SURGICAL SERVICES
The experienced staff at Northside Vet Care understand that the decision to allow your beloved companion to undergo surgery is never an easy one. We strive to ensure your pet’s procedure is as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
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Perhaps the most important pre-surgical step is to discuss why we believe a particular procedure is necessary and what it entails. Our veterinarians and nurses will provide you with information on proper postoperative care and answer any questions you may have so that you feel comfortable that you are making the right choice for your pet.
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We regularly perform many types of surgeries, including but not limited to:
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Eye surgery (e.g. Cherry eye, eyelid lid surgery)
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Bladder surgery (e.g.Bladder stone removal)
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Tumour removal (e.g. Mast cell removal)
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Gastrointestinal surgery (e.g. Foreign body removal from intestines)
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Wound reconstructions (e.g After dog/cat fights)
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Dental treatments (e.g. Tooth extractions, height reductions)
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Orthopaedics (e.g. Cruciate and patella surgery)
Pre-Anaesthetic Blood Testing
Due to our strong commitment to providing the best medicine that we can for your pet, we strongly believe that regular blood testing is important in helping your pet to achieve a long and happy life. Testing your pet's blood prior to anaesthesic helps us check that they don't have any underlying conditions which would make the surgery unsafe.
We offer a range of blood tests, the Veterinarian will choose the most accurate blood screening to suit your pet. These tests can give us detailed information about any underlying disease processes that may be present but not obvious. We are predominately looking at kidney and liver function as these are the two main organs that process the anaesthetic drugs. Any hidden problems can therefore be detected before surgery.
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Anaesthesia
Ensuring the health and safety of your pet requires an anaesthetic and monitoring regime that adheres to the highest principles and ideals of veterinary medicine. At Northside Vet Care, your pet has access to state-of-the-art anaesthetic administration and monitoring equipment.
Prior to surgery, your pet is examined by a veterinarian and a pre-surgical blood screen can be performed. The results of these tests and your pet’s past anaesthetic history, breed, pre-existing conditions, and age are used to create an individualised anaesthesia protocol for your pet.
While under anaesthesia your pet is cared for by one of our qualified and experienced veterinary nurses using our monitoring system, which tracks blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature and oxygen level.
Pain Management
We all know that pain has to be controlled, but pain also has many other detrimental effects on your pet’s body. Pain slows healing, decreases activity, and causes behavioural changes (such as aggression, anxiety, and depression). It also interferes with the bond between you and your pet.
For acute and chronic conditions, we have access to the latest in forms of pain relief, including NSAIDS (non-steroidal medications), oral and injectable opioid analgesics, and pain relieving patches for the complete comfort of your pet.
Fluid Therapy
Choosing additional fluid therapy for your pet can be an important part of their pre-surgery and recovery time. Fluid therapy is vital for ensuring your pet's blood pressure is kept at a suitable level during and after the procedure- this means blood supply isn't drawn away from vital organs like the brain! After fasting for a procedure, our pets can be dehydrated post-operatively so the additional fluids help is restoring their hydration levels. It also helps your pet flush out the anaesthetic drugs from their system quicker, meaning they go home brighter and happier.
Fear not though, if you do not choose the additional fluids, your pet is placed on surgical fluids for the duration of the procedure only.