Surgical Services
Your pet is in good hands.
Our highly trained staff makes sure that all precautions are taken during your pet’s operation.
Spay & Neuter
Spaying or neutering your pet can help them live a longer and healthier life, minimize behavior problems, and help control the population of unwanted dogs and cats. We believe this decision about your pet is between you and your doctor and should be considered carefully.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, nearly 12,500 puppies are born in the United States each hour. Spaying females or castrating males eliminates unwanted litters, which contribute to thousands of euthanasia procedures and millions of stray animals. Additionally, these procedures can minimize behavior problems and help your pet live a longer, healthier life by reducing the likelihood of certain cancers and tumors.
When should I have my pet spayed or neutered?
In general, we recommend spaying or castrating small dogs and cats between 4-6 months of age. With large breed dogs, we often recommend delaying the surgery until they are 6-12 months of age.
Why should I have my pet spayed or neutered?
There are many benefits that come with spaying your female companion animal. They include helping to control the stray dog and cat population, eliminating the sometimes messy heat cycles that attract male dogs, and preventing diseases in your pet such as pyometra (infection in the uterus) and mammary cancer. Additionally, research has shown that spayed pets live longer than pets that have not been spayed.
There are also many benefits that come with castrating your male companion animal. These benefits include helping to control the stray dog and cat population, eliminating undesirable and embarrassing behavior, and preventing diseases in your pet such as prostate disease and testicular cancer.
How is a spay or neutering surgery performed?
Spaying, also called an ovariohysterectomy, is a surgical procedure in which both ovaries and uterus are completely removed from your female pet while they are under general anesthesia. Castrating refers to the surgical procedure in which both testicles are removed while your male pet is under general anesthesia.
Before the operation, we will assess your pet to minimize risk. While your pet is under anesthesia, we take individual care for the safety of each pet. Our certified technicians and doctors are trained in advanced monitoring to ensure your pet’s comfort.
Your pet’s safety and comfort are our primary concerns when performing a spay or castration. We routinely use an IV catheter and fluids on canine spays and castrations, as well as feline spays. This is important for maintaining blood pressure and perfusion to the kidneys and other organs, as well as allowing immediate IV access in the event of an emergency. We use advanced pain management techniques in conjunction with anesthesia to make sure your pet is as comfortable as possible during the procedure and after they are discharged. Our spay and castration patients receive two or three different injectable pain medications during the procedure and usually go home with oral pain medication. We also perform local anesthetic blocks at the surgical site. Proper pain management makes the procedure as comfortable as possible and allows for faster recovery.
Soft Tissue Surgery
We perform soft tissue surgery for a number of medical reasons. This common surgery can be used for most anything non-joint or bone-related.
Soft tissue surgery is any surgery non-joint or bone-related and can include cardiothoracic, hepatic, gastrointestinal, urogenital, skin reconstructive, oncological, and ear, nose, and throat surgeries. If soft tissue surgery is recommended for your pet, we will do everything possible to keep them safe and comfortable before, during, and after the surgery.
Why would my pet need soft tissue surgery?
Veterinary soft tissue surgery is recommended for a variety of reasons. The most common soft tissue surgeries for animals are spay procedures, neuter procedures, hernia repairs, and mass removals. More advanced soft tissue surgeries include cystotomy, abdominal exploratory surgery, and splenectomy.
When would soft tissue surgery be needed?
Soft tissue surgeries are used for a wide array of medical conditions. These include “routine” procedures such as spays and neuters, as well as mass removals, trauma, and emergency surgery, wound management, and reconstructive procedures.
How do you care for my pet during surgery?
Our veterinarians adhere to the highest level of care standards for all surgical procedures. Our highly skilled doctors place the utmost emphasis on pain management to ensure your pet is safe and comfortable throughout the treatment process. We believe that keeping our patients safe and comfortable before, during, and after surgery is of the greatest importance and an essential component of your pet’s care.
Orthopedic Surgery
Orthopedic surgery can help pets who suffer from joint problems, torn ligaments, and broken bones and even help correct congenital problems.
Orthopedic surgery treats bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles—areas in which your pet may feel pain in from a variety of conditions. If veterinary orthopedic surgery is recommended for your pet, we will do everything possible to keep them safe and comfortable before, during, and after the surgery.
Why would my pet need orthopedic surgery?
Orthopedic surgery can help animals who suffer from joint problems, torn ligaments, broken bones, and can even help correct congenital problems. Most orthopedic surgery is focused around the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), sometimes referred to as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
When should I seek orthopedic care for my pet?
Pay attention to the way your pet is moving around. Any unusual changes may mean they have an orthopedic condition.
Typical symptoms of an orthopedic disorder include difficulty getting up, favoring a leg intermittently when walking, limping, swelling in the leg, stiffness, or decreased activity level. If you notice any of these problems, you should take your pet to our facility for an examination.
How are typical orthopedic injuries treated?
Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO): Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy is used to repair a torn ligament by changing the dynamic of the animal’s knee so that the ligament becomes irrelevant to the stability of the knee by counteracting the force that caused the ligament to tear. The reconstructive surgery cuts the tibia bone and rotates it, and it becomes held in place with metal plates. This is an extremely effective long-term solution for the injury.
Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA): Tibial tuberosity advancement is a reconstructive surgery used to repair a torn ligament by changing the dynamic of the ligament so that it is no longer necessary for the stabilization. The surgery uses titanium implants and has a quick recovery time.
Luxating Patella Surgery: Patellar luxation is a dislocated knee cap and most commonly seen in small breed dogs. Most patellar luxation occurs when the patellar displaces from its normal position to the inside of the knee. Pets with this condition may have an intermittent non-weight bearing lameness, and you may even hear a popping noise in their knee. There are many ways to treat this, from a simple knee brace for a Grade 1 luxation to realignment surgery for lower grade luxations. Bring your pet in so we can determine the best way to treat the luxation.
Fracture Repairs: A fracture is a break in the bone or cartilage and can be repaired from simple external splinting to more advanced internal plating. Fractures are typically caused by trauma, disease, a tumor in the bone, or stress applied to a certain bone. In the unfortunate event that your pet might need a fracture repair, we offer different fracture repair modalities that can be tailored for each specific fracture type: plating (using titanium allows for bendable ALPS plates), external fixator, or pins and wires.
Cranial Cruciate Ligament Surgery: Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) tears (also known as ACL tears) are one of the most common injuries in dogs. Similar to people, the CCL tears will results in pain and dysfunction in the affected leg. The goal of surgery is to return your pet to full functionality to enjoy a happy and active life.
We have been performing CCL surgeries form more than 10 years. There are several surgeries available to correct the CCL tears in dogs. Our choice in treating CCL tears is the TTA (tibial tuberosity advancement) technique utilizing the brand name titanium alloy implants from KYON.
Patellar Groove Replacement (KYON): Patellar groove replacement (PGR) is a very specialized and unique procedure, similar to a specific type of knee replacement surgery in people. PGR help to correct severe abnormalities of the surface where the knee cap slides. Common abnormalities corrected by PGR are patellar luxations, severe arthritis of the patellar groove, etc. The procedure utilizes a very special titanium alloy implant to provide a very smooth surface for the patella to slide in.
Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO): FHO is a procedure aimed at reducing pain and allowing for better mobility in dogs affected by diseases of the hip joint. Common conditions that can benefit from FHO procedure are:
- Hip joint
- Femoral head fractures
- The hip dislocation that cannot be corrected by other techniques (nonsurgical or surgical replacement, toggle pin, etc.)
- Severe hip dysplasia
- Developmental diseases (like Legg Perthes disease)
Amputations: Limb amputations are considered a last resort salvage procedure. Common indications for amputations are bone tumors, severe trauma, etc. Our veterinarians adhere to the highest level of care standards for all surgical procedures. Our highly skilled doctors place the utmost emphasis on pain management to ensure your pet is safe and comfortable throughout the treatment process. Using advanced technology, your pet’s vital signs are monitored by our veterinary technicians, who will remain with your pet through recovery.