Surgery

We understand the anxiety many people have about anesthesia for their pets, whether it’s the risk of the unknown or negative experiences with unexpected complications in previous pets. For these reasons, we require pre-anesthesia blood work for all pets prior to surgical procedures to help minimize anesthetic risk, identify pre-existing conditions, and individually tailor medications and anesthesia to each pet.

Anesthesia is not without inherent risks, even with the healthiest of patients and we take each case very seriously. Your pet is constantly evaluated with ECG, SPO2 and blood pressure monitoring by staff throughout the procedure while staying safe and warm with the use of an IV fluid warmer and gentle heating pad.

We offer free pre-surgical consults for your pets to help tailor an estimate directly for your furry family member. If you have any questions or concerns about anesthesia or a surgical procedure for your pets, call us today at 405-513-5905. We’re here to help!

Spay & Neuter

Spays (ovariohysterectomy) and neuters (orchidectomy) are surgical removals of reproductive organs of pets. We offer both procedures here at Okoboji and can help you decide when the best age is to perform these procedures. This is a widely debated topic in all pet circles. There really aren’t any great, definitive studies at this point in time that can give us the best timings for spay or neuter, but we can help you make decisions based on lifestyle and particular circumstances.

In most situations, the earliest we spay or neuter is 6 months old. A spay involves the removal of both the uterus and ovaries of a female pet. Spaying before females before their first heat cycle has been classically shown to have high efficacy in decreasing mammary cancer, however, it does not completely eliminate the risk. One of the most significant benefits to spaying your pet other than preventing unexpected pregnancies and decreasing risks of reproductive system cancers is eliminating the risk of a serious, potentially deadly infection of the uterus called pyometra.

Pyometra is essentially a perfect storm of hormonal and anatomic abnormalities that occur in some intact female pets that does not allow uterine lining and fluid to be expelled from the body, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. This infection can be deadly and often, even with emergency surgical correction, can take a major toll on your pet.

Neutering involves the removal of both testicles of a male pet.

Timing of this surgery is much more variable based on the less invasive nature of this surgery in comparison to spays as well as reproductive cancer risks often are much less dependent on when a patient is neutered. The major benefits of younger pets being neutered include decreased testosterone-based unwanted behaviors (humping/mounting, possible aggression or marking behaviors, roaming), as well as decreased costs associated with surgery or healing.

Cryptorchidism, or undescended testicle(s), is a common, hereditary issue in male dogs (less so, but not unheard of in cats). Pets affected with this condition should have surgical correction to avoid high risk of the undescended testicle undergoing cancerous changes over time and to avoid passing this heritable trait on to male offspring.

Questions or concerns about spaying or neutering? Call to set up a free surgical consult for your furry family member at 405-513-5905!

Stenotic nares

Do you have a dog that sounds like they snore while awake? Bizarre snorting noises drive you nuts? Your dog could have stenotic nares – narrowed or tiny nostril openings. This is most common in brachycephalic (“squish-faced”) breeds of dog such as English or French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus, and Pugs.

In some patients, fixing this issue may be the only issue creating breathing difficulties, and this is where we can help! This surgical procedure is often performed by cutting a wedge out of the existing nostrils and surrounding cartilage to better open up the airways for passage of air. Fixing this simple problem can help decrease excessive respiratory noises, not to mention increase quality of life for many dogs!

In some circumstances, however, this can be one problem in a complex of other issues known as Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome. This syndrome often consists of stenotic nares, elongated soft palate, and everted laryngeal saccules (protrusion of tissue near the vocal folds). In the event that correcting stenotic nares does not solve the respiratory issues noted, we have many local boarded surgeons available for referral to correct this issue.

Does your pug need a nose job? Call us with questions or concerns about your dog’s breathing habits! 405-513-5905

Laceration Repair

Accidents happen and we’re here to help you. Lacerations and wounds from various issues are common with pets and can frequently need surgical correction to heal properly.

Lacerations can be from something simple like a scrape against a fence or even a fight with another animal, but it is always important to get these injuries evaluated as fast as you can. Wound management is nearly always easier the fresher an injury is, so call us straight away! We definitely understand the urge to wait and watch, however, hours can count when dealing with infection and injured tissues.

Does your pet have a scrape or a cut? Let us help! Don’t hesitate to call us at 405-513-5905!

Mass removals

Lumps and bumps on your pet? Let us take a look! From cysts to benign bumps, to cancerous masses, we can help you evaluate you and your pet’s needs.

Often, one of our first steps in evaluation is minimally invasive procedure called a fine needle aspirate (inserting a small needle into the mass and placing the gathered cells on a slide for microscopic evaluation). This procedure paired with examination can help us characterize most masses based on what cells are collected from the mass. Unfortunately, some masses don’t like to shed cells very well or may be too large or problematic for this particular diagnostic tool. In these cases, we recommend removal and evaluation by a histopathology (slices of the mass are microscopically evaluated by a pathologist) to diagnose, and/or stage the mass.

Some pet parents prefer to not evaluate a mass by FNA or histopathology, whether due to financial constraints or other reasons, and that is perfectly understandable. Declining evaluation of a mass does not mean we cannot proceed with removal; however, in some types of cancer, it can be difficult to predict reoccurrence, complications, or extent of disease without the help of these diagnostics.

Let us take a look at your pet’s lumps and bumps! Call us at 405-513-5905!