Pet Surgery

Our staff is highly skilled in performing veterinary surgeries and will make every effort to ensure that your pet receives the very best care. Our focus on patient safety, pain management, and employing the most current surgical practices is designed to exceed your expectations and put your concerns to rest. Our staff of compassionate, caring professionals will monitor your pet before, during, and after surgery and will take exceptional care to ensure a safe and complete recovery for your pet. We will also address any questions or concerns you may have about surgery, including concerns about anesthesia, pain management, or postoperative care.

When your pet is ready to go home, we will review your postoperative care and medication instructions. If any questions arise after your pet returns home or at any other time during the postoperative period, call us. We welcome your questions and will do all we can to help your pet recover fully. Help is only a phone call away.

Surgery can be a source of anxiety and stress for many pet owners. Maybe you worry about whether your pet will be well cared for, or perhaps you have concerns about adequate precautions and monitoring. Let us address your concerns. Whether your pet needs minor surgery or a complex procedure, call us. Let’s discuss how our surgical services can benefit your pet.

The comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment of veterinary dental is a same-day outpatient procedure. This means your pet with going home with you at the end of the day. Your pet does not need to spend the night!

Your pet will be given medication for calming and pain control. Your pet will always be kept as comfortable as possible! Your pet will be placed under general anesthesia with a protected airway. Once your pet is asleep, your veterinarian will perform a full oral health assessment. This includes probing each tooth in 3-5 places for vertical pocketing and horizontal furcation, assessing gingivitis, locating oral tumors, ulcerations, or foreign bodies (sticks, rope, fur). The teeth are cleaned meticulously with an ultrasonic scaler and hand curetting as needed then polished. Once the teeth are cleaned and checked by the doctor, the sanos gingival treatment is applied as the final step before waking up. You will be called to be let known your family member is awake and schedule a time to go home that evening.

Dental x-rays should be performed with every dental to detect dental disease that doesn’t meet the eye. There is often hidden disease below the gum line. Pathology below the gum line will be revealed through full mouth x-rays, which can only be performed under anesthesia.

If the dental disease is advanced, tooth extraction may be necessary. If this is the case, your veterinarian will use a local anesthetic in your pet’s mouth to ensure the best comfort possible. Our veterinarians are experienced in tooth extraction. Comfort and quick healing are a priority; your pet will receive in-hospital pain control and will go home with pain medication as well. Your veterinarian will guide you on the use of antibiotics in dentistry; with infection, it is imperative to have antibiotic treatment.

A veterinary dental prophylaxis is done not only to clean and evaluate your pet’s teeth but also to PREVENT oral and periodontal disease. All of our pets will need dental prophylaxis in their lifetime. If you have any questions, the staff at Highlands Veterinary Center would be more than happy to help.

We perform many types of soft tissue surgeries at our hospital. Soft tissue surgeries are those that are not associated with bone. These surgeries can provide many benefits to pets.

Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed on pets is the removal of masses or lumps. Once removed and tested, most of these masses are benign (non-harmful); however, they are occasionally more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a lump are necessary to improve your pet’s outcome if the mass is cancerous.