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Safe, Advanced Surgical Care for Pets
Whether your pet needs a routine dental cleaning, spay or neuter procedure, or an emergency surgery, our team at TotalBond Veterinary Hospital at Davidson is highly-trained to perform the safest surgical procedures using cutting-edge equipment and medical advances that will cut down on surgery time and minimize tissue damage.
Spay/Neuter Procedure
Sterilization surgeries remove certain reproductive organs of your cat or dog and are done under general anesthesia.
Ovariohysterectomy” or “spay” removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus of female cats and dogs. Spayed pets no longer have heat cycles or breeding instinct-related behavior, and are unable to reproduce. Early spaying can help protect pets from some very serious health problems such as mammary gland cancers and uterine infections.
“Orchiectomy” or “neuter” removes the testes of male cats and dogs. Neutered pets are unable to reproduce and have fewer or no breeding instinct-related behaviors. Neutering your pet can decrease the chances of him developing an enlarged prostate and testicular cancer.
Sterilization surgery absolutely has no effect on who your pet is as an individual. Neither does it affect any previous ability or trait, except to reproduce.
Millions of dogs and cats, including puppies and kittens, are humanely euthanized every year in this country, simply because they exist and are without a home. By spaying and neutering your furry friend, you will help to not add more lives to this tragic statistic.
General & Advanced Surgery
Before Surgery
We will schedule a visit with you before the surgical procedure to discuss the nature of the surgery, potential options, cost, and answer any questions that you may have. As an owner, it’s important to stay informed and up to date with your pet’s health status, which is why we are here for anything you may need. Be sure to come prepared with any concerns or questions. We will perform pre-surgery testing such as blood work at this time and provide you with medications to give the morning of your pet's surgery.
During Surgery
The morning of surgery we will perform a heart rhythm test to make sure your pet is safe for anesthesia. During the procedure, one of our trained technicians will be closely monitoring your pet’s vitals to ensure that the procedure is running smoothly. This staff member will actively ensure that your pet will experience minimal discomfort after the surgery and can discuss recovery methods with you.
After Surgery
Directly after the surgery we continue to monitor your pet’s vitals until we feel they are safe to be picked up and taken home. Once home, it is important to follow the necessary recovery protocol. The process of recovery and healing is equally important to the physical surgery itself. We will discuss the necessary recovery protocols with you before the surgery, and will check in after the surgery as well.
Soft Tissue Surgery – is any form of surgery that does not work on bones or joints. This includes cardiothoracic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urogenital procedures.
Orthopedic Surgery – includes several different types of bone, joint, and ligament surgeries for pets. Whenever a dog or cat has a broken bone or trauma that is not soft tissue related, it is usually treated with Orthopedic Surgery.
Please note that we will typically recommend referral to a specialist for orthopedic surgery.
Surgical Oncology
Surgical oncology focuses on localized cancer removal. A successful oncology surgery can provide patients with less pain and an improved quality of life. A surgery may incorporate other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, radiation, or other interventional modalities.
Our peer, Dr. Epstein and Dr. Toner at TotalBond Veterinary Hospital at Forestbrook, is experienced in the treatment of many common types of cancer including lymphoma, mast cell tumor, and osteosarcoma.
Mass Removal
A mass removal is a soft tissue surgery where the surgeon will excise an entire mass plus some of its surrounding tissue to help ensure all affected areas are removed. Masses are generally sent out for biopsy to determine if they are benign or cancerous.
Gastrointestinal Procedures
Gastrointestinal procedures include foreign body surgery and gastrointestinal biopsies.
Splenectomy Surgery
Splenectomies may be either partial or entire. For emergencies, a full open abdominal surgery may be performed to quickly stop the hemorrhaging from the spleen. Splenectomies are recommended for splenic trauma, torsion, cancer, as well as benign masses.
Laproscopic surgery can be preferable in certain situations – we can refer to our sister hospital in Lake Wylie for this service.
Foreign Body Removal
Serious problems can result when a pet ingests inappropriate or non-food items. The urgency varies with how long the foreign object has been present, where it is lodged, the degree of obstruction, and the material of the object.
When pets ingest something that will not pass through their gastrointestinal tract safely, or if doing so will cause damage, such as perforation and spillage of the intestinal contents into the abdomen, immediate intervention is required.
Foreign bodies located in the stomach might be removed with the use of an endoscope. Items lodged in the esophagus near the base of the heart or diaphragm might require cardiac surgery.
Gastropexy Surgery
Gastropexy surgery is performed to prevent gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), also known as torsion or bloat. GDV is a life-threatening condition where gasses and air are trapped in a stomach that has twisted or flipped within the body. It cuts circulation to the spleen and stomach, causing the pet to go into shock. If not treated with extreme urgency, GDV is highly fatal.
A preventative gastropexy attaches the stomach to the abdominal wall, preventing it from twisting when it is inevitably filled with gas and air. At Mooresville, we perform this using an open surgical technique; however, this can also be performed laparoscopically. We can refer to our sister hospital in Lake Wylie for this service.
We recommend this procedure for at-risk breeds, including Great Danes, Weimaraners, Saint Bernards, golden retrievers, and other large breed dogs.
