Surgery

Surgical care of veterinary patients is constantly evolving. Pet owners are seeking more advanced diagnostic testing and treatment options, and patients that might previously have been euthanized can be successfully treated for trauma, orthopedic injury, neurologic disease, cancer, and other illnesses.

The Surgery Service at Veterinary Specialty Center brings experience in advanced surgical techniques to the care of your pets. We work with you and your primary care veterinarian to get your family pet through their surgical experience with as little discomfort and stress as possible. In our facility we routinely work with specialists in Oncology and Internal medicine for those patients having more complicated medical needs. Our experienced emergency doctors are here 24/7 for continuous care of our surgical patients in the postoperative period.

Surgery Videos

Specialty Soft Tissue Surgery

Your primary care veterinarian likely performs many routine soft tissue surgeries such as spays, neuters, bladder stone retrieval, skin mass removals, and repair of wounds. Advanced soft tissue surgeries are available at VES/VSC because of our additional training, extra personnel, specialized equipment, an in-house blood bank, and the availability of 24-hour postoperative care.

Our surgeons have specialized training to perform:

• Abdominal surgery:
  • Cancer (tumor/mass) treatment, infection, biopsy, liver lobectomy, portosystemic shunts, biliary diversion, urinary disease, digestive tract disease, as well as pancreatic masses or abscesses, splenectomy, and gastropexy
• Urogenital surgery:
  • Urolithiasis (kidney, ureters, bladder, urethral stones), Ectopic ureters, Incontinence
• Head, Neck, and Airway Surgery:
  • Laryngeal paralysis, brachycephalic syndrome (soft palate trim, everted laryngeal saccules, stenotic nares), tracheal collapse
  • Salivary gland disease
  • Ear surgeries: Total ear canal ablation, bulla osteotomies, lateral ear canal resection, polyp removal
  • Thyroid and parathyroid gland diseases
• Plastic and reconstructive procedures:
  • wound management, burn treatment, skin grafting, and tumor removal
• Hernia Repair
• Emergency surgery and trauma
• Thoracic Surgery:
  • cancer (tumor/mass) treatment, infection, effusion treatments
  • Pericardial disease
  • Developmental abnormalities (PDA, persistent aortic arch)
  • Lung lobectomy and biopsy
• Amputations
• Anal Gland Surgery:
  • Anal gland tumor removal
  • Anal Sac removal
• Oncologic (Cancer) Surgery

Emergency Soft Tissue surgery is performed by experienced veterinarians at VES. Some very common procedures performed here include intestinal foreign body removal, splenectomy, Gastric Distention/Volvulus (also known as "bloat"), and ceasarean section. Our surgeons are available to help with more complicated cases on an emergency basis.

Orthopedic Surgery

Dogs and cats can be very "creative" in finding ways to injure themselves. Pets that suffer from fractures or tendon/ligament injures may require orthopedic surgery. VES/VSC has the equipment and expertise to repair a wide variety of skeletal injuries, including fractures of the feet, long bones of the limbs, pelvis, skull, jaw, and spine. Our goal is to restore comfortable weight-bearing on the injured limb as soon as possible.

VES/VSC has the equipment and expertise to repair a wide variety of musculoskeletal problems, including:

• Fracture Repair of limbs, pelvis, spine, skull, and jaw
  • plates/screws, pin/wires, external skeletal fixation systems are available
  • locking screw are used in certain cases
• Tendon and Ligament Injuries
• Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture
  • Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)
  • Lateral Fabellar / Extracapsular Suture
  • Tightrope
• Congenital Orthopedic Conditions:
  • Osteochondrosis - Osteochondritis (OCD)
  • Hip Dysplasia (TPO, DPO, FHO)
  • Elbow Dysplasia
  • Patella Luxation
  • Angular Limb and Growth Deformities
• Degenerative Joint Conditions/Limb Salvage
  • Arthrodesis

If your pet suffers from an accident or trauma resulting in any visible wound or bone fracture, you should take him to your veterinarian for examination immediately. VES is also open 24/7 for after-hours emergency evaluation. Even if your pet doesn't display any outward signs of physical harm, your doctor can help to determine whether internal injuries or other damage are present.

Orthopedic surgeries are rarely emergencies, and typically are done as soon as possible following an injury, but only if the patient's other injuries are not dangerous or life-threatening. In practice, this may mean that an injured limb must wait 2-3 days or more before surgical repair. This allows bruised lungs, internal bleeding, or other problems to resolve and decrease the risk of anesthesia. In these cases, an interim splint or padded bandage may be applied to provide comfort and control swelling.

Neurosurgery

Certain dogs, such as dachshunds, pugs, shih-tzus, and other toy breeds, may be at increased risk for spinal cord problems due to intervertebral disc disease. Symptoms of disc disease may include back pain, neck pain, wobbly or stumbling gait in the limbs, or even paralysis. Urgent evaluation is critical to preserving spinal cord function in these patients. VES is open 24/7 for emergency evaluation.

At VES/VSC we have the ability to perform myelography with high-quality, digital radiographs. This is a contrast dye study of the spinal canal which can pinpoint the location of a herniated disc and help plan an emergency surgery. Decompressive surgery of the spinal cord can be performed in the neck (ventral slot) or back (hemilaminectomy) and can restore the ability to walk and live pain-free for these patients. Because minutes count in spinal cord injury, neurosurgery is performed at VES at any hour of the day or night, as the case requires.

Our surgeons have specialized training to help with:

• Myelography
• Spinal surgery
  • ventral slot, laminectomy (hemi and dorsal)
  • stabilization techniques for vertebral instability and fractures

If you have any questions about orthopedic, neurologic, or soft-tissue surgery for dogs and cats, please feel free to speak with your veterinarian or contact us at the Veterinary Specialty Center.

Dana S. King Tobin P. Eshelman