Max's vet recommended the blood screening for him, only because we knew that he came from a backyard breeder and we didn't know much about the dad. Don't get me wrong, the mom (and the dad, now that I have met him) are both wonderful and well taken care of, the vet said that we couldn't be too careful. I had Max nuetered when we moved so he was boarded for four days, Sampson was boarded for four days, Sampson had a flea bath, Max was nuetered, and I bought Frontline and my bill was about $200.00. I don't really remember how much the actual nuetering was, because we had so much going on.

**edited** Oh, and I forgot, he was tatooed while under anesthsia too, and that was included in the price.

I'm going to put this another way, cause I'm not sure the point I'm trying to make is coming across.  We buy our dogs the best food, the best treats, the best of everything because they are so important to us.  And then, when having surgery, we wonder about doing the testing/IV's that could mean the difference between life and death.  Now, there are lots of people who can't afford to do all of this and I completely understand - but the surgery is important, so they must go ahead without all the precautions and most likely they will be okay.  And, I think that is the reason vets give it as an option. But, if one has the means to be able to afford these things, perhaps by sacrificing something else they may want, then I say "do the testing"!   A dog can live just fine on some off brand dog food -- I mean it may not be best for his health, but he will survive.  See the point I'm trying to make here?  If one can afford to take the extra precaution then I think one would be better served to skip the new lead and collar, or special toy and opt for the tests. 

Excellent point, Jan.  I've decided to go ahead with the IV fluids and testing ( I had planned to all along but wanted some input about what others did).. 

The whole thing (microchip included) will be $245.  No problem...