MEDICAL SERVICES

The spay procedure surgically removes the uterus and ovaries of dogs and cats. As result, they will not go into heat and will be unable to become pregnant. This benefits the pets by eliminating the potential for uterine and ovarian diseases. Also, the chances of mammary cancer are significantly reduced in dogs that are spayed. Since they cannot become pregnant, pets who are spayed do not have the risks associated with pregnancy and delivery. And by eliminating the heat cycle, dog and cats will have less of a tendency to roam.

Neutering is a surgical procedure to remove the testicles. This eliminates their ability to impregnate a female, and thus helping reduce unwanted puppies and kittens. Neutered males avoid the risks of testicular cancer and have a reduced risk of prostate disease. Neutered males also will generally exhibit more favorable social behavior.

Because these are invasive surgical procedures performed on patients who are under general anesthesia, there is a level of unquantifiable risk to the patient. To minimize this risk, we take extra precautions to ensure our patients are of good health. Each patient gets a thorough physical examination and pre-anesthetic laboratory screening. This screening includes a complete blood count (CBC) to ensure patients are not anemic (a common condition in young animals), to ensure they have adequate platelets to stop bleeding, and to ensure they have no evidence of an underlying inflammatory process. A biochemistry panel (Chem6) helps determine if our patients are metabolically suitable for surgery as well as evaluating their kidney function and liver health. The kidneys and liver must function normally for our patients to properly recover from some of our anesthetic agents. A coagulation profile is also performed to ensure proper blood clotting function. Additionally, we do an electrocardiogram (ECG) to detect electrical abnormalities in the heart.

Our patients get an intravenous (IV) catheter to provide easy venous access for anesthesia induction, IV fluids for circulatory system support during anesthesia, and emergency drug administration should a complication arise. We induce and maintain anesthesia with modern agents. Our patients are monitored closely using a variety of monitoring equipment (e.g., pulse oxymetry, ECG, blood pressure). Our patients get preoperative and postoperative pain control medications as appropriate. The surgeries are performed in our modern surgery room. All of these steps help ensure you pet has a safe surgery with minimum risk and pain.