Posts in Category: The Surgical Suite

Dogs and humans share many of the same body parts, and the knee is no exception. Because canines are quadrupeds, though, their knee (or more properly, stifle) tends to experience a few more issues.

Luxating patella in dogs is a more common issue affecting the knee that our veterinarians at Animal Medical Hospital & 24 Hour Urgent Care diagnose regularly. Learn what it is, when to worry, and what you can do. 

You may have plans to keep your cat inside for their whole life, but cats can have other plans. It may seem unnecessary to spay or neuter indoor cats, considering that they may be at lower risk of having kittens, which is the whole point of the surgery anyway, right? Your team at Animal Medical Hospital & 24 Hour Urgent Care is here to help show how spay and neuter can protect against so much more! 

Preparing your pet for surgery is an undertaking all on its own, but it pales in comparison to post-operative care. Recovering from surgery can be incredibly difficult for both pets and their people, but it doesn’t have to be! WIth medical boarding options at Animal Medical Hospital & 24 Hour Urgent Care, pets receive all the time and attention they need to bounce back. Plus, with a dedicated staff, you can rest assured that if any problems arise, we will tend to them quickly. 

Most pets will need at least one surgery during their lifetime, and their full recovery depends in large part upon the care they receive once they leave the operating table. Depending on their age, overall condition, and the type of surgery performed, there will be specific requirements for at-home and follow-up care.

At Animal Medical Hospital & 24 Hour Urgent Care, we do our part to make sure your pet receives the best care possible and that you have everything you need to support your pet during their recovery. How you care for your pet after surgery plays an enormous role in how quickly they bounce back after any procedure, big or small.  

For some people expiration dates are a hard and fast rule. Gallon of milk that expired yesterday? Not worth it. For others, though, dates on food and other items are viewed as merely a suggestion. That yogurt in the back of the fridge probably has at least a week or two past the stamped date, right?

When it comes to veterinary drug expiration dates, it is not so safe to gamble. Animal Medical Hospital wants you to know why the dates on your pet’s medications matter.

Dates Matter

The American Veterinary Medical Association mandates that veterinary drug expiration dates be provided on all dispensed medications when appropriate. All drugs originating from our pharmacy will have one displayed on the label. Continue…

Neutering is a sterile surgical procedure that involves removing both testicles from a male pet. Spaying refers to the operation where the ovaries and uterine horns are surgically removed from a female pet. It is recommended to spay and neuter your pets between 5 and 8 months of age, before they reach sexual maturity. This is for both medical and behavioral reasons. The only reason not to spay or neuter is if you are going to breed or show your pet.

For male pets, there are several medical reasons for neutering. The first is to eliminate the risk for testicular cancer, which is the 2nd most common cancer in unneutered male dogs. If the testicles are removed, they can’t get cancer there. Neutering reduces the risk for prostate cancer and prostatitis, and reduces the risks of diseases associated with hormones such as testosterone. As for behavior- there will be a decrease in the need for roaming as your dog will not have the urge to reproduce, as well as decreased aggression. It also decreases the urge to “mark” their territory, so inappropriate urination is less likely to be an issue.

There are medical and behavioral advantages to spaying your female pets as well. Medical reasons include the eliminating the possibility of false pregnancy, uterine infections known as pyometras, decreasing the risk of breast cancer and eliminating the chances of uterine and ovarian cancer. As with males, behavioral benefits include reduced aggression and other undesirable behaviors such as inappropriate elimination.

There are serious medical complications and behavioral issues that can arise from not spaying and neutering your pets, as outlined above. In addition to these, you will be preventing the risk of unplanned pregnancies. If you take away the urge to reproduce, they will be much more suitable as pets because they will no longer have to answer the “call of the wild.”

So your puppy or kitten is getting older…what is next in providing the best care for them? When your pet is about 5-6 months old, we recommend having them spayed or neutered. This is an important decision for pet owners. There are several reasons for this recommendation:

Good for Your Pet

• Spaying and neutering helps pets live longer, healthier lives.
• It can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
• For your female pet, spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
• Neutering your male pet eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.

Good for You

• Makes pets better, more affectionate companions.
• Spaying your pet eliminates her heat cycle.
• Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.
• Can make pets less likely to bite.
• Neutering makes pets less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.

Good for the Community

• Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals.
• Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals.
• Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
• Some stray animals also scare away or kill birds and wildlife. 

This is the first in a series of videos we’ll be creating and posting to the Animal Medical Hospital YouTube channel.
Let us know what you think!