Services

Pet Surgery

We are proud to provide Cochrane and the surrounding communities with state-of-the-art veterinary surgical procedures. We believe in utilizing the highest level of medical technology, and our surgeons are experienced and highly trained. We also realize that it can be stressful to have your pet undergo surgery. We want to assure you that your pet is in good hands and we will be with you every step of the way.

Appointment
Arrowhead Veterinary Centre - pet services
At Arrowhead Veterinary Centre, we offer many surgical services, from routine electives to more advanced surgical procedures. We implement the most current methods and technologies to ensure that your pet’s surgery is as safe and comfortable as possible.
The most common surgical procedures performed at our hospital are spays and neuters. This is often the first experience our patients and clients have with anesthetic and hospitalization. Be assured that we are here to help with any questions or concerns you have, both before and after your pet’s procedure.
Our veterinarians also perform surgery to remove lumps/masses, bladder stones, and gastrointestinal foreign bodies as well as manage wounds and injuries. For more specialized surgical procedures, we have access to a community of specialists we refer to when needed to ensure that your pet receives the best possible care.
Many owners find the idea of their pet going under anesthetic to be scary and stressful. Be assured that we pride ourselves on maintaining a very high standard of care for your pet in the clinic. A registered veterinary technician monitors your pet continuously during their anesthesia and alerts your veterinarian to any changes. During your pet’s anesthetic, we continuously monitor their vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation so that we know immediately if there are any changes.
We provide support not only on the day of surgery but are also there for you and your pet during their recovery. Our medical team is always happy to answer questions and address any concerns you have. We can assist with rehabilitation, adjust or add pain medication if your pet is uncomfortable and guide you through their healing process.
What happens at my pet’s pre-surgical consultation before their spay/neuter?

The first step in preparing for your pet’s surgery is their pre-surgical consultation. This appointment is generally 1-2 weeks before their surgery. At this appointment, your veterinarian will perform a full physical exam as well as discuss your pet’s surgery, the estimate of costs, and answer any questions you have.

At the pre-surgical consultation, your veterinarian will check your pet’s teeth to make sure that there are no concerns with their bite and that all of their baby teeth have fallen out. If there are baby teeth still in place, particularly if the adult teeth are erupting, the baby teeth will likely need to be extracted at the time of surgery. Your veterinarian will also check for signs that your pet is in heat (for females) or ensure that both testicles are descended (for males).

We highly recommend a blood panel be done before your pet’s surgery. This bloodwork is typically done at the pre-surgical consultation. It will ensure that your pet has good liver and kidney function, an adequate level of red blood cells and platelets, as well as screen for any other underlying problems. This helps us to tailor your pet’s anesthetic to their specific needs and makes sure that their surgery is as safe as possible. The blood panel also provides a useful baseline to refer back to in the future.

At the time of spay/neuter, it is a good idea to have a tattoo and/or microchip done. These forms of identification ensure that your pet will trace back to you in case they ever become lost. Your veterinarian will also discuss how to prepare for your pet’s surgery. We typically recommend feeding your pet a “bedtime snack” late on the night before surgery or a very small meal at approximately 4:00 am the morning of surgery. They must be fasted for at least 6 hours before surgery. Water should be removed when you get up the morning of surgery.
The pre-surgical consultation is an important step to make sure that your pet’s surgery is as safe and stress-free as possible.

What happens at my dog’s neuter?

A neuter (castration) is a surgery to remove both of the testicles. There are a number of reasons to have your dog neutered:

  • To limit pet overpopulation
  • To reduce inappropriate behaviors such as roaming, marking inside your home, and fighting with other male dogs
  • To prevent health problems such as testicular cancer

The timing of your dog’s neuter is something you should discuss with one of our veterinarians or medical staff. There are a variety of factors they will consider in their recommendation to you, such as your dog’s breed, projected adult size, and lifestyle.

On the day of your dog’s neuter, he will come to the clinic first thing in the morning. Our staff will set up a time with you to admit your dog to the hospital and go over his intake form. They will inquire if there have been any changes to his health and ensure we have a contact number where you can be reached for the day. During his neuter, your dog will be under a general anesthetic. Similar to human surgery, he has monitors on him at all times during his anesthesia to measure his heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, etc. He also has intravenous fluids during and after his procedure to ensure that he maintains good hydration and blood pressure. His groin will be fully shaved, and surrounding long fur may be shortened. He will have an incision in front of his scrotum, and both testicles will be removed through this one incision. The sutures are internal and will not need to be removed.

Your dog will be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon on the day of his surgery. One of our technical staff will go through his discharge notes and medications with you in detail. He will have several days of pain medication to give at home and possibly sedatives as well. Your dog must be strictly rested for 2 weeks after his surgery. Excessive movement can put a strain on his stitches and can lead to an incisional infection, bleeding, or dehiscence (breakdown), which can be very serious. If you are having difficulty keeping your dog quiet, please contact the clinic. After 2 weeks of exercise restriction, your dog can gradually return to normal activity. Your dog must not be allowed to lick, chew or scratch his stitches. You will be provided with an e-collar and possibly a shirt to prevent this behavior.

At Arrowhead Veterinary Centre, we know that it can be stressful when your pet has surgery. We assure you that our highly trained staff will take excellent care of your dog and that every measure will be taken to ensure that he is safe and comfortable. If you have any further questions about your dog’s neuter, please contact the clinic at 403-932-2370.

What happens at my cat’s neuter?

A neuter (castration) is a surgery to remove both of the testicles. There are a number of reasons to have your cat neutered:

  • To limit pet overpopulation
  • To reduce inappropriate behaviors such as urine spraying, roaming, and fighting with other male cats
  • To prevent health problems such as testicular cancer
  • We recommend having your cat neutered at 6 months of age.

On the day of your cat’s neuter, he will come to the clinic first thing in the morning. Our staff will set up a time with you to admit him to the hospital and go over his surgical consent form. They will inquire if there have been any changes to his health and ensure we have a contact number where you can be reached for the day.

During his neuter, he will be under a general anesthetic. Similar to human surgery, he has monitors on him at all times during his anesthesia to measure his heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, etc. The area around his testicles will be shaved, and long fur in the area may be shortened. He receives fluids under his skin (“subcutaneous fluids”) after his procedure to maintain good hydration and blood pressure. He will have two small incisions overtop of the scrotum, and both testicles will be removed through this incision. There are no stitches in his incision.

Your cat will be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon on the day of his surgery. One of our technical staff will go through his discharge notes and medications with you in detail. He will have several days of pain medication at home. Your cat must be strictly rested for 10 days after his surgery. Excessive movement can put strain on his incision and can lead to an incisional infection and/or bleeding. If you are having difficulty keeping your cat quiet, please contact the clinic. After 10 days of exercise restriction, your cat can gradually return to normal activity. Your cat must not be allowed to lick or chew his incision. You will be provided with an e-collar to prevent this behavior.

At Arrowhead Veterinary Centre, we know that it can be stressful when your pet has surgery. We assure you that our highly trained staff will take excellent care of your cat and that every measure will be taken to ensure that he is safe and comfortable. If you have any further questions about your cat’s neuter, please contact the clinic at 403-932-2370.

What happens at my dog’s spay?

A “spay” is a reproductive tract surgery that can be done in one of two procedures. An ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is a surgery to remove both the uterus and the ovaries. A similar surgery is an ovariectomy (OVE), where only the ovaries are removed. Your veterinary surgeon will decide which procedure is best for your dog.

There are a number of reasons to have your dog spayed:

  • To limit pet overpopulation
  • To prevent heat cycles that involve 2-3 weeks of vaginal bleeding, behavior changes, and hormone-related conflicts with other dogs
  • To prevent health problems, including dramatically reducing your dog’s risk of mammary cancer (which is fatal in 50% of cases) as well as life-threatening uterine infections.

The timing of your dog’s spay is something you should discuss with one of our veterinarians or medical staff. There are a variety of factors they will consider in their recommendations to you, such as your dog’s breed, her projected adult size, and lifestyle.

On the day of your dog’s spay, she will come to the clinic first thing in the morning. Our staff will set up a time with you to admit her to the hospital and go over her surgical consent. They will inquire if there have been any changes to her health and ensure we have a contact number where you can be reached for the day.

During her spay, your dog will be under a general anesthetic. Similar to human surgery, she has monitors on her at all times during her anesthesia to measure her heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, etc. She also has intravenous fluids during and after her procedure to ensure that she maintains good hydration and blood pressure. Her abdomen will be fully shaved, and surrounding long fur may be shortened. She will have an incision on her abdomen that may have external sutures (that have to be removed in 14 days) or internal sutures that will absorb on their own.

Your dog will be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon on the day of her surgery. One of our technical staff will go through her discharge instructions and medications with you in detail. She will have several days of pain medication to give at home and possibly sedatives as well. Your dog must be strictly rested for 2 weeks after her surgery. Excessive movement can put a strain on her stitches and can lead to an incisional infection, bleeding, or dehiscence (breakdown), which can be very serious. If you are having difficulty keeping your dog quiet, please contact the clinic. After 2 weeks of exercise restriction, your dog can gradually return to normal activity. Your dog must not be allowed to lick, chew or scratch at her stitches. You will be provided with an e-collar and possibly a medical shirt to prevent this behavior.

At Arrowhead Veterinary Centre, we know that it can be stressful when your pet has surgery. We assure you that our highly trained staff will take excellent care of your dog and that every measure will be taken to ensure that she is safe and comfortable. If you have any further questions about your dog’s spay, please contact the clinic at 403-932-2370.

What happens at my cat’s spay?

A “spay” is a reproductive tract surgery that can be done in one of two procedures. An ovariohysterectomy (OHE) is a surgery to remove both the uterus and the ovaries. A similar surgery is an ovariectomy (OVE), where only the ovaries are removed. Your veterinary surgeon will decide which procedure is best for your cat.
There are a number of reasons to have your cat spayed:

  • To limit pet overpopulation
  • To prevent heat cycles that involve erratic behavior changes, yowling and crying
  • To prevent health problems including dramatically reducing your cat’s risk of mammary cancer (which is fatal in 90% of cases) as well as life-threatening uterine infections

We recommend having your cat spayed at 6 months of age.

On the day of your cat’s spay, she will come to the clinic first thing in the morning. Our staff will set up a time with you to admit her to the hospital and go over her surgical consent form. They will inquire if there have been any changes to her health and ensure that we have a contact number where you can be reached for the day.

During her spay, she will be under a general anesthetic. Similar to human surgery, she has monitors on her at all times during her anesthesia to measure her heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, etc. She also has intravenous fluids during and after her procedure to ensure that she maintains good hydration and blood pressure. Her abdomen will be fully shaved, and surrounding long fur may be shortened. She will have an incision on her abdomen with internal sutures that will absorb on their own and do not require removal.

Your cat will be discharged from the hospital in the afternoon on the day of her surgery. One of our technical staff will go through her discharge notes and medications with you in detail. She will have several days of pain medications to give at home and possibly sedatives as well. Your cat must be strictly rested for 2 weeks after her surgery. Excessive movement can put a strain on her stitches and can lead to an incisional infection, bleeding, or dehiscence (breakdown), which can be very serious. If you are having difficulty keeping your cat quiet, please contact the clinic. After 2 weeks of exercise restriction, your cat can gradually return to normal activity. Your cat must not be allowed to lick, chew or scratch at her stitches. You will be provided with an e-collar and possibly a shirt to prevent this behavior.

At Arrowhead Veterinary Centre, we know that it can be stressful when your pet has surgery. We assure you that our highly trained staff will take excellent care of your cat and that every measure will be taken to ensure that she is safe and comfortable. If you have any further questions about your cat’s spay, please contact the clinic at 403-932-2370.

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