Surgery

Whether it's a minor or major procedure, the entire staff at Park Pet Hospital understands your concerns about the safety of anesthesia and surgery, and make every effort to provide updates about your pet's progress.

All pets receive IV fluid and thermal support during their anesthesia and are monitored constantly by dedicated staff using modern electronic equipment. Attentive, gentle nursing care and appropriate pain management are constants for your pet.

While many pets go home the day of the procedure, visitation may be permitted for pets undergoing prolonged hospitalizations.

Soft Tissue Surgery

The procedures we perform include but are not limited to:

• Spays
• Castration
• Declawing
• Cancerous growth removal
• Gastrointestinal surgery
• Urinary and reproductive tract surgeries
• Splenectomy
• Ophthalmic surgeries.

Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedic surgery concentrates on procedures affecting your pet's bones and joints.

The procedures we perform include but are not limited to:

• Extracapsular suture stabilization for cranial cruciate ligament tears
• Hip and patellar surgeries
• Fracture repairs.

Electrocautery

Electrocautery is a surgical technique that utilizes a high frequency current aimed at a specific area of the body in order to remove unwanted tissue, seal off blood vessels, or to create a surgical incision. This technique is a useful alternative and more efficient and effective for certain surgical procedures. It is also used in ablation, or removal of warts and suspected skin cancers.

Specialized Procedures

The procedures we perform include but are not limited to:

Oncology Diagnosis and Treatment

The diagnosis of cancer is stressful for pet owners, but at the Park Pet Hospital we have had a great deal of experience dealing with a wide range of dog and cat cancers. While cancer was at one time considered non-treatable, advancements in oncology have made us realize that we can treat and effectively manage many types of cancers, often with survival times of months to years. Knowing how to diagnose, treat, and give an accurate prognosis for many of the commonly seen tumors in dogs and cats is fundamental for cancer care. Diagnosis is often based on obtaining samples for pathologic confirmation, and staging is recommended to evaluate the extent of the disease. Once the diagnosis is made, treatment options are discussed with the family, and decisions are made that respect each individual pet's needs and condition. Surgery and chemotherapy are options for some pets, othertimes palliative care to keep them comfortable is the choice that is made. Our philosophy at the Park Pet Hospital is to try to maintain their quality of life as best as we can for as long as we can. Surprisingly, most pets tolerate the recommended surgeries or chemotherapy better than expected, and pet owners feel good about our attempt to help them.

At Park Pet Hospital, we can perform chemotherapy for a variety of different types of cancer. We have used chemotherapy to treat dogs and cats with lymphoma, leukemia, mast cell tumors, multiple myeloma, hemangiosarcoma, transitional cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, mammary tumors, liver tumors and more. Individual response rates and outcomes will, of course, vary between pets but faced with other alternatives, chemotherapy can be gratifying.

If you suspect your pet has a cancerous problem, please schedule a consultation with one of our doctors. If we are unable to provide the appropriate cancer care we know who to refer you to for the best care possible. We promise to work through this difficult process together.

Anesthesia and Pain Management

Anesthesia protocol is decided on at the time of surgery based on individual patient needs. Ensuring the health and safety of your pet during surgery is of the utmost importance to us and requires an anesthetic and monitoring regimen that adheres to the highest principles and ideals of veterinary medicine. Your pet will receive intravenous fluids and thermal support, and a combination of injectable and inhalent anesthetics appropriate for the surgical procedure.

Prior to surgery, your pet will be examined and a pre-surgical blood screen performed if deemed necessary. The results of these tests and your pet's past anesthetic history, breed, preexisting conditions, and age are discussed to create an individualized anesthesia protocol for your pet. At the Park Pet Hospital, we have state-of-the-art modern anesthetic and cardiovascular monitoring equipment and the protocols used by our doctors are based upon updates presented at recent seminars and conventions.

While under anesthesia your pet will be cared for by a well-trained and experienced veterinary technician who will track blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature and carbon dioxide and oxygen levels. Electrocardiography is available for both pre-operative and intra-operative evaluation. Although resuscitation is rarely needed due to our careful anesthetic technique, it's comforting to know that all of our operating room personnel are trained in CPR.

The Park Pet Hospital is committed to providing appropriate pain management for all patients under our care. Our staff has underwent extra-training to help recognize signs of pain and they are empowered to advocate for additional medications for their patients if they see the need. Whether it's due to an injury or illness, or because of a surgery or procedure, a pain management protocol will be instituted that is proportionate to the pet's level of pain. This may involve injectable or oral medications, local anesthetic blocks, physical treatments such as cooling, warming and massage, and constant rate infusions or transdermal patches. Rest assured that we will do our best to limit the degree of pain and help them feel the best that they can.

Postoperative Care

When your pet is being discharged from the hospital, we will provide you with detailed information on how to properly care for your pet at home after surgery. Please follow all written and verbal instructions. Limit activity according to directions and prevent self-trauma to surgical sites utilizing bandaging, lick deterrents, and plastic neck cones (Elizabethian collars) if indicated. We are happy to answer any questions or concerns that may arise once you get your pet home. Don't hesitate to call if you're having difficulties!