Improving Liveswith surgery

Safe cat & Dog SurgeryFor Much Loved Chelsea Pets

Surgery is a very effective option for treating a wide range of injuries and illnesses—and with advancements in veterinary medicine, it’s now safer than ever. At Firefly Veterinary Hospital in Chelsea, we use the latest surgical equipment and best practices with every cat or dog surgery. Your pet’s safety is just as important to us as it is to you!

OUR SAFETY PROTOCOLS

We take every precaution to make sure your best furry friend has a smooth, uneventful surgery. Our safety protocols include:

  • First, we’ll check your pet from nose to tail as well as run pre-anesthetic blood work to ensure they’re healthy and fit enough for the procedure.
  • Once your pet is cleared, we’ll begin surgery prep which includes the administration of anesthesia and the placement of an IV catheter that supplies fluids for hydration and blood pressure regulation throughout the procedure.
  • A dedicated surgical technician is by your pet’s side the entirety of their procedure and their recovery, monitoring their vitals with our high-tech monitoring equipment.
  • To reduce your pet’s discomfort upon waking, they’ll receive pain medications throughout their surgery as well as afterwards. Pain is not only uncomfortable for our pets, but the stress of it can take a toll on their ability to heal, too. So we make pain management a top priority.

SURGERIES WE PERFORM

Common cat and dog surgeries our skilled vets perform include:

  • Spays and neuters
  • Foreign body removal
  • Abdominal surgeries
  • Basic eye surgeries (cherry eye, enucleation, etc.)
  • Bladder stone removals
  • Exploratory surgeries
  • And more

For more complex procedures such as orthopedics, we rely on a traveling veterinary surgeon who visits our hospital for such procedures. Common orthopedics he performs include:

  • Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) repairs such as tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO)
  • Patella luxation repairs
  • Fracture repairs
  • Amputations
  • Hip dysplasia repairs such as femoral head ostectomy (FHO)
  • And more

TIPS FOR A SMOOTH RECOVERY

When your pet is ready to be picked up from surgery, we’ll send you home with detailed, personalized instructions for their recovery based on their procedure and their individual needs. However, for any cat or dog surgery, there are a few universal tips to keep in mind to help your pet bounce back:

  • Give them a quiet area to rest in like their crate or a pet-safe room for the first 24-48 hours after surgery. They’ll still be a little groggy from the anesthesia, so may not eat as much as usual and will likely sleep a lot.
  • Prevent them from participating in any rambunctious activity for at least the first 10 days following surgery. No jumping, no running, no chasing the cat, etc.
  • Use an e-collar to keep them from licking or scratching at their incision. If an e-collar causes more trouble, you can put them in an old onesie or a snug-fitting T-shirt instead.
  • Provide them with pain medication as directed by your veterinarian to reduce their discomfort and speed up recovery.
  • Watch their incision closely for signs of inflammation (redness), infection (swollen with puss leaking out) or torn sutures (this one should be obvious!). Contact us immediately if you notice any of the above!

If ever you are concerned about your pet during their recovery, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (212) 243-3020 for some advice and peace of mind. We’re here to help in anyway we can!

164 W 21st Street New York, NY 10011
M - F: 8:30 am - 7:00 pm
Sa: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
(212) 243-3020
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