Orthopedic Surgery

The surgical procedures we perform include Internal Fixation (Bone plating), External Fixation, Stifle Surgeries (including TTA and RidgeStop, and Arthrex Tightrope), FHO, Amputation and bone biopsies. During every procedure, we employ the safest available anesthetics to provide an extra margin of safety, especially our older or high-risk patients. That means AAHA Standards of sterilization are upheld on all surgeries and your pet is monitored by a veterinarian, veterinary technician and modern equipment through the entire anesthetic procedure until a full recovery is reached.

Alternative Medical Therapies

Stem Cell Therapy
Regenerative Medicine is a broad definition for innovative medical therapies that will enable the body to repair, replace, restore and regenerate damaged or diseased tissues.
Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine uses a concentrated form of autologous adipose-derived adult stem cells to treat traumatic and degenerative diseases, including bowed tendons, ligament injuries, osteoarthritis, and osteochondral defects in dogs and cats.
ImmuneFX Cancer Vaccine
The purpose of a cancer vaccine is to initiate and focus the enormous power of the immune system on tumor cells. ImmuneFx does this in the most effective manner possible. ImmuneFx primes and educates the immune system to destroy tumor cells throughout the body without harming healthy cells and tissues.
Veterinary Acupuncture
Integrative veterinary medicine is the practice of combining traditional medicine with alternative therapies such as acupuncture. At University Veterinary Hospital, we build on the tradition of ancient Chinese acupuncturists by incorporating the knowledge of today’s cutting edge neuroscience. This yields a system of treatment that is both powerful and complementary to other therapeutic modalities. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body via the insertion and manipulation of very fine, sterile needles in the superficial tissues of the body. Each treatment is tailored to your pet’s unique situation based on a thorough medical history review and careful physical examination. One of medical acupuncture’s main tenants is that appropriate treatment can only stem from appropriate diagnosis – thus additional diagnostics such as bloodwork or x-rays may be required prior to setting up a full treatment program. As the effects of acupuncture are often cumulative, a course of treatment over a period of weeks is generally recommended.
Cold Laser Therapy
Laser Therapy Reduces Pain and Speeds Healing!
UVH is excited to offer our clients Companion Laser Therapy. Laser therapy provides a non-invasive, pain-free, surgery-free, drug-free treatment which is used to treat a variety of conditions and can be performed in conjunction with existing treatment protocols. Relief and/or improvement is often noticed within hours depending on the condition and your pet’s response. Whether your pet is rehabilitating from trauma or injury, healing from wounds, or simply aging, your companion can benefit from this innovative approach to treating pain.

Advanced Dental Procedures

Co-owner Dr. Catherine Foret is extremely passionate about small animal dentistry, so we offer Oral ATP – Assessment, Treatment, and Plan/Prevention, including extractions when necessary, periodontal pocket therapy, gingival surgeries, oral mass/tumor removals, jaw bone resections (neoplasia) and jaw bone fracture repair. Dr. Catherine Foret can offer tooth restorations for uncomplicated tooth fractures and root canals (endodonic therapy) on complicated fractures.
UVH utilizes state-of-the-art cleaning machinery on every patient, including IM3 air compressed low- and high-speed machines, a 42-12 subgingival ultrasonic scaler and Schick digitial radiography. We perform full mouth radiographs at every Oral ATP. Digital oral radiographs provide excellent resolution and precise detail of potential problems occurring below the gum surface, facilitating the diagnose of unhealthy and painful situations such as abscessed teeth, bone resorption and accurate location and evaluation of jaw fractures.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

Veterinary endoscopy is a minimally invasive technique for performing procedures through natural openings in the body or through one or more tiny holes rather than through large incisions.
By performing procedures endoscopically UVH can offer their patients less pain, minimal recovery time and fewer complications. In many cases performing a procedure endoscopically allows for it to be done as an outpatient procedure, a less painful and traumatic alternative for both patient and owner.
At first, veterinary endoscopy was predominately used as a diagnostic tool. As the benefits were proven, its applications were expanded to include such things as the removal of foreign bodies, biopsies and laparoscopic spays.
Endoscopic Techniques (Minimally Invasive Surgery) have been developed in many areas of veterinary endoscopy to offer you and your pet less invasive alternatives to traditional open surgery.
Bronchoscopy is the endoscopic technique for examining the lungs. Bronchoscopy allows for thorough visual examination of the respiratory tract to identify structural abnormalities, collect samples of abnormal airway secretions, identify and remove foreign bodies and biopsy lesions or tumors.
Cystoscopy is the exploration of the urinary bladder, used in a large number of small animal patients, including those presenting with chronic cystitis, pollakiuria, hematuria, stranguria, incontinence, trauma, calculi, and abnormal radiographs.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is the endoscopic exploration of the stomach and intestines, a partial list of indications include: regurgitation, dysphagia, salvation, nausea, vomiting, hematemesis, melena, anorexia, diarrhea, weight loss, hematochezia, fecal mucus and tenesmus. It is most commonly used for obtaining biopsies and the removal of foreign bodies.
Gastropexy is a preventative surgery in at risk dogs that prevents the twisting of the stomach which is fatal if not treated quickly. The stomach is sutured to the abdominal wall in order to prevent the stomach from twisting. A endoscopic gastropexy is often done at the time as a laparoscopic spay.
Laparoscopy is the technique for viewing the abdominal organs endoscopically. Laparoscopy is commonly used as a diagnostic tool for taking biopsies of the liver, kidney, pancreas, or masses. Laparoscopic surgeries being performed include adrenalectomy, gastropexy, hernia repair and laparoscopic spays.
Laparoscopic Spays are a revolutionary technique for performing both ovariectomies and ovariohysterectomies in female cats and dogs. Performed through one to three small incisions in the abdomen rather than a large incision it offers a less painful, faster healing alternative to traditional spays. A study published in the 2005 Journal of the Veterinary Medical Association concluded laparoscopic spays caused less surgical stress and up to 65% less post-operative pain than a traditional open surgical spay.
Otoscopy allows for examination of both the external and middle ear, it is one of the most common applications of endoscopy in veterinary medicine. Otoscopy allows for safe and thorough ear cleaning under constant visualization, removal of foreign objects, polyp removal and diagnostic sampling. Disorders of the external ear are common in dogs; the visualization afforded by this technique make it a precise means of assessment of treatment and follow-up.
Rhinoscopy is the exploration of the nose and back of the throat, commonly indicated in dogs and cats with nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, chronic sneezing, epistaxis, facial distortion, nasal pain, acute severe sneezing, reverse sneezing and abnormal radiographs.
Vaginoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the vagina. Indications for Vaginoscopy include vaginal discharge, bleeding or masses, trauma, incontinence, foreign body removal and stranguria. Reproductive indications include transcervical artificial insemination, dystocia, and monitoring of the estrous cycle.

Cancer Staging

University Veterinary Hospital offers several cancer treatment options including oncology consults, palliative therapy, excision and/or de-bulking of neoplasms and staging diagnostics. Our goal is to enhance your pet’s quality of life while successfully treating the disease.
My pet has been diagnosed with cancer. What’s next ?
There are many types of cancer and the behavior and prognosis of each is unique to each patient. Your veterinarian will help you decide which course of action is best for your pet. Depending on the type of cancer your pet has been diagnosed with there may be several options in terms of treatment.
How will I know my pet’s prognosis ?
The prognosis depends on several different factors including, but not limited to, cancer type, cancer stage and the grade of the cancer. These factors, along with your pet’s age and overall health, play a role in determining the prognosis.
What is staging ?
Staging is performed to determine if the tumor has metastasized (spread) from the primary tumor site. Staging consists of several different tests/diagnostics such as lymph node evaluation, chest x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, cytology and/or biopsy of the mass and blood work. In some cases a CT scan or MRI is needed. In that case we will refer you to a location where this can be performed.
What about my pet’s quality of life ?
Your pet’s quality of life is most important to us. Our goal is to fight the disease allowing your pet a longer life, but we want to make that life worth living. As with any treatment, there are potential side effects. We make every effort to keep those possible side effects mild and manageable. We will advise you of the possible side effects so you know what symptoms to be aware of. One big difference between human oncology and veterinary oncology is that veterinary patients tend to handle/tolerate chemotherapy much better. In addition, quality of life is consistently evaluated and treatment plans tailored accordingly.

Ultrasonography

We use ultrasound as a painless, non-invasive way to visualize the internal organs and assess their shape, size and structure. Abdominal Ultrasounds are often performed to examine the kidneys, liver, spleen and other organs.
Ultrasound can also help us discover tumors and masses in the abdomen and obtain non-surgical biopsy samples.

Cardiac Evaluation

Our digital ultrasound machine helps our doctors assess cardiac function and manage heart disease. Heart Ultrasounds, also known as Echocardiograms, allow us to view and measure the heart muscles and major cardiac vessels. Echocardiographs along with Chest X-rays will allows us to determine how well the heart is functioning.
Electrocardiogram (EKG)
An EKG measures the electrical activity of the heart and can be essential in properly diagnosing many different heart problems. EKG’s are also useful in general health screenings, particularly in our senior patients and those having anesthetic procedures.
Blood Pressure Monitoring
This is important in determining if pets have high blood pressure. Blood pressure is also an integral part of our anesthetic monitoring and in diagnosing other problems in dogs and cats.

Critical Care & Emergency

UVH operates a fully equipped Intensive Care Unit staffed by highly trained veterinarians and a board-certified internal medicine specialist. Critical patients are closely monitored with continuous ECGs, oxygen support, fluid pumps, blood pressure monitoring and other advanced procedures. Emergency care involves stabilizing the patient and may include placing intravenous catheters, administering IV fluids, pain medications, oxygen therapy and sometimes blood or plasma transfusions. Our in-house laboratory, radiology and ultrasound capabilities enable us to get crucial diagnostic information very quickly. Our Blood Bank program guarantees that our canine and feline patients have access to a safe and adequate blood supply.

High Risk Anesthesia

In cases of an anesthetic procedure on a higher risk patient, UVH offers a dedicated specialist who has performed a residency in Critical Care to be your pet’s anesthesiologist.

Surgery – Soft Tissue, Minimally Invasive & Orthopedic

UVH is well-equipped to perform an array of surgical procedures, from routine spays and neuters to more complex soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries.
During any procedure, our top priorities always include controlling your pet’s discomfort. The doctors and staff at UVH take all necessary steps to relieve any pain before, during and after your pet’s surgical procedure. We also practice proper pain control for all surgeries in order to minimize the time it takes for your pet to heal.
We advocate the use of pre-anesthetic blood work to screen for any situations that may require us to change our anesthetic protocol for your pet. Animals with heart disease, lung disease and liver or kidney disease can benefit from a unique anesthetic protocol generated strictly for them.