Partner Clinic Responsibilities

Communicate with OC Mobile Surgery by email or text whenever possible

Voice calls will typicall roll to voicemail. It is faster to reach us by text or email, as our surgery schedule and focus on patient care make phone tag and waiting on hold difficult.
Communicating by email or text helps our team stay on top of things...we don’t want you to fall through the cracks!

Text or email if you need some input to come to a diagnosis or formulate a plan…some of these cases can be tricky!
If things are still unclear, we can schedule a time for me to examine the pet.
- No charge if I just relay my findings and recommendations to the vet on the case.
- Consult fee if I need to write a report for the patients medical record and/or discuss options directly with the owner.
Take advantage of our Orthopedic Surgery Info and FAQs to make your job easier!

Some items on the Price List have ranges – please text or email details of the case to Dr. Hughes so she can narrow down the price range.
Fractures and masses can be especially tricky to quote, and we often need additional information to given an accurate estimate.
Remember to take at least a $450 deposit to cover the 3-business-day cancellation window.

To get the ball rolling, we will provide several dates, but please remember that we book on a first-come/first-served basis, and only on rare occasions will we “hold” a slot. So, if your client takes their time deciding on a date, it may have booked up in the meantime. If this happens, we’ll provide several other dates to offer your client. There may be a little back-and-forth to find a date that works for all of us, but we’ll get there!

If preop bloodwork or x-rays are not done until the morning of surgery, it's possible to find a “surprise” that requires the surgery to be postponed or canceled (ex: mets in the chest, abnormal bone lesion, diabetes, etc). Similarly, if we arrive for an orthopedic surgery, and there is a raging skin infection, surgery would be postponed to minimize the chance of implant infection. Unfortunately, these types of avoidable last-minute cancellations trigger a cancellation fee, which often frustrates clients. (Cancellations for truly unforeseeable reasons do not incur a cancellation fee). The best bet to make sure surgery proceeds on schedule is to do the preop workup and skin check in advance for surgeries that are not time-sensitive such as fracture repairs, splenectomies, obstructions, etc.

DVM in charge of the case on the day of surgery auscults the pet, reviews labwork, and clears the pet for anesthesia. If there are any surprises, let Dr. Hughes know ASAP.
Assign a point person/tech to the case to help facilitate things throughout the day:
- Draw up anesthetic drugs (emailed by Dr. Hughes the morning of surgery along with an ETA)
- Place IV catheter
  - No need to give premeds unless the pet is fearful or not compliant for catheter placement. If so, use whatever chemical restraint the DVM on the case prefers…could be acepromazine (0.02-0.04mg/kg), butorphanol (0.25mg/kg), dexdomitor (0.01mg/kg), Telazol (10mg/kg), etc. It’s a good idea to time these meds so that they have not completely worn off before we arrive. The ETA from the morning drug email should help you coordinate this.
- Set out IV fluid bag & line (no need to open or assemble)
- Leak-check & set out 3 or so ET tubes based on patient size
- Set out 2 large towels
- Make sure OR is clean and excess equipment has been removed
- Remove any packs or supplies the RDVM team might need from the OR, as we will need to keep the OR door closed once we scrub in
- Bonus points if you can potty walk the patient right before we arrive -- unless they are too anxious, drugged, injured, or feline, of course!
Please do not:
- Shave the surgery site
- Set up your anesthesia monitor – we bring our own
- Anesthetize the pet
The Surgery Day Checklist can help!

Our team will transfer the pet to the recovery cage, where one of your clinic staff will recover/extubate.
We will provide verbal rounds and written instructions regarding postop treatments and recommended meds to go home.
2 weeks postop: suture removal
8 weeks postop (orthopedics only): Orthopedic rechecks are typically handled by your DVM. The surgery report outlines a plan of action for this recheck if everything is on track
- If you are not sure whether everything is on track, text or email us the results of the recheck exam and x-rays (if any), and we’ll let you know the next steps.
- If you or the owner have any concerns, we will arrange a time for Dr. Hughes to recheck the pet, herself.