Veterinary Surgery

The Surgery Process

We understand that bringing your pet in for surgery can be frightening. We want to reassure you, however, that we will only recommend surgery if it is in your four-legged companion's best interest.

We will ensure that you understand fully why we are recommending surgery and that you feel comfortable proceeding.

If your pet requires advanced care, our veterinarians will refer you to a veterinarian in the Poway area and will work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your pet receives the best care possible.

Surgical Procedures

Best Friends Veterinary Hospital's team performs elective and non-elective surgeries on pets to treat diseases, conditions, and prevent illness.

Elective and non-elective surgeries are routinely performed by our Poway veterinarians:

• Soft Tissue Surgery

  For pets suffering from ear, nose, and throat disorders, we offer soft tissue surgical procedures.

  These procedures are also available for hepatic, urogenital, oncological, cardiothoracic, gastrointestinal, and skin disorders.

• Spaying & Neutering

  When we spay or neuter a cat or dog, we are surgically sterilizing them to prevent disease and extend their life.

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• Ocular

  Your pet may require ocular surgery if they are experiencing pain, redness, or other symptoms in or around their eyes.

  Eyelid tumor removal, cataract surgery, ectropion surgery, entropion surgery, orbital exenteration, and cherry eye surgery are all common ocular procedures for cats and dogs.

  If your cat or dog requires surgery performed by a veterinary surgical specialist, our veterinarians will refer you to a pet surgeon in the Poway area and will work closely with your animal surgeon to ensure your pet receives the best care possible.

• Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA)

  This knee surgery involves surgically separating the front part of the tibia from the rest of the bone, then adding a spacer between the two sections to move the front section up and forward. This helps the knee to prevent much of the tibia thrust movement from occurring.

  A bone plate will be attached to hold the front section of the tibia in its correct position until the bone has had sufficient time to heal. Dogs with a steep tibial plateau (angle of the top section of the tibia) are usually excellent candidates for TTA surgery.

• Foreign Body

  Sometimes, foreign objects are ingested or can get stuck inside a cat's or dog's body.

  Whether your pet ate something they should not have or was injured in an accident, we can perform foreign body surgery to remove it.

  In some instances, pet surgery requires specialized skills or equipment. If this is the case with your animal, your veterinarian will refer you to a cat or dog surgeon in the Poway area who will work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your dog or cat receives the best care possible.

• Wounds

  When living tissue is cut, broken, burned, torn, or otherwise damaged, wounds result.

  These wounds must be cleaned, disinfected, and treated appropriately as soon as possible by a qualified veterinarian.

• Orthopedic

  Orthopedic surgery for cats and dogs consists of surgical procedures that address the joints, skeletal system, and their associated soft tissues, including muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.

• Dental Surgery

  Our veterinarians provide dental surgeries for dogs and cats. These surgeries can range from tooth extractions to gum disease treatment and jaw fracture repairs.

Surgical protocols at our clinic include:

Pre-surgical assessments. We will confirm the procedure's specifics, conduct a physical examination of the patient, and ensure that blood tests have been completed and reviewed by the veterinarian to ascertain whether your pet is at risk of anesthesia-related complications.

Dedicated surgical suites.  In our dedicated surgical suite, we perform surgeries. This is a room that is maintained completely sterile to avoid infection and cross-contamination.

Surgical attire. Our staff always wears disposable caps and masks while in the surgical suite. Additionally, those performing the procedure will wear sterile gowns and single-use gloves.

Sterile packs and equipment. Prior to each surgery, we sterilize, clean, and wrap our surgical instruments and equipment.