Your pet may be referred to our surgery service by your regular veterinarian, or our emergency service.
Our specialist surgery team are clinical experts, researchers and teachers in their field. Our 24/7 surgery team are supported by specialists in anaesthesia, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, and diagnostic imaging.
Our team specialises in surgically treating injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system as well as all types of soft tissue surgery for dogs.
We offer comprehensive orthopaedic and soft tissue evaluations, diagnostics, and treatment options. Additionally, we provide preventive care for joint and muscle diseases and improve overall function through regular screenings.
A board certified surgeon who has completed formal residency training and examination. They manage the most complex cases. Availability may vary based on caseload.
A clinician who has completed their surgical residency and has advanced training, but may not yet be board certified. Registrar surgeon fees are positioned between specialist-level and general practice soft tissue surgery pricing.
Highly experienced general practitioners with advanced training (Memberships in Surgery or equivalent) who have performed complex procedures extensively in general practice. They offer a skilled and more affordable option for suitable cases.
Our general practice veterinarians in Sydney and Camden provide general soft tissue surgery.
All other surgeries are referred to senior general surgeons, registrars and specialist surgeons available at our Sydney hospital. All emergency cases are seen by our emergency specialists and referred directly to surgery when required.
Both campuses have access and are supported by anaesthesia when required.
Most people are aware of the seriousness of ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) damage in the knees of our sporting heroes and how serious an injury this can be, but dogs are even more prone than humans when it comes to injuring this same ligament. In dogs it is called the cranial cruciate ligament.
Unlike in humans, where acute trauma brings on clinical disease, in dogs, it is due to a degenerative process and is usually more insidious in onset. Sometimes, however, as more and more fibres of the bundle of ligament break down, there can be an acute presentation in dogs, such as during activity/jumping/chasing a frisbee, resulting in clinical lameness. Dogs can present with varying degrees of lameness, and it’s important for your veterinarian to assess individual joints and for other concurrent disease processes, such as medial patella luxation. Due to the degenerative nature of the disease process, surgical intervention is generally required to allow the dog to rehabilitate and walk normally on the affected leg. Most of the recommended surgical procedures revolve around changing the biomechanics of the hind limb instead of replacing the ligament, such as a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO).
TPLO stands for Tibial plateau leveling, it is a procedure to stabilise the knee in dogs after cranial ligament injury.
Dogs are very prone to damaging their cranial cruciate ligament in their knees as this ligament stabilises the knee when it is bent and that is the normal stance position of the dog. In addition there is a degenerative process which occurs in affected dogs which slowly breaks down the fibres of the ligament. Once the ligament is damaged, the tibia (the bone below the knee) tends to ride forward in comparison to the femur (the thigh bone).
By making a special curved cut through the top of the tibia and rotating the top of the tibia to produce a change where the joint surface of the tibia is made more parallel to the surface on which the dog stands, the tendency for tibia to slip forward is minimised and the dog can do well even without a cranial cruciate ligament.
This operation requires the insertion of a specially designed bone plate and screws to hold the rotated segment of bone in place for 8 weeks until it has healed satisfactorily.
Certain dog breeds are prone to difficult or obstructive breathing because of the shape of their head, muzzle, and throat. These are known as brachycephalic breeds, meaning “short-headed.” Their airways are often flattened or narrowed, making it harder for them to breathe—especially during exercise or warm weather.
Common brachycephalic breeds include Pugs, French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, and other similar breeds.
BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome) refers to a combination of airway abnormalities, which may include:
BOAS surgery can significantly improve airflow, reduce strain on the airway, and prevent long-term secondary damage. Surgery is ideally performed early, around 12 months of age, before irreversible changes develop. If you are concerned your dog may have BOAS, please book an appointment with your GP for further airway assessment.
When you bring your female dog into a vet clinic for desexing, typically a ovariohysterectomy (OVH) is performed. This means both ovaries and the uterine body is removed. In a laparoscopic spay – which is a minimally invasive procedure done through 1-3 ports involving the abdominal cavity – only ovariectomy (OVE) is performed (only ovaries are removed). As the ovaries are responsible for hormonal-mediated diseases such as pyometra (uterine infections), urinary incontinence and other reproductive tumours – the long term outcome for dogs receiving OVH versus OVE are similar. OVH is needed to treat (but not prevent) diseases of the uterus, uterine torsion/prolapse, and uterine tumour. Clinically we find that patients who have undergone a laparoscopic OVE seem to bounce back a bit quicker than those who have undergone a OVH possibly as the wound is smaller.
Deep chested dogs such as German Shepherds, Great Danes, Doberman Pinschers, Standard Poodles and Newfoundlands are at risk for a life-threatening condition called gastric-dilation and volvulus (GDV) where the stomach fills with gas and rotates on itself. The stomach continues to fill with air and can cause blood flow to the stomach to become compromised leading to rupture and other systemic sequellae.
There are some things we can do to help such dogs from getting a GDV such as feeding smaller meals 2-3 times a day, not allowing chasing of hoses which promote swallowing large amounts of water/air and discourage exercise straight after eating. Sometimes though, despite adhering to the above – gastric dilation with/without volvulus can still occur. Affected dogs present as an emergency and if decompression and surgery are not done in a timely fashion – it can result in fatalities.
As such, sometimes elective gastropexies at done to prevent GDV from occurring in the first place and thus mitigating related catastrophic sequellae. Gastropexy involves surgically adhering the stomach to the right abdominal wall so that it heals to form a permanent attachment. It can be achieved as an open procedure via a laparotomy – some people do it at the same time as desexing especially in female dogs OR via a laparascopic approach. The difference lies in the size of the midline abdominal incision and level of surgical handling. Please call the clinical to further discuss this procedure and find out if it is recommended for your pet.
Vomiting and/or reduced appetite is a common initial symptom following intestinal obstruction. Some pets also have diarrhoea or constipation, and/or a hunched appearance due to abdominal pain, along with looking weak and listless in more severe cases.
If you find items, like missing or half-chewed toys at home, in combination with vomiting/inappetence in your pet, you should bring them to a veterinarian for a thorough physical examination.
Most of the time, some sort of abdominal diagnostic imaging will be required such as abdominal radiographs or ultrasound.
Masses or 'lumps' can arise in dogs due to numerous reasons. General recommendation is to get all new masses examined at the veterinarian especially if the mass is growing quickly, changed in colour (black, purple, or red in particular), is ulcerated, weeping, bleeding, or has a discharge.
Some of the clues that may suggest your pet has arthritis include limping after exercise, slow to rise after laying down for a period of time, difficulty jumping, appearance stiff when trying to walk and difficulty with stairs. With dogs they may also show lagging behind on walks or guarding of the affect leg through growling/withdrawal when touched.
The loss of use of a dogs hindlimbs can be very distressing to see. Common causes for this in dogs include intervertebral disc disease (more in breeds like dachshunds, corgis and other chondrodystrophic breeds), tick paralysis (especially during tick season typically September to March in NSW) or trauma.
Less common causes include tumours affecting the spine, severe hip disease and other disease related pathologies.
It is very important to bring your pet to a veterinarian for further assessment of the underlying cause so that a treatment plan can be put into place as soon as possible.
