Pet surgery

Being told your pet needs surgery is unsettling even when the procedure itself is routine. Most of that comes down to not knowing the shape of the day: what happens before the anesthetic, who is watching your pet while they are out of your sight, and what state they will be in when you collect them.

Whether it is a spay you have been meaning to book or a mass someone has just told you needs to come off, the first step is the same: a consult, where you get a specific answer about what the procedure involves for your pet rather than a general reassurance, and a written estimate before anything is scheduled.

The procedures performed here

Two are established, and both hospitals already describe them.

Spay and neuter. Removing the reproductive organs lowers the risk of certain cancers and tumours and removes some unwanted behaviours. It is the most common surgery performed here. Timing matters more than most owners expect, and the right age is not the same for every dog. TKwhat is this practice's actual spay and neuter age recommendation, and does it differ by breed or size?

Mass removal. A lump or growth found under the skin comes off and goes for biopsy, so what you get back is a diagnosis rather than an opinion about whether it is something to worry about. Two lumps can look and feel identical from the outside and mean entirely different things, which is why the biopsy is part of the procedure rather than an optional extra.

Nothing else is listed on this page yet, deliberately. TKMichael — which of these does the practice perform in-house, and which are referred out? Soft-tissue procedures such as foreign body (GI obstruction) surgery, bladder stone removal and wound repair; dental extractions beyond those handled during a routine dental; orthopedic procedures. If orthopedic or advanced soft-tissue cases go to a specialist, this page should say so plainly and name the referral relationship if there is one. That reads as trustworthy rather than as a gap, and it is far better than silence that lets an owner assume a capability which is not there.

Before, during and after

Before. TKconfirm the pre-surgical bloodwork policy — required for every patient, age-dependent, or something else. It needs to be stated as this practice's policy, not as assumed standard practice.

During. TKconfirm who monitors vitals throughout the procedure, and on what equipment. Pulse oximetry, ECG, blood pressure and capnography are common, but each has to be confirmed rather than assumed.

After. Most pets go home the same day after a routine procedure, with written aftercare instructions and a recheck if one is needed. TKconfirm same-day discharge is the norm, and describe the post-op pain protocol and the usual recheck schedule.

Fear Free on the day of surgery

Surgery day is stressful in ways that have nothing to do with the operation: the car ride, an unfamiliar building, being handed to someone who is not you, and — for a pet who has had a bad time before — simply walking back through the door.

Fear Free handling deals with the parts of that day anyone can actually control. The pre-surgical IV catheter goes in slowly and calmly rather than through a struggle. Recovery happens somewhere quiet, so your pet wakes away from the noise of a busy treatment area. TKis pre-visit anti-anxiety medication ever prescribed for surgical patients with known anxiety, or with a car or carrier aversion?

Pain control belongs in the same paragraph rather than a separate one. An animal in pain is an animal in a heightened stress state, so post-op pain management is part of Fear Free practice and not a consideration alongside it.

Who performs surgery

Who operates on your pet, and what training they hold beyond a veterinary degree, is worth knowing before you agree to a procedure. Dr. Michael Berman was the first Fear Free Certified veterinarian in Arizona, certified in 2016. Dr. Katie Kitchen is Fear Free Certified as well.

Dr. McBroom is Fear Free Certified and Avian Fear Free Certified.

TKconfirm which Grayhawk doctors perform surgery on dogs and cats, and separately, who performs surgery on exotic patients. Exotic-species surgery uses entirely different anesthesia protocols and should be attributed by name — most likely Dr. McBroom, given her exotic-medicine focus, but confirm rather than assume.

What surgery costs

Cost depends on the procedure, on your pet’s size and age, and on whether anything beyond the base procedure comes up: longer anesthesia time, additional bloodwork, a complication. TKMichael — should a spay and neuter price range by weight publish on /pricing/? It is one of the three categories the IA specifically recommends, it answers the most commonly documented reason owners decline recommended care, and no local competitor currently publishes one.

Until a range is published, the answer is a plain one. You get a written estimate at the consult, before anything is scheduled.