VetSurg

Santa’s helpers were hard at work today.

Can you believe how cute this kid is? Aspen had perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery to address recurrent urethral obstruction. He kindly paid us a visit today for a recheck examination and to have his sutures removed. We gladly report that he is doing (P)awesome! All decked out in his festive bow, we stood no chance against this guy’s adorability.

Over the holiday weekend we were able to step back and properly acknowledge how grateful we are to be able to help so many beautiful, deserving animals. We recognize what a privilege it is to be in the position to serve our community in this way. Thank you for trusting and supporting us, we love what we do. And with that - here's a few of the many pups we've cared for over the past few months.

Our surgeons and anesthesia technicians joined Dr Bob Sikes and his team from Animal Surgical Group in Arroyo Grande to listen and learn Regional Anesthesia and nerve blocks from anesthesiologist Dr. Fernando Garcia with imaging provided by Sonosite ultrasound. Excellent course, great information and we look forward to providing even better care with these techniques.... No pain, lots of gain! Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make this happen.

Before and after being called a GOOD BOY! Brady is too handsome to keep these photos to ourselves. We look forward to helping this sweetie feel better soon!

VetSurg re-commenced our in-person participation in surgical education at the VA3~Education Foundation Snr Surgical Residents joint surgery course last weekend... fun was had, safety protocols were followed and our Arthrex Vet Systems hosts were gracious, kind & generous. Thank you all who attended and made the course a success!

This week our new surgical assistants, Damian & Nick both made a big transition... Nick into First Assistant & Damian into Second Assistant... we welcome them both to ‘The Table’ & thank them for their hard work & dedication (and Robert & Anna for getting them there). Well done lads, you both look good in blue! igh

Can you believe these incr(edible) thank-you cookies we received from one of our pet parents?! Tourra is a 5-month-old female doberman pinscher who presented to VetSurg with a left supraglenoid tuberosity fracture. Dr. Courtney Campbell and the VetSurg team worked collaboratively to get this pup all fixed up! ______________________________________________________... Here are some details about the surgery and recovery plan that you may find interesting After identifying the fracture through arthroscopic visualization and exploration, a muscle splitting technique through the supraspinatus muscle was used. The fracture was manipulated and reduced, and Dr. Campbell then placed two 2.0 Steinman pins across the fracture site in retrograde fashion (directed backwards). Post-operative radiographs showed satisfactory alignment. A modified Cheli approach was used to surgically approach the left shoulder. Want to know more? Follow this URL to see a video explanation by our very own Dr. Ian G. Holsworth: https://www.arthrexvetsystems.com//modified-cheli-shoulder Simplified: Dr. Campbell used an arthroscopic camera to get a clear view of the fracture and surrounding structures. He then accessed the fracture by going through one of the shoulder muscles and positioned the bones back into the appropriate place. This position was maintained using two fixation pins (can be seen in after x-ray). We took an x-ray directly after surgery to make sure the alignment was appropriate it was! ______________________________________________________ Tourra’s Recovery Plan: 1.) Stage 1: Crate/pen confinement and significant activity restriction for 3-5 weeks. Use Velpeau sling throughout recovery. 2.) Recheck in 10-14 days for suture removal. 3.) Stage 2: Recheck at 3 weeks post-op with radiographs. 4.) Stage 3: Begin gradual increase in activity at 4-8 weeks, pending progress. ______________________________________________________ A very special thank-you to the pet parents of Tourra for this beautiful gift!

This week’s lesson is on diagnosis of canine cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)pathology [aka. anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in humans]. Thank you for the continued excellence in veterinary surgical informatics Dr Farrell!

Our office ‘staff’ are apparently exhausted ... Labor Day weekend can’t come soon enough for Stewart & Reyne.

An excellent resource for client’s surgical information & education. VetLessons.com Built & supplied by Dr Michael Farrell, excellent surgeon, educator & friend of VetSurg!

We know that many of our clients worry about their pets when dropping them off at the office for surgery, consultations, outpatient procedures, or rechecks, but hopefully these pictures show that the vast majority of our patients do perfectly fine! We do our best to create and maintain a comfortable environment with beds, blankets, pets, and anything else they may need.

Happy Friday to all of our patients and pet parents! We love sharing all aspects of our daily life at VetSurg, but we want to know what type of content do YOU want to see from us? Educational/informational? Cute faces? Our surgical process and outpatient procedures? A combination of these? Let us know!

No way we’d step in the ring with this boxer, he’s too cute!

Tongue out Tuesday!

Just some cute faces to help you through those Monday blues... We’re starting the week strong here at VetSurg to help our community’s sweethearts. We do everything we can to maintain the highest level of care, encourage positive surgical outcomes, and provide relief to your furry family members.

Here at VetSurg, we believe that hugs and cuddles are essential to our patients’ recoveries... or maybe they’re just so cute that we can’t help ourselves...

Our sweet patient Gracie is feeling and breathing much better after her surgery performed by Dr. Holsworth at Horizon Veterinary Specialists a couple weeks ago. She had a tracheostomy which involves a surgically created hole (stoma) in the trachea (windpipe) that provides an alternate airway for breathing. We are so happy to hear that her health is improving and grateful to have been able to help her!