Drain insertions in San Leandro, CA | VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Hospital

We have made the difficult decision to permanently close VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists. Emergency services will cease on 3/22, and the hospital will close on 3/31. Patient records are being transferred to VCA Encina Veterinary Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where they have specialists in internal medicine, medical oncology, surgery, and dentistry. You can continue to call our main line to request your pet’s medical records, as it will be directed to a dedicated voicemail after our closure.

For any emergencies after 3/22, we encourage you to locate the nearest 24/7 hospital to you. Three nearby options are SAGE Veterinary Centers in Dublin, OakVet Animal Specialty Hospital in Oakland or VCA Encina in Walnut Creek.

We deeply appreciate your trust and support over the years our hospital has served this community. It has been a joy and a privilege to care for your pets.

Drain insertions

After surgery, your pet may need a special tube placed under the skin called a drain. The most common reason to need a drain is having an abscess (a pocket of pus), such as following bite wounds or other injuries. There are several different types of drains with some that just look like small rubber tubes or others that resemble small plastic grenades. Drains are very helpful to remove fluid from the surgical area to promote healing and recovery, and to reduce the chance of infection. Eventually, the amount of fluid produce by the wound should become small enough that the body can reabsorb it on its own, and the drain can be removed.