Hickory Veterinary Hospital adheres to the highest level of care standards for all surgical procedures. Our highly skilled doctors and technicians place the utmost emphasis on pain management to ensure your pet is safe and comfortable throughout the anesthesia, surgical and recovery treatment process.
Our hospital has a state-of-the art surgical suite where our veterinarians perform most common procedures, including:
- Abdominal Surgeries
- Spay/Neuter
- Bladder Stone Removal
- Declawing
- Ear Hematoma Repairs
- Excisional Biopsies
- Foreign Body Removal
- GDV (Gastric Dilation-Volvulus or “Bloat”)
- Laceration and Wound Repair
- Mass Removal/ Tumor Removal
- Minor Eye Defect Corrections
- Orthopedic Services
- Soft Tissue Surgery
- Spays and Neuters
- Splenectomy
- Stenotic Nares
- Umbilical Hernia Repair
After performing a complete examination and reviewing your pet’s medical state, we will discuss treatment options that may include surgery and put together a plan that suits the needs of both you and your pet.
Anesthesia
If surgery is prescribed for your pet, our veterinarians tailor the anesthesia to fit the needs of each patient. All surgical patients have an IV catheter in place and receive intravenous fluids throughout the procedure and during the postoperative period, which helps maintain normal blood pressure and keep your pet well hydrated. An IV catheter also allows us to administer emergency medications quickly if needed.
Using advanced technology, your pet’s vital signs are monitored by our well-trained veterinary technicians, who will remain with your pet through recovery.
Pre-surgical blood work is recommended for all pets receiving general anesthesia. This provides us with a vital check on the health of a patient and determines whether they are an appropriate candidate for anesthesia and surgery. Testing allows us to diagnose and treat previously undetected medical problems and can assist us in determining the appropriate anesthetic.
Surgical Pain Management
We use advanced pain management techniques in conjunction with anesthesia to make sure your pet is as comfortable as possible during the procedure and after they are discharged. Pain management is tailored to each pet’s needs and can include:
- Multiple injectable pain medications during surgery
- Post-operative oral pain medication for at-home use
- Anesthetic blocks/nerve blocks
- Constant-rate IV infusions of pain medication
Spay and Neuter
Spaying or neutering your pet can give them a longer, healthier life, minimizes behavior problems and helps control the population of unwanted pets. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, nearly 12,500 puppies are born in the United States each hour.
In addition to controlling the pet population, spaying female pets eliminates messy heat cycles and prevents diseases such as pyometra (infection in the uterus) and mammary cancer. In males, neutering can help eliminate spraying, wandering and other undesirable behaviors as well as prevent diseases in your pet such as prostate disease and testicular cancer. Research has also shown that pets that have been spayed live longer than pets that have not been spayed.
Have questions about surgery or want to schedule your pet for a surgical consultation? Call us at (410) 838-7797 ext. 2.