Surgery

Elective & Emergency Surgical Procedures

• Ovariohysterectomy
• Castration
• Declaw
• Lumpectomy (tumor, lump removal)
• Laparotomy (abdominal exploratory surgery)
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Oral Surgery

Information on Surgeries

Surgeries are performed by licensed veterinarians using sterile equipment. Our certified veterinary technicians closely monitor our patients while they are under anesthesia and during recovery.

Animals going under general anesthesia should be fasted over night. This means no food past midnight the night before their procedure, however they can free access to water.

Surgery check-ins are scheduled the morning of the procedure. Our doctors will examine the patient and make sure they are fit for their scheduled procedure.

Lab Work

Ovariohysterectomy and castration surgery patients are required to have a minor pre-anesthetic blood check. This blood check allows the Veterinarian to look for possible organ dysfunction, anemia and other issues that might affect the patient’s ability to handle anesthesia.

Lab work is required for adult patients prior to anesthesia; the full extent of lab work needed is determined at their physical exam prior to the procedure.

Pain Management

Pain management is provided to keep your pet as comfortable as possible. We use a preemptive multimodal approach including Constant Rate Infusion (pain medication added to IV fluids) local pain blocks, injectable and oral pain medications, and transdermal pain patches. It is well documented that animals heal faster when their comfort is maintained.

All procedures are assessed for the anticipated amount of pain. The pain medications administered are then tailored to the individual animal’s response. We routinely update our pain management protocols to take advantage of new advances used to maintain your pet’s comfort during painful conditions.

Isoflurane is our anesthetic of choice, due to its high level of safety when combined with oxygen and decreased recovery time. Our certified veterinary technicians monitor all anesthetized patients oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, temperature and anesthesia level throughout the procedure.

An IV catheter is placed and intravenous fluids are given to all general anesthesia patients. This helps maintain good blood pressure and also helps flush out the anesthetic after their procedure is over.

At the time of discharge, a technician will go over the appropriate after care instructions and answer any questions about the surgery.

Surgery for Pets in Saint Louis Park, MN

If you have more questions regarding pet surgery or would like to schedule a consultation to see if your pet needs surgery, please give us a call at 952-848-0913.