Surgical Services

Orthopedic Surgery

Pets that suffer from bone fractures and other trauma may require orthopedic surgery. Just as human patients have specially trained surgeons to help repair and set broken bones, so do pets. In many cases our veterinarians are able to perform these surgeries without the help of a specialist. However, in extremely complicated or especially severe cases a board-certified veterinary surgeon will come to our hospital to perform these surgeries when needed.

Orthopedic surgery can be complex and can sometimes entail a significant amount of rehabilitation both in-hospital and at home. Our doctors are dedicated to working with you to help you choose the best option for your pet, and our staff is available whenever you need us to help with post-operative care, concerns or questions.

Common orthopedic problems that we handle include the following:

Knee Ligament Injuries:

The most common cause of rear-limb lameness in the dog is rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. This is the same “ACL” that many people injure in their own knees. At Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care we commonly perform two different kinds of surgical repairs for torn ACLs in dogs:

• Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)

By re-aligning the surfaces of the bones in the knee joint the forces between the bones can be altered such that the original ACL is no longer necessary. The TPLO surgery has proven to be the most effective procedure for returning a dog’s injured knee to full function.

• Extra-capsular Stabilization

• In small dogs, or any size breed where a TPLO is cost-prohibitive, another procedure called the Extra-capsular Stabilization (also called the Lateral Suture Technique) is used. In this procedure, several strands of heavyweight nylon are implanted in the knee to replace the torn ligament.
  
  

Hip Surgery (FHO)

An FHO surgical procedure is when the ball portion of the hip and the attachment portion of the femur is removed – essentially removing the hip joint.

Fracture Repairs

The most common causes of bone fractures in dogs and cats is being hit by a car, or jumping/falling from extreme heights. Any dog or cat who develops a sudden, severe limp should be examined and can be x-rayed.

Fractures in cats and dogs can range from simple hairline cracks to complex fractures where the bone is shattered into many pieces. As a result, repairing a broken bone can vary from simply splinting the bone to hold it in place, to more complicated procedures like pinning, wiring and using plates and rods to secure the bones together. Our doctors are experienced in performing many types of fracture repairs, and when needed, board-certified veterinary surgeons are called into our practice for to perform difficult procedures.

Soft Tissue Surgery

Soft tissue surgery involves surgery on parts of the body excluding the bones (orthopedic surgery). Common soft tissue surgeries include removing foreign objects causing intestinal obstructions, removal of diseased sections of the intestine, bladder surgery to remove stones or polyps, or surgery to remove masses from the liver, kidney or spleen.

We perform these types of surgeries every day and our doctors are highly skilled and trained to perform these and other types of soft-tissue surgeries including:

• Exploratory abdominal surgery

• Stomach and intestinal surgery to remove foreign objects or tumors

• Surgeries of the liver, kidneys, and spleen

• Removal of various tumors

• Removal of bladder stones

• Gastropexy Surgery (to treat or prevent Canine “Bloat”)

• Eye/Ear/Nose/Throat surgery

• Caesarian sections

• Spay and Neuter

• Laparoscopic Surgery (a minimally invasive alternative to open surgical procedures)

• Pain Management & Anesthesia

• Anesthesia

Pain Management & Anesthesia

Fortunately, anesthetics available for use in veterinary medicine today are very safe, and only the highest quality anesthetics available are used on patients at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care. In fact, we use the same anesthetic drugs in our pets that human anesthesiologists use on people.

Prior to any surgery or other procedure requiring anesthesia, all patients are given a thorough pre-anesthetic physical exam the day of anesthesia, and if required, receive on site pre-anesthetic blood tests.

During anesthesia several monitors are used to track our patients' vital signs, such as blood, oxygen, and carbon dioxide monitors, an EKG to monitor the electrical activity of the heart, and blood pressure monitors. Our patients are kept warm during anesthesia with warm-water heating pads under them and warm air blankets over them, which speeds up anesthetic recovery and helps keep our recovering patients comfortable.

After every surgical procedure, a recovery nurse is assigned to monitor your pet and assist them as they wake up from anesthesia. Our technicians will make sure that your pet feels comfortable, secure and safe as they transition through their recovery period.

Anesthesia and Your Pet
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Pain Management

Whether your pet has been injured, is recovering from surgery, or is in pain from other medical conditions or just “old age”, properly assuring their comfort while resolving their underlying problem is at the core of our mission. At Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care we pride ourselves on utilizing all the most recent information available on pain control to relieve your pet of pain to the greatest extent possible.

New pain management medications that work in the brain and spinal cord without causing drowsiness, as well as new anti-inflammatory medications, local anesthetic techniques, and even acupuncture, are all methods that we use individually as well as in combination to be sure your pet is as comfortable as possible.

For hospitalized pets, many medications can be added to their IV fluids to maintain a continual flow of pain medications. Even transdermal skin patches that slowly and continually release pain medication for 3 to 5 days are used, which allows many pets to recover at home without the need for IV pain medications in the hospital.