Whether your pet requires soft tissue surgery as part of cancer treatment or to repair a hernia, our practice lends the highest possible level of care and expertise. Soft tissue surgery concerns a wide variety of conditions including gastrointestinal, dermatology, urogenital and oncological surgery. Because we know that surgery is a serious and stressful issue, when discussing the possibility of surgery, our practice seeks to develop a communicative relationship with you so you can feel at ease with your decision.
First our practice will review all medical history and possibly use diagnostic imaging like an x-ray or ultrasound. We will discuss with you the possible benefits and drawbacks of surgery for your pet. Sometimes we can resolve minor conditions using non-invasive measures. However, more serious conditions may require surgery.
Once surgery is decided upon, we will go over with you the details of how to prepare your pet for surgery and what to expect. We will also discuss how to best care for your pet during recovery.
You may have concerns about anesthesia. Before surgery, we perform a full physical exam along with blood work to ensure that your pet is fit to handle general anesthesia and able to properly metabolize the medications. Although we offer both Sevoflurane gas anesthesia and Isoflurane, we use Sevoflurane for most surgeries. Sevoflurane is a newer, safer general anesthetic gas that allows for more rapid adjustment of anesthetic depth, as well a more rapid recovery form anesthesia. Prior to initiating anesthesia, we monitor your pet's EKG and provide oxygen. After induction, and throughout the procedure, we monitor oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide levels in their blood along with blood pressure, EKG, heart rate, rhythm and temperature.
If your pet undergoes soft tissue surgery as part of cancer treatment, our practice will discuss with you how the surgery fits in to your pet’s larger treatment plan and how best to care for them overall.