A healing journey …
Have you ever been responsible for the care of an animal after major surgery?
Apollo is well-loved by his family: he is affectionate, fun and full of energy. His handsome visage makes him easily recognizable, and he is quite an easygoing fellow.
When he experienced an acute health crisis, his family rushed him for emergency care at his local vet clinic and, upon recommendation, flew with him for speciality surgery in southern Canada. The surgery was lifesaving. During this upsetting time, Apollo’s humans were not certain of the outcome. They were grateful to return home, once his veterinary surgeon discharged him, and coordinated any required follow-up with Apollo’s primary veterinarian in Whitehorse.
Have you ever been responsible for the care of an animal after major surgery? Frankly, it can feel overwhelming, intimidating and scary to monitor a surgical recovery—no matter the excellent discharge provided by the vet clinic.
Not everyone has extensive knowledge of medical care, so this can feel like a challenging responsibility. Most people understand discharge instructions when they are in a clinic, hearing them. However, once beginning to monitor at home and even with written discharge notes for reference, sometimes feelings of overwhelm impact how confident people feel in their understanding.
Not long after returning home, Apollo’s human, Natalie, reached out for support as she navigated homecare. Our initial conversation raised red flags that Apollo could be experiencing a potentially serious complication. Natalie followed my immediate advice to contact her primary vet clinic due to these concerns. After his examination, the veterinarian cleared Apollo of suspected complications and he got the go-ahead to continue recovery at home. After this all-clear, I was able to assist with Apollo’s prescribed treatment plan, as requested.
Nursing care is provided to patients by registered veterinary technologists (RVTs) who follow the treatment plan prescribed by the veterinarian. Whether in the hospital or at home, RVTs are experienced in assessing patients and their surgical sites, and in monitoring for complications and species-specific pain signals while collaborating and communicating with veterinarians.
In helping people navigate homecare for their pets, my role is to assist in implementing the treatment plan. When I arrive at a home, my first step is patient assessment: this includes taking a set of vitals to assess body-system parameters, gathering information on how recovery is progressing, reading the prescribed treatment plan and listening to the pet-guardian’s concerns. All of this occurs in the calm, safe environment of a home and is conducive to reiterative conversation, when required.
In Natalie’s case, she had questions about the quantity and frequency of Apollo’s prescribed medications, and she desired education to understand the expected recovery outcomes and how to best monitor body systems. Our discussion focussed on Apollo’s initial health concern and on some common complications of surgery. We identified each of his medications and how they interact, to provide balanced pain control, and Natalie learned tips for accurate medication administration. Listening to Natalie’s concerns, I taught her how to monitor basic body-system parameters, and simple differences between observing a surgical complication versus the expected recovery, while stressing the importance that if she is worried about her observations, she should always contact the veterinarian.
Being in Apollo’s home meant that I could assess him where the bulk of his recovery would occur and where he is most himself. Further evaluations—his energy, how he interacted with the other cat, and the environment of the house—led to suggestions for small tweaks, specific to Apollo and Natalie, that would potentially make a big difference in homecare and recovery.
During visits, Natalie had the added comfort of knowing that I sent my medical reports, including photos of Apollo’s surgical site, to the vet clinic so his at-home assessment would be on file and would be communicated to his veterinarian. Apollo received quality patient care, his human had one-on-one time with a professional in the calm of their home, and the managing veterinarian obtained an up-to-date assessment of their patient.
Navigating homecare (and having the ability to provide it) may be as unique as understanding the species of the recovering animal, the surgery, and the humans involved. Building confidence through education, so people feel they understand, begins with discharge at the vet clinic and incorporates a team of collaborating professionals that includes the animal and their family. Homecare visits with an RVT are supportive to humans and beneficial for pets by allowing further opportunities to remove overwhelm, reduce intimidation and reiterate medical care.
Knowledge is power. Gaining confidence is empowering and calming.
After all the stress and worry surrounding his health crisis, Natalie journeyed with Apollo through his recovery and towards his eventual healing outcome. At the time of writing this, Natalie shared that Apollo had made a full recovery from surgery and was back to living his best life with his family.
Author’s Note: These stories are told with client consent, and all names have been changed for privacy.
