General Practice
The practice is equipped to supply good dental care with scaling, polishing, and extractions routinely performed. Bad teeth can significantly affect the health of our pets and in many small animals can lead to heart valve damage as a result of infection spreading via the blood.
The Radiology (X-Ray) Unit is of high quality with an automatic processor for fast processing.
The Surgical Suite is extremely well equipped as Charles is a registered Specialist Surgeon receiving referrals from around the North lsland.
Spinal Assessment and Myelograms (spinal injections of dye injected into neck or back) are performed for evaluation of compression lesions in the spine. Where indicated surgical decompressive or occasionally fusion surgeries are undertaken.
Complex and simple fracture repairs are routine with plate and screw repairs most common. Repairs with plates and screws allow for very stable, exact repair of fractures.
After care is easier as the patients are allowed to walk on their leg and long term splinting is not necessary. The plates are usually left in situ except in young animals when they can be removed after the fracture heals.
Joint repairs of which knee (stifle) surgery is the most common are routinely performed.
Cruciate ligament tears are repaired with a closing wedge TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy). The TPLO is the gold standard for large dogs as the procedure alters the bio mechanics of the joint so that the cranial cruciate ligament is not required, therefore is a long term solution for the knee.
Other procedures like intra articular grafts and nylon tie back procedures are good in the short term but become unstable after about 6 months and lead to more aggressive arthritic changes than with the TPLO
Small dogs are repaired with an intra articular graft using the outer third of the patella ligament unless they have very severe tibial plateau angles, then a TPLO becomes the procedure of choice.
Luxating patellas (medial) are the most common procedure of toy breeds when the knee cap dislocates off the ridge to the inside. Repair consists of 3 components. The tibial crest is moved to the outside and pinned, the groove for the patella is deepened and cartilage replaced and the outside ligaments shortened. This is a long term solution and the patients do well.
ln the front legs, elbow dysplasia repairs are common and straightening of bent legs due to early closures of the growth plates are regularly performed.
Hip dysplasia is a common problem in large dogs and triple pelvic osteotomies are performed in dogs usually under a year of age before arthritic changes develop.
ln late cases femoral head resections (arthroplasty) are performed as salvage procedures to relieve pain and are a cost effective option to total hip replacements which are not performed at the clinic.
Joint fusions of which the hock (ankle) and carpal (wrist) joints are the most common procedures. Multiple ligament ruptures around these joints make it impossible to repair individual ligaments and joint fusion is the only option. Custom made plates are used and bone grafts are removed from the shoulder bone (proximal humerus).
Chest surgery for the removal of tumours, foreign bodies, lung lobes etc and the placement of chest drains for removal of fluid (pus, chyle, transudates) or air are performed.
Abdominal surgeries involving bowel, bladder, liver, kidney, spleen are regularly performed.
Cancer surgeries are common procedures in small animals, but some cases need radical resections and skin flaps and grafts become necessary and these are usually referred to us.
Despite performing all these high tech surgeries, Charles has not lost his love of general practice and enjoys the routine surgery like speys, neuters etc that most practices perform.
