Palm Desert Pet Surgery for Elective, Diagnostic and Emergency Situations

Surgery for your dog or cat may initially sound like a scary prospect to pet owners. The team at our Palm Desert veterinary hospital are here to help both pets and their owners get through smoothly. Our veterinarians in Palm Desert serve the needs of pets in Rancho Mirage, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio and Indian Wells, with the state-of-the-art veterinary equipment, knowledge and experience to perform a wide range of canine and feline surgeries with the precision and expertise the procedures require and the compassion the patient deserves.

Advanced Veterinary Surgical Suite and Experienced Vet Clinic Team Ensures Top Care for Canines and Felines

Dogs and cats can require surgery for routine matters, such as spaying or neutering, elective surgery to remove a mass or improve an existing condition, diagnostic surgery to identify and perhaps correct a problem, orthopedic procedures in case of injury or congenital condition, or surgery in the case of emergency, such as Caesarian section or gastric torsion. Our Palm Desert animal hospital covers them all.

The idea of surgery is enough to concern any pet owner.  Fortunately, with modern anesthesia techniques and careful monitoring, the risk is very minimal.  It has been recently estimated that fewer than ½ of 1% of pets undergoing anesthesia have significant complications, and our team strives to keep that number even lower.  The most common causes of problems under anesthesia are: decreased oxygen to the brain, resulting from either poor ventilation (breathing) or low blood pressure, and low body temperature.  At Country Club Animal Clinic, we take extra care to ensure a positive outcome for our surgery patients, both dogs and cats.  Our animal hospital uses gentle, multi-modal sedation and the safest available anesthesia agents for optimum control and comfort. We routinely take on high-risk or older patients with excellent outcomes.

Upon arrival for a scheduled procedure, your pet will be given a sedative carefully selected based on age, breed, and health condition.  This helps to relax the animal, alleviate anxiety, and stabilize blood pressure.  It’s also the only part of the whole process the pet is actually aware of, or remembers later.  While sedated, an intravenous catheter is placed and “maintenance” fluids initiated.   Anesthesia is induced via the intravenous catheter, then an endotracheal (ie “breathing” tube) is immediately placed.  This gives us complete control over the airway to ensure the pet gets plenty of oxygen.  It also helps deliver the “gas” that will help us keep your pet safely anesthetized, yet allow for safe, rapid recovery once the procedure is over.

At this point, one of our multi-parameter monitors is connected to the pet.  Throughout the procedure, an assistant will monitor heart rate and EKG, breathing, blood pressure and temperature.  Depending on the procedure, the pet may be placed on our heated operating table.  Alternatively, if applicable, we wrap the patient in insulated blankets and connect a Bair Hugger™ warm air blower, which surrounds the pet in a cloud of warm air.  The line delivering intravenous fluids is also directed through a warming channel, so it reaches your pet at body temperature.

Once the operation or dental procedure is completed, the gas anesthesia is turned off and pure oxygen continues to flow through the endotracheal tube until the patient wakes up.  At this point, the tube is gently removed and the pet moved to a kennel or one of our two warming incubators, depending on their needs.  Your dog or cat will continue to be closely monitored until they are able to support their own weight and respond to their name.  Even then, most are kept in the main Treatment area so we can keep a close eye on them.

Once your pet is awake, the doctor or a staff member will call you to let you know and to arrange a time for you to pick them up.

We know how much you love your pet.  We understand your concern.  We don’t recommend surgery unless it’s in your pet’s best interest.  But when that happens, we’re here to help.