Our hospital offers many General Surgery Services through our VCA Hanson location. Our veterinarians are available on Fridays to perform these procedures, but any of the veterinarians at VCA Hanson are willing to service you and your pet if a Friday is inconvenient for your schedule. Some minor procedures (such as abscess repair or laceration repair) may be able to be performed at the VCA Whitman location, and a doctor can inform you as to the best recommendations for your pet's care.
General surgery includes a variety of common and elective procedures performed under general anesthesia. Some examples of common surgeries include:
There are many other soft tissue procedures performed, and your veterinarian will discuss what your pet requires.
VCA Hanson offers Laser Surgery Services as an option for many soft-tissue surgeries. Laser surgery is surgery performed using a laser instead of a scalpel to cut tissue. The energy contained in the laser beam vaporizes the water found in body tissues, allowing a precise "cut" that seals blood vessels and nerve endings, resulting in less bleeding and pain. Additional benefits of laser surgery are reduced swelling at the surgery site, reduced risk of infection, and a quicker recovery. A surgical laser has many applications in veterinary medicine, including feline declaws, mass removals, dental procedures, and upper airway surgery (such as stenotic nares) in brachycephalic breeds such as the Bulldog and Pug. Please ask our staff veterinarians if laser surgery is right for your pet.
Pain management medications are standard with all of our soft tissue surgery procedures to insure your pet's comfort and speedy recovery.
As these procedures usually require general anesthesia, lab work is routinely performed prior to any procedure involving anesthesia. This allows for personalized selection of medications, which allow for the safest anesthetic event for your pet. The term anesthesia indicates the use of medication to block sensation, typically resulting in unconsciousness. Anesthesia is induced using a variety of medications, which your veterinarian can describe in detail at your pet's next visit. While a patient is under general anesthesia, he or she will be monitored in much the same way as a human undergoing anesthesia would be. This monitoring includes listening to your pet's heart and lungs, visually assessing your pet's reflexes, and using equipment to monitor your pet's blood pressure, level of blood oxygen, temperature, and heart rate. Trained technicians act alongside veterinarians to ensure that your pet's procedure goes smoothly.
Orthopedic surgery and other advanced surgical procedures are commonly referred to a specialist, such as Dr. Davis or Dr. Diamond at VCA South Shore (in Weymouth), or to Dr. Patterson at VCA Roberts (in Hanover). Please ask our staff if you have questions about our General Surgery Services.