Soft tissue surgery includes virtually all surgeries not associated with bone. Examples of soft tissue surgeries are listed below.
Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed at our clinic is the removal of masses or ‘lumps’ on animals. Most of these masses or ‘lumps’, once removed and tested, are benign (non-harmful); however, occasionally they are more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a ‘lump’ is necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous. Lacerations are also common in pets and suturing will reduce the chance of infection, improve healing time and reduce scarring.
Removal of foreign bodies from the gastrointestinal tract, uroliths from the urinary bladder, and porcupine quills from virtually every part of a dog’s body are also common procedures.
Ninety percent of these procedures require a general anesthetic. Every pet undergoing a general anesthetic is monitored for heart rate, level of oxygenation and blood pressure. For our middle- age to older patients and any procedure expected to last longer than 20 minutes, we strongly recommend to have them on intravenous fluids. These pets are fasted from the night before because of the general anesthetic, and some have reduced renal and cardiac function. The use of intravenous fluids supports these pets and promotes rapid recovery from anesthetic.
