At Blair Street Veterinary Hospital, we are able to perform most surgeries on your animal. These range from the routine desexing of both sexes and all species large and small, to much more complicated surgeries such as broken bones and eye surgery and everything else in between. We refer to specialists in Perth when we have to but this is very rare. We keep up with the latest techniques but try to avoid the latest fads, a task that can be difficult!
At Blair Street Vets we pride ourselves on doing as much surgery “in house” as possible and so save you the expense and hassle of unnecessary referrals.
As an integral part of surgery, we maintain the highest standards in anaesthesia. According to the latest research, the biggest danger in anaesthetics is not using the “wrong” drugs, but using drugs and drug combinations with which the anaesthetist is not totally familiar and experienced. We do thousands of operations each year and are very familiar with how each drug we use works, what the potential side-effects and interactions are, and which drugs can be used to address complications. As such, we are confident of our anaesthetic regime and this means we can concentrate on the surgery we are doing.
There are some things you should know when you bring your animal in for surgery. The first is that they need to be fasted on the morning of their surgery (except for small rodents, rabbits and birds). This is standard procedure in case your animal vomits. However, it is also important that your dog has the chance to go to the toilet on the morning of their surgery so please take them for a walk or allow them time to let them use their bowels and bladder!! This will make our nurses very happy!
Many people ask about Elizabethan collars for their animals. Unlike other clinics, we very seldom use them. Owners hate them and animals hate them even more! When we operate, we make sure tissues are handled delicately to minimise damage and we use dissolving sutures which we hide under the skin so your animal has nothing to grab their attention when they lick. Of all the operations we do each year, only a handful need to go home with a collar.
Pain relief is very important for your animal and all animals receiving surgery will have pain relief included as a normal part of their surgery. If we feel more is required, you will be sent home with more to use as part of their post-op medication package but this will be different for each animal and each operation. Most animals will be up and running round again after their surgery with the minimum of fuss.