A veterinary orthopedic surgeon operates in our own surgical suite. Your pet has the procedure at a hospital it knows, is looked after by our own team, and in most cases goes home the same day.
For dogs and cats. This is a partial list; if your vet has named something that isn’t here, ask. Total hip replacement is not done here, and if that’s what your pet needs we’ll tell you where to go.
The most common orthopedic problem in dogs, often described as a torn knee or torn ACL. A TPLO changes the angle of the top of the shin bone so the joint no longer depends on the ligament; a lateral suture stabilizes the joint from the outside. The surgeon decides which suits your dog after reviewing the x-rays.
A kneecap that slips out of its groove, in one knee or both. Where the groove is too shallow, it is deepened as part of the repair.
For a painful hip that can’t be repaired, the head of the femur is removed and the joint rebuilds itself in soft tissue.
Broken legs, plated or pinned; jaw fractures; pelvic injuries, including the separation that often follows a road accident.
Removing the fragments that cause it and, where the bone shape is the problem, a corrective procedure on the ulna.
Joint injections for the hip; limb and single-toe amputation; removal of plates, pins or screws that are causing a problem.
Patients treated at our hospitals. Identifying details removed.
Most people reach us having been told their pet needs surgery, with no x-rays yet. So the first step is usually imaging, on our own digital x-ray equipment. The orthopedic surgeon reviews the films, and we come back to you with a written estimate and a surgery date. If your own vet already has x-rays, we can work from those.
The surgeon brings their own instruments and assisting staff and operates in our surgical suite. Our team looks after your pet before and after. Questions about the surgery itself are answered by the orthopedic surgeon, usually through one of our own doctors, who knows your pet’s history.
Because there is no single number. A TPLO that takes forty-five minutes and one that takes ninety are different operations to run, and what a fracture needs isn’t fully known until it’s imaged. You receive a written, itemized estimate for all proposed diagnostics and treatment before any work begins, and nothing is scheduled until you’ve said yes.
We don’t provide overnight care. Most pets go home the same day with written aftercare instructions, and afterward you call us, seven days a week. If overnight monitoring is needed, we say so and refer you to a 24-hour hospital.
Surgery is scheduled around the surgeon’s availability, and dates fill. The sooner we have records and imaging, the sooner we can give you a date. No referral is needed.
Many of our clients find that financing part or all of the procedure through Cherry works best for them. According to Cherry, the application takes under 35 seconds from start to finish, and “Cherry performs a soft credit check which does not affect your credit score.”
We also accept CareCredit and Scratch Pay, and cash, cards and checks at the counter.
Most dogs put weight on the leg within a few days and are back to normal activity in a few months. In between, activity is restricted: leash walks only at first, no stairs and no jumping, then a gradual return. The restriction protects the repair while the bone heals.
Often, eventually. Whatever predisposed the first knee usually applies to the second. Both knees can be repaired, and we’ll tell you if we think the second one is coming.
Yes, for a TPLO and most fracture repairs. If hardware causes a problem later, removing it is a smaller procedure than placing it.
Usually yes, and weight is part of the conversation because it changes the surgery and the recovery. If there’s time before surgery, losing some weight is one of the few things you can do yourself that helps.
Tell us what your veterinarian has told you and who has any x-rays. We’ll get back to you with the next step.
