Surgery

At St Vincents Vets we pride ourselves in providing excellence in Anaesthesia and Surgery.  Whether it is a cat bite abscess or dog bite wound, a desexing surgery or a more complex soft tissue or orthopaedic procedure, we are well equipped to cater for your pets needs. 

Prior to your animal undergoing a surgical procedure, our Veterinarians will undertake a thorough physical examination to ensure that they are in a healthy condition to undergo surgery and anaesthesia.  Doing a clinical examination can only detect certain health conditions, and in many cases we will recommend pre-anaesthetic blood tests to ensure the internal organs are all functioning within normal parameters.  These tests are undertaken prior to your animal being given any drugs or anaesthetic agents, to ensure the safest outcome for your pet.

Our Veterinarians will tailor their choice of sedative and anaesthetic drugs according to your individual pets needs.  This includes consideration of your pet’s age and physical health, as well as the particular surgical procedure that they are having.  Elderly or compromised animals may require lower doses of drugs, and some procedures are more painful than others – we take numerous factors into account when deciding on the best option for your pet.  We aim to provide a safe anaesthetic and a smooth, pain free recovery.

When your animal is having surgery it will be continually monitored by a trained veterinary nurse, to ensure its vital signs are stable and make adjustments to the anaesthesia as required.  We have a range of anaesthetic monitoring equipment, including pulse oximetry, blood pressure monitoring, and a Doppler to evaluate the pulse rate.

Our surgical equipment is of a high standard, with all instrumentation being sterilized in an autoclave, and all materials being handled in an aseptic manner.  As in human hospitals, our patients are surgically prepped and draped for surgery, and our veterinarians wear gowns and gloves to operate in a purpose-built surgery room. 

If your pet requires a more complicated surgical procedure, we can arrange a referral for your pet to go to a specialist clinic, or alternatively we have visiting specialist surgeons that regularly come to our clinic to perform these procedures.