Skip to main content

Surgical Services

Anesthetic Monitoring

By

While your pet is anesthetized we have a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) who is continuously monitoring your pet. Our most valuable monitor is our technician. They will listen to your pet’s heart, and monitor breathing and temperature while your pet is anesthetized.

Mindray Monitor

While your pet is asleep, the Mindray monitors their ECG (rate and rhythm of the heart), temperature, respiration rate, SPO2 (this is the saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen) along with CO2 – (end tidal of carbon dioxide – this tells us if your pet’s carbon dioxide level is increasing, which happens if they are not breathing deeply enough).  The Mindray also monitors your pets blood pressure which is a critical piece of information. If your pet’s blood pressure is too low then blood flow to certain organs will decrease. If that occurs during surgery we are able to correct things by adjusting anesthetic depth, increasing fluids during surgery and even at times we will need to administer medication to correct the pressures.

Orthopedic Surgery

By

Orthopedic surgery is the surgery of bones. This includes hip surgery, knee surgery and repairing broken bones. Most orthopedic surgery is preformed by a board certified surgeon who travels to our clinic. This type of surgery can be very difficult and requires considerable expertise and training. After your pet has orthopedic surgery he or she will require a great deal of care at home. Strict cage rest is usually required for several weeks followed by a routine of physical therapy to help your pet regain use of the affected limbs.

Spaying

By

Spaying your pet has many benefits. The procedure, which prevents female animals from becoming pregnant and reproducing, can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Spaying will not change your pet’s personality.

By spaying your female pet, you’re protecting her against potentially deadly diseases, including bacterial infections, reproductive tract diseases, and several types of cancer. You also won’t have to worry about her going into heat. This means avoiding the mess that often accompanies the heat cycle in female dogs and the pacing and crying that happens with female cats. In addition, spaying your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Spaying, which involves removing the ovaries and uterus, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure her safety. Please see the descriptions under Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring for more information on what we do to keep your pet safe.

To set up an appointment to have your pet spayed or to learn more about this procedure, call or visit our clinic. If you are struggling with the decision of whether to spay your pet, please call us so we can discuss your concerns.

Check out our Laparoscopic Spay options!

Neutering

By

Neutering your pet has many benefits. The procedure, which prevents male animals from reproducing, can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Neutering will not change your pet’s personality.

By neutering your pet, you’re reducing or eliminating his risk for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Neutering will also reduce or eliminate undesirable and embarrassing behavior, including roaming, fighting, humping, and spraying. In addition, neutering your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Neutering, which involves removing the testicles, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure his safety. Please see the descriptions under Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring for more information on what we do to keep your pet safe.

To set up an appointment to have your pet neutered or to learn more about this procedure, please call or visit our clinic. If you are struggling with the decision of whether to neuter your pet, please call us or stop by so we can discuss your concerns.

Soft Tissue Surgery

By

We perform many types of soft tissue surgeries at our clinic. Soft tissue surgeries are those that are not associated with bone. These surgeries can provide many benefits to pets.

Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed on pets is the removal of masses, or lumps. Most of these masses, once removed and tested, are found to be benign (nonharmful); however, occasionally they are more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a lump is necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous.

If your dog suffers from frequent ear infections, surgical intervention can reduce their occurrence by improving airflow into the ear canal.

Surgery can also help resolve several problems related to the eyes. Tearing in your pet’s eyes can mean an infection is present or may be a sign that the cornea (outer layer of the eye) has been damaged. Surgery may allow the cornea to heal faster with less scarring, improving your pet’s ability to see. In some pets, the eyelashes may actually damage the cornea. Surgical intervention improves comfort in these pets, reduces the chances of corneal scarring, and enhances the pet’s vision in the long term.

Please contact us if you’d like to discuss how soft tissue surgery might be able to help your pet.

Local Anesthesia

By

If your pet is having a minor surgical or diagnostic procedure performed, we sometimes use a local anesthetic to help control pain. For example, when we perform a biopsy (in which a small portion of tissue is surgically removed so it can be examined), we often use a local anesthetic. Local anesthetics cause a loss of sensation in the area where the procedure is being performed. We sometimes use a sedative and/or anxiolytic (anti-anxiety medication) in combination with the local anesthetic to keep pets calm during a procedure.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your pet receiving local anesthesia or about the procedure for which your pet is scheduled.

Laparoscopy

By

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive technique for viewing the internal structures of the abdomen. A laparoscope (camera) is inserted through a small incision in the abdomen magnifying internal structures of the abdomen to a monitor for a more detailed examination. Small incisions into the abdomen can be made to place surgical instruments in to the abdomen for procedures. The most common application of laparoscopy in veterinary medicine are spays (ovariectomy), biopsies, gastropexy (stomach tack), and cystotomy. It’s been used in humans for nearly two decades, but, in recent years, laparoscopy has been adopted as a less traumatic and less painful alternative to traditional surgeries in veterinary medicine.

Laparoscopic Spay

A laparocopic spay involves making 2 small incisions into the abdomen ranging in size from 0.3-1 cm in length. This is instead of a 5-10cm abdominal incision that is made for traditional spay surgeries. With laparoscopic spay it is an ovarioectomy that is performed that is the removal of both ovaries compared to traditionally ovariohystorectomy (spay) which is the removal of both ovaries and the uterus. By removing just the ovaries laparoscopically this prevents the placement of a 3rd laparoscope thus reducing surgical time and incisions for your pet. Leaving the uterus while removing the ovaries does not increase your pets risk of developing cancer of the uterus.

What are the benefits? 

  • Smaller incision size which minimizes tissue trauma
  • Minimizes pain
  • Minimizes complications due to a better visualization of the surgical procedure
  • YOUR PETS RECOVERY TIME IS FASTER!

Pictured is Dr. Marco Mazzocco & assistant Kiara during laparoscopic spay

Ovariohysterectomy vs. Ovariectomy

The term OVARIOHYSTERECTOMY means to remove the ovaries and uterus. The image to the right shows the ovaries, uterus, and vessels that are removed when an ovariohysterectomy is performed. Traditionally this is done through a large, open incision in the mid-abdomen. The ovarian ligament is torn from its attachment on the abdominal wall. This tearing causes bruising to the abdominal wall and is a source of post operative pain.

The term OVARIECTOMY means to remove only the ovaries. By removing only the ovaries there is minimal disruption to the surrounding tissues and organs, thus maximizing patient comfort. The use of laparoscopy (fiber-optic camera) allows us to remove the reproductive organs with much less trauma, minimal pain and vastly improved visualization. We place two small holes though the abdomen 0.3-1cm in diameter. We make controlled cuts in the tissue rather than tearing the tissue, thus reducing the pain that occurs in the traditional procedure.

Prophylactic Gastropexy

Bloat-Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV) is a life threatening condition that requires emergency surgery. Large and giant breed dogs with deep chests are prone to GDV. Predisposed breeds are:

  • Great Danes
  • Saint Bernards
  • Weimaraners
  • Irish Setters
  • Gordon Setters
  • Standard Poodles
  • Basset Hounds
  • Doberman Pinschers
  • Old English Sheepdogs

A gastropexy (stomach tack) can be performed prophylactically to prevent the rotation of the stomach to prevent a GDV from occurring by tacking the stomach to the body wall. Using minimally invasive surgery, a laparoscopic assisted gastropexy is accomplished with small incisions in the abdomen. This can be performed at the time of spay or neuter or anytime afterwards. We recommend this procedure for any large or giant breed dog that may be at risk.

Contact Us

  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • :