Animal Surgical Services

Spaying Your Pet

Spaying your pet has many benefits. The procedure, which prevents female animals from becoming pregnant and reproducing, can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Spaying will not change your pet’s personality.

By spaying your female pet, you’re protecting her against potentially deadly diseases, including bacterial infections, reproductive tract diseases, and several types of cancer. You also won’t have to worry about her going into heat. This means avoiding the mess that often accompanies the heat cycle in female dogs and the pacing and crying that happens with female cats. In addition, spaying your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Spaying, which involves removing the ovaries and uterus, is a surgical procedure and needs to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to ensure safety. Please read our anesthesia and patient monitoring  procedures for more information on what we do to protect your pet.

To set up an appointment to have your pet spayed or to learn more about this procedure, call (940) 767-4369. If you are struggling with the decision of whether to spay your pet, please   contact us  so we can discuss your concerns.

Neutering Your Pet

Neutering your pet has many benefits. The procedure, which prevents male animals from reproducing, can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Neutering will not change your pet’s personality. By neutering your pet, you’re reducing or eliminating his risk for prostate and testicular cancer, as well as sexually transmitted diseases.

Neutering will also reduce or eliminate undesirable and embarrassing behavior, including roaming, fighting, humping, and spraying. In addition, neutering your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Neutering, which involves removing the testicles, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure his safety. Please read our anesthesia and patient monitoring page for more information on what we do at Animal Hospital of Wichita Falls to keep your pet safe.

To set up an appointment to have your pet neutered or to learn more about this procedure, please call our locally owned veterinary clinic. If you are struggling with the decision of whether to neuter your pet, we can discuss your concerns with you.

Soft Tissue Surgery

Here at Animal Hospital of Wichita Falls, we perform many types of soft tissue surgeries at our clinic. Soft tissue surgeries are those that are not associated with bone. These surgeries can provide many benefits to pets.

Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed on pets is the removal of masses or lumps. Most masses, once removed and tested, are benign (nonharmful); however, occasionally they are more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a lump are necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous.

If your dog suffers from frequent ear infections, surgical intervention can reduce their occurrence by improving airflow into the ear canal.

Surgery can also help resolve several problems related to the eyes. Tearing in your pet’s eyes can mean an infection is present or may be a sign that the cornea (outer layer of the eye) has been damaged. Surgery may allow the cornea to heal faster with less scarring, improving your pet’s ability to see. In some pets, the eyelashes may actually damage the cornea. Surgical intervention improves comfort in these pets, reduces the chances of corneal scarring, and enhances the pet’s vision in the long term.

Please contact Animal Hospital of Wichita Falls if you’d like to discuss how soft tissue surgery might be able to help your pet.

Pet Orthopedic Surgery

At Animal Hospital of Wichita Falls, we perform many types of orthopedic (bone) surgeries in our clinic. Because we want to ensure that our patients receive the best possible outcome, we occasionally refer them to local, board-certified orthopedic surgeons to perform back surgery and other very complex surgeries.

Leg fractures are the most common orthopedic problem presented at our clinic and usually result from a mishap with an automobile. They can be treated in a variety of ways depending on the location and type of fracture. We can apply a cast to treat certain fractures; however, many fractures will require surgical intervention:

• “Pinning” stabilizes the fracture by inserting a long stainless-steel rod into the middle of the bone across the fractured area.
• “Plating” involves attaching a flat stainless-steel plate to the bone using screws on either side of the fracture.
• “External fixation” stabilizes fractures using a series of pins on the outside of the leg that pass through the skin and into the bone on either side of the fracture.

We also perform a lot of orthopedic surgeries related to hip dysplasia and disc disease. Please contact us if you have any questions about these procedures or if you think your pet might benefit from them.