Surgeries
With over 20 years’ experience, our veterinarians perform thousands of surgeries every year. Whether your pet has broken a bone, eaten something that doesn’t agree or been involved in an accident, bring your pet to the caring team at South Eastern Animal Hospital.
All patients receive pain relief and antibiotics (nsaids and opiates). Pre-anaesthetic blood testing is also performed where recommended and agreed to by clients to check the pets underlying medical health prior to surgery. IV (intravenous) or SC (subcutaneous) fluids are provided, as recommended, for most surgeries to support cardiac (heart) and renal (kidney) function during procedures.
Induction of anaesthesia is performed in pocket pets and cats and some small dogs using Isoflurane in Oxygen by mask – this provides rapid induction and allows the pet to be breathing 100% oxygen from the start of the induction process. Use of this technique prevents apnoea episodes (where a pet stops breathing) during induction, and makes the procedure much safer, particularly in our older cats and pocket pets. Anaesthesia is maintained using Isoflurane in Oxygen – this is the same anaesthetic regime in human hospitals.
Patients are placed on heating pads during procedures and are recovered on heating pads after the procedure/anaesthesia is finished, prior to being placed back into their cage once they have recovered.
Gastrointestinal Obstructions
What is a gastrointestinal obstruction?
This is a complete or partial obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere from the oesophagus to the large bowel. Most commonly, they are seen in the small intestinal area as this is the narrowest area of the gastrointestinal tract. These obstructions are usually ingested foreign objects, in both younger and older dogs, but can also be cancers in older dogs. The most common age we see these problems is one to three years old.
Diagnosis methods
Proving there is an obstruction is sometimes quite simple, as the foreign object may show up readily on x-rays – for example, bones or rocks or metallic objects. Other objects such as seeds, pieces of toys, rubber, etc. are much more difficult to see on plain x-rays. Contrast such as barium is often used to improve pictures of the inside of the body produced by x-rays and help prove there is actually an obstruction.
Treatment options
Surgery is almost always the only option in solving obstructions. Surgery normally involves an incision into the stomach or small intestines, removal of the foreign material, then closure of the surgery site. Where the foreign material has been present for a while and severe bowel trauma/bowel death has occurred, then sometimes a section of the bowel needs to be removed and the remaining healthy areas re-joined. Where this occurs, a slightly longer stay in hospital after surgery is required.
Recovery and aftercare
Usually your pet will return home one to three days after surgery and will start on a liquid diet, such as chicken broth, for 24 hours, then progress to carbohydrates such as pasta or spaghetti the following day. Increasing amounts of their normal diet will be added over the following one to two days. Hi-risk toys will also have to be removed from the dog’s environment.
Bladder Stone Removal
What are bladder stones?
Bladder stones (or bladder calculi) are formations of minerals in the bladder. They can appear as multiple small stones or as a large stone, and can start out small and over time grow in number and size. Symptoms include frequent urination, straining, blood in the urine, accidents around the home and licking around the area due to pain and discomfort.
Causes of bladder stones
By far the most common cause of bladder stones is diets containing excess salt, with these minerals forming crystals within the urine which continue to grow. Occasionally they are secondary to genetic issues where particular enzymes are missing such as in Dalmatians.
Diagnoses methods
Bladder stones are most commonly diagnosed by x-rays. Crystals can sometimes be detected in urine samples. Careful palpation of the abdomen, during consultation, can often reveal stones in the bladder as well.
Treatment options
Surgery is the quickest way of solving the clinical signs. An incision is made in the ventral abdomen, the bladder exposed, incised, and the stones removed. The bladder is then closed followed by the abdomen. The procedure is often quite quick, taking no longer than 30 minutes in most cases. Occasionally stones can be dissolved by special diets over a period of many weeks, as an alternative to surgery.
Recovery and aftercare
When treated at SEAH, pets usually only have to spend a single night in hospital before being discharged back into their owner’s care. They go home on pain relief and antibiotic tablets. The most common change post-surgery, is changing their diet to one of a number of prescription or premium foods to prevent the problem from recurring.
