Surgery

Pre-Operative 

Your pet will need to be fasted before any surgery. Please do not feed your pet after 8:00pm the night before their procedure, you may offer water overnight but take it away a few hours before coming into the clinic. There are some fasting exceptions that are age/breed specific, if applicable to your pet instructions will be provided prior to admission.

If possible, please bathe your pet before their procedure. Ensure they are dry the morning of and haven’t been to the beach or swimming. We also ask if you could please take your pet out to give them a chance to go to the toilet prior to coming into hospital.  

Admission

When you book your pet’s surgery, your appointment will typically be scheduled between 8:00am and 9:00am for admission to the hospital. A vet or surgical nurse will go over the procedure with you and answer any questions you may have.

If not already done recently, we will offer a pre-anaesthetic blood test for your pet. This test checks kidney and liver function before administering any medications. While optional, it is highly recommended, particularly for pets with compromised health or those of advanced age. Normal results from this test can help us identify potential issues early if changes occur in the future.

Please provide us with the best contact number for the day of surgery, as we may need to reach you during the procedure if there are any changes to your pet's treatment plan.

A $500 deposit is required before admission for any procedures expected to cost over $1000. Please make this payment at reception before leaving your pet with us.

Discharge

The clinic will contact you once your pet has recovered from their procedure to arrange a discharge time. This will generally be between 3:00pm – 5:00pm, but may be later if required to see a specific vet. Occasionally we may be running behind due to emergency cases needing urgent care. The clinic will communicate with you if your pet’s procedure will be starting later than expected.

A vet or surgical nurse will discharge your pet and go through any specific post-operative care instructions and how to administer any required medications. We will also book an appointment for a post-operative check if necessary.

Post-Operative Care

Please monitor your pet closely after any procedures and call the clinic if you have any concerns. We provide two complimentary post-operative appointments if required, this includes suture removal or wound care.

At Westernport Vet Clinics, we believe in the benefits of desexing dogs, cats and rabbits if you don’t intend to breed with them.

Desexing is a day procedure where your pet will be admitted in the morning and after the surgery, your pet will typically go home later in the afternoon. The procedure includes pain relief during the surgery and for several days afterward. We also offer two complementary post-operative checks to ensure everything is healing well and to address any concerns. In most cases, dogs and cats recover quickly and are up and about the next day. However, we recommend restricting their activity during the recovery period to prevent swelling and ensure proper healing. Most of the time, we use intradermal sutures that don’t require removal, making recovery even easier for your pet. It is important your pet does not lick at the wound and we recommend an elizabethan collar is worn in the two week post-operative period.

The best time to desex your pet may vary depending on your pet’s breed, gender, and your specific circumstances. That’s why we will discuss this with you, providing personalised advice to ensure the procedure is done at the optimal time for your pet’s health and well-being. For female dogs, if desexing is recommended after they have had a season, the best time to spey them is typically four months after they start bleeding. This helps minimise the chance of unwanted pseudopregnancy (false pregnancy) developing.

In addition to dogs and cats, we also perform desexing procedures on rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets.

We’re here to guide you through the process and make sure your pet receives the best care possible, both before and after their surgery.

Dr Matthew Ray offers two orthopedic surgery options for cruciate ligament damage. The cruciate ligament is found in the stifle joint (knee joint on the back leg), and damage to this ligament is the most common cause of lameness in the back leg in dogs.  Surgery is usually the best option for stabilising the stifle joint after cruciate ligament damage. Often there is increased movement in the joint once the cruciate ligament is torn and this movement doesn’t get better with medical treatment in most cases. There are a number of options for surgery and often the best option for your dog depends on a lot of factors. We can help you decide on the best option for your pet, but as a guide these are the surgical options we can offer:

• TPLO Surgery – TPLO stands for Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy and is considered the gold standard for most cases with cruciate ligament rupture. It has been a procedure previously only available through specialist surgeons but is now also available at our clinic. It is a technique that involves cutting the tibia (the bone below the stifle joint) and rotating the bone to level the top of the tibia where it contacts the femur. This stops the tibia from pushing forward when the dog bears weight on the leg. This procedure has been studied extensively since it was introduced in the 1990’s and is still showing the best results over the long term. Once the bone has healed the fix is permanent and there is no reliance on the implants after this.  This is available at our Hastings clinic and the cost is dependant on the size of your dog.

• De-angelis Suture – This surgery involves using a single strand of nylon as the implant. The suture is passed around a bone on the outside of the femur (the fabella) and through a bone tunnel we make in the tibia. It is tensioned to a point which allows flexion and extension of the stifle joint, but prevents forward movement of the tibia with weight bearing. This is best used in light weight dogs but can be a very good option for these cases.

Both of these techniques require a 2–3 month rehabilitation period after surgery where the dog needs to be on a lead all the time. When not on a lead they should be confined to a small area where they can’t run or jump. This is challenging for some dogs and often requires a bit of thought about how best to manage this period of time before undertaking surgery.

At our Hastings and Somerville clinics, we prioritize the safety and well-being of your pet during procedures that require general anaesthesia or sedation. While any anaesthetic carries a small degree of risk, we take extensive measures to minimize that risk and ensure your pet receives the highest standard of care.

To ensure safety, we dedicate a fully trained nurse to monitor your pet throughout their anaesthetic, paying close attention to their vital signs. We use the safest anaesthetic agents available and employ the latest anaesthetic monitoring equipment, including pulse oximetry, blood pressure monitoring, ECG, capnography, oesophageal thermometer, and respiratory alerts. These advanced tools help us track your pet’s health in real-time, allowing us to respond promptly to any changes during the procedure. We also use a patient warmer to maintain your pet's body temperature, which is crucial for preventing complications during longer anaesthetics.

To ensure your pet’s comfort and reduce pain, we provide tailored pain relief appropriate for the procedure. This may include local anaesthetic blocks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), strong opioids, epidural anaesthesia, and pain relief patches to manage postoperative discomfort. Additionally, intravenous fluids are administered as needed throughout the procedure to support blood pressure and tissue perfusion, all at no extra cost.

For pets over 7 years of age, we strongly encourage pre-operative blood testing to ensure they are in optimal health prior to surgery. This testing is performed onsite for fast and accurate results, enabling us to make informed decisions about anaesthesia and proceed with confidence. Pre-anaesthetic blood testing helps establish your pet's normal health parameters, allowing us to detect any potential issues early if changes occur in the future.

Rest assured, your pet’s safety is our top priority, and we are committed to providing them with the best care possible during every step of their treatment.