Surgery

Surgery can provide many benefits for pets, from pain relief and diagnosis of internal conditions to preventative wellness. If you’re concerned about the prospect of your pet receiving surgical treatment, rest assured that you will find the highest standards of surgical skill and care here at Countryside Animal Medical Center. Our veterinarians and skilled staff can ensure that your pet has the most positive surgical experience possible, from pre-operative evaluations and anesthesia administration to post-operative care and home treatment advice.

• Why Surgery?

The need for surgery may arise to address any number of issues, concerns or conditions in pets. Some of the more common types of surgery performed at our pet hospital include:

• Dental surgery – A broken or hopelessly diseased tooth may need to be extracted. We can also remove oral tumors if necessary. Our surgical equipment includes an Ellman Radiosurgery Unit that produces excellent results on conditions of the gingiva (gums) and oral tumor removal.
• Emergency surgery – Open wounds and lacerations, gastric torsion or bloat (a digestive crisis), dystocia (difficult labor), and gastrointestinal or urinary blockage are a few examples of urgent conditions that can be successfully treated with surgery.
• Exploratory surgery – Surgery can also be used to establish or confirm a diagnosis. We may decide to perform exploratory surgery to identify or confirm a tumor, organ problem, or other difficult to diagnose condition.
• Spay and neuter surgery – Spay/neuter surgery is a type of preventative surgery. These procedures to remove the male or female sex organs reduce pet overpopulation and reduce or eliminate the risk of certain reproductive cancers and diseases such as pyometra (a serious uterine infection in females) and prostate disease in males. Spaying or neutering may also reduce the incidence of aggressive behavior problems in your pet.
• Orthopedic surgery – Orthopedic surgery includes procedures on bones and joints. Some examples of orthopedic procedures include fracture repairs, patellar (kneecap) luxation, and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture (ACL) repairs. Orthopedic surgery usually requires specialized instrumentation not necessary for general surgery. We have a wide variety of such equipment available in order to perform orthopedic procedures efficiently and successfully. Dr. Harlin has a special interest in Orthopedic Surgery and regularly attends continuing education seminars on this topic in order to stay current and advance his knowledge of the subject.