Becker Animal Hospital touts a variety of Emergency Surgical Services that are available 24/7 as well as non-emergency elective procedures including routine spay and neuters, soft-tissue surgeries and orthopedic surgeries. Occasionally we refer our patients to specialists (board certified veterinary surgeons) to perform complex operations. To prepare your pet for its procedure, we ask that you please withhold food from your pet up to twelve hours beforehand. You may still give your pet water during this time. Following the surgery, your pet may stay at our clinic for a period of two days and two nights for no additional charge. Dogs will receive a bath and flea dip at no extra cost following a procedure.

Soft Tissue Surgery

Soft tissue is that surgery which involves the skin, muscle and organs of the body.  Common examples of this would be wounds from trauma, any type of tumor or cancer surgery, of which the more common types are mass cell tumors of the skin and tumors of the spleen. These are usually but not always found in older pets.  Other surgeries would include intestinal foreign bodies and the spay and neuter surgeries to prevent unwanted puppies and kittens. 

• Wounds – We repair all types of wounds on dogs and cats. Wounds in dogs typically occur from a dog fight or from a trauma like being hit from a car. Wounds in cats can occur from infections from a cat fight or large open wounds can result if the kitty is grabbed by a dog. A latex drain is sometime necessary to allow fluid and infection to drain from the wound or the wound can be sutured directly. Some wounds even require opening the abdomen or the chest to repair internal damage. All wound can be evaluated and we will advise you of the best way to proceed. 
   
• Intestinal Foreign Bodies  and Intestinal Blockage – Dogs and cats can both swallow foreign objects. We have seen dogs swallow rubber balls, carpet fibers, bath towels, corn cobs and even wine corks. All of these objects required surgery to remove. Kitties can swallow linear foreign bodies which usually means that they swallow string or thread or anything long and skinny. The intestines will bunch around this object and actually cut through the intestine resulting in a massive infection of the abdomen. Surgical intervention is necessary to remove the object and repair the intestine. 
   
• Infected Uterus – Female dogs that are not spayed still have their uterus and their uterus can become infected and filled with pus as they get older. What happens is that a cyst will typically develop on the ovary and an incorrect amount of hormone is produced which results in the uterus being susceptible to infection and it fills up with pus like a water balloon. This condition is life threatening and the infected uterus must be removed very carefully for the pet to recover. 

Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedic surgery refers to surgeries involving the musclo-skeletal system and bones. These can be broken bones from trauma, torn ligaments of the knee, structural deformities that pets are born with like kneecap repair and even surgical repair of the hips for dogs that have arthritis. 

Long Bone Fractures

Leg fractures are the most common orthopedic problem presented at our clinic and usually result from a mishap with an automobile. They can be treated in a variety of ways depending on the location and type of fracture.

•  A cast can be applied to the leg to treat certain fractures; however, many fractures will require surgical intervention.
• “Pinning” is a surgical technique whereby a long stainless steal rod is inserted into the middle of the bone. The rod traverses the fractured area.
• “Plating” is a surgical technique whereby a flat stainless steal ‘plate’ is attached to the bone using screws on either side of the fracture.
• “External fixation” is a technique used to stabilize fractures with a series of pins on the outside of the leg that pass through the skin and into the bone on either side of the fracture.

The method of repair will depend on the location and type of fracture present. We hope you do not have to use our orthopedic services for this purpose. In the unfortunate event that you do, you can be assured that we are able to proceed with a treatment that will enhance your pet’s healing time and reduce the long term potential problems associated with a fracture or other orthopedic surgery.