Surgery
Laser Surgery
Laser surgery minimizes bleeding, reduces pain and swelling and promotes more rapid healing. Swengel Animal Hospital is one of the very few hospitals in the city that have this capability. Laser surgery allows us to do complex surgeries that otherwise might have to be referred to specialists.
Soft tissue surgery—Our doctors perform most surgical procedures, from spays and neuters to complicated abdominal and thoracic procedures. We take pride in our equipment and our modern patient monitoring systems.
Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger your pet's health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, we also recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet's health but also allow us to create an anesthetic protocol tailored specifically for your pet.
Pain management is a part of our pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. All surgical patients including those undergoing routine procedures receive pain control medications.
Dental Care—For information about your pet's dental care, as well as before and after photos of a dental cleaning, click here.
Spay/neuter procedures—For information about spay/neuter procedures and how they will affect your pet, click here.
Referrals—Though our veterinarians are capable of performing most surgeries, we will occasionally refer complex surgeries to specialists. Most orthopedic surgery cases are referred to specialists. Many ophthalmology surgery cases and neurology cases that require specialized diagnostics also are referred to specialists. We do not hesitate to refer when these sort of cases arise.
Cancer treatment—Successful cancer treatment relies on early detection. Regular veterinary check-ups are the key to spotting cancer early. Treatment is based on the type of cancer and its location. Surgical removal is recommend, if possible, though chemotherapy and a variety of medications can also be used to treat the cancer. Dogs and cats tend to tolerate chemotherapy better than humans and do not often develop the same side effects. Please consult our veterinarians if you have any questions about cancer treatments.
