Before Surgery

Before arriving at our facility, please familiarize yourself with the important information below.

Our vets recommend that pets are vaccinated from communicable diseases (distemper, parvo, and upper respiratory  diseases) at least two weeks prior to surgery. In addition, North Carolina state law requires a current rabies vaccination for your pet. Please bring proof in the form of a tag or certificate. We are otherwise required to administer one at the time of surgery for a charge of $10.

Adult animals must have food withdrawn the night before surgery at midnight. Animals four months or younger may have food until 6 a.m., though all pets can have water.

Pets must be kept indoors or confined the night before surgery. This ensures that they are not eating outside, which could potentially be dangerous during surgery.

Due to our strict schedule, your pet might not be admitted if you arrive after 8:30 a.m. The admission process usually takes 10–15 minutes to complete. If you wish, you may collect the paperwork before your appointment to save time.

Please leave your animal in your car until you have completed check-in. Once we have your paperwork, and have spoken to you about your animal's health, you will be asked to bring them in. All dogs must be on a leash and all cats must be in a carrier. If you do not have a carrier for your cat, you can purchase a cardboard carrier for $5.

We accept payment in the form of cash or check, preferably at the time of check-in.

On Mondays through Thursdays, all animals are held overnight and released the following day at 7:30 a.m. On Fridays, we do not perform surgery on female dogs and we release all surgical patients at 5 p.m. Please note that we do not board pets.

In female animals, the uterus and ovaries are removed through a small incision in the abdominal wall, which makes them unable to get pregnant. In male dogs and cats, the scrotum is not removed, only the testicles. This prevents the production of sperm, meaning they will no longer be able to father puppies or kittens. Our patients are completely asleep during surgery, and are unable to feel or move.

Your pet will receive a small, green tattoo near the incision site. This tattoo is not another incision—it’s just a small score in the top layers of the skin filled with tattoo ink and covered with surgical glue. The tattoo will ensure that anyone examining your animal will know they have been sterilized.