VCA Canada 404 Veterinary Emergency and Referral Hospital is proud to offer a full-service surgery department. We can provide care for the most challenging surgical cases including: orthopedic, thoracic, spinal, gastrointestinal, oncologic, ear, nose and throat, and reconstructive surgery. We take pride in providing these services on short notice and to animals in critical condition. Our surgical team is available to care for your pet day or night, including weekends and holidays.

In addition to obtaining their general veterinary degrees, all of the surgeons at the 404 have completed (at minimum) a 1-year surgical internship and a 3-year surgical residency to become eligible to sit the rigorous board examinations from the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). In addition to ACVS board-certified surgeons, our surgery team includes anesthesiologists, highly trained registered veterinary technicians/ technologists, and surgical assistance support staff. We believe that a “successful” surgical case requires attention to detail at every stage of case management from every member of our team.

Our approach to surgical consultation includes:

• Initial consultation with the surgeon and a review of the surgical techniques required, any potential complications, and anticipated outcomes and costs;
• Accurate diagnosis using appropriate tests such as on-site blood tests, radiographs, computerized tomography (CT), arthroscopy, laparoscopy biopsy, etc;
• Supervised anesthesia to ensure smooth induction and recovery with intensive intra-operative monitoring under the direct supervision of our experienced veterinary technicians;
• Pre and postoperative pain management. We believe in pre-emptive and multimodal pain management;
• Surgical procedure ensuring careful attention to aseptic technique. Our surgeons have a broad range of training and experience in a wide variety of surgical techniques;
• 24-hour after-care to ensure appropriate pain management and postoperative management techniques are applied through the night and over the weekend;
• Comprehensive home-care instructions upon discharge. A discharge appointment is set up to ensure that all go-home instructions are reviewed and understood. All care instructions are written down and accompany the pet parent in a discharge package;
• Postoperative follow-up appointment booking. We like to see our cases through to successful conclusions whenever possible. Suture removal and other follow-up appointments are scheduled at the time of discharge; and
• Finally, a day or two after being discharged, our team will make a follow-up call to ensure home recovery is going smoothly and to answer any questions or concerns if they arise.