Surgery
At Animal Health Care Center, our surgical experience ranges from routine spays and neuters to orthopedic procedures. Our more complicated surgeries include cruciate repairs, luxating patella repairs, fracture repairs, and exploratory surgeries. We work mainly with cats and dogs, but sometimes have a bunny to spay or neuter. Our surgical nurses are constantly monitoring your pets' vital signs and stay with your pet until it is fully awake. We have the newest monitoring equipment that monitors your pet's vital signs for oxygen levels, CO2 levels, heart rate, and blood pressure.
If your pet is scheduled for surgery, they should be fasted from midnight on the night before the procedure, but your pet may have water. We require our patients to be at the hospital between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. the day of the procedure. Give yourself approximately 20 minutes for a nurse to complete the check-in process. If you have someone else drop your pet off, make sure they are knowledgeable of your pet's history and have the authority to make choices regarding options available to you. We will also require a phone number(s) so that we will be able to reach you the day of the procedure should any emergencies arise or if we have questions. If we cannot reach you, we will make a decision based on the patient's best interest.
Laser Surgery
Animal Health Care Center is pleased to offer the most advanced veterinary surgical procedures, including laser surgery. Our doctors recommend using a laser for surgery whenever possible, as our laser offers numerous benefits over traditional scalpel surgery. The laser is generally less painful, as the heat from the laser seals nerve endings as it cuts. Less bleeding occurs when our capable doctors use a surgical laser. As the laser makes the incision, it also cauterizes blood vessels, resulting in less blood loss. The laser also makes infection after the surgery less likely, as the heat kills bacteria on contact. Finally, recovery time is generally much faster due to the reduced pain and bleeding associated with laser surgery.
Laser surgery can be used in many procedures including growth removal, spays and neuters, entropion surgery, soft palate resection, and stenotic nare resections. If your pet is facing a surgical procedure, ask one of our caring team members if laser surgery is appropriate for your furry family member.
Whether your pet is of the age to be spayed or neutered, or needs a different surgical procedure, our veterinarians and staff at Animal Health Care Center are here for pets and pet parents in Waynesboro, Staunton, and beyond.