We perform many types of surgeries for both cats and dogs. Some of the more common procedures that we perform include spaying, neutering, and mass removals. Our state of the art surgery suite and recovery area are spacious, quiet, and Fear Free to ensure that your pet is as comfortable as possible while here. During every anesthesia procedure, our patients are individually monitored the entire time, including during recovery, by a nationally certified veterinary technician.

Surgery Appointment Policies

We require a $50 deposit to reserve a surgery appointment. The deposit will apply towards the balance of the procedure on the day of surgery. In the event that you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, we require a minimum of 72 hours notice in order to retain your deposit.

All patients coming in for surgery need to be dropped off with us between 7:30-8:00am. We do have a surgery release that needs to be filled out and signed when you arrive, so please allow 10-15 minutes to take care of this. Please ask the receptionists when scheduling if you have any concerns about this.

Just like with humans, all patients should be fasted as well. Unless instructed otherwise by your veterinarian, the general rule is no food after 10pm the night before and no breakfast the morning of the procedure. Water is ok for them to have. If your pet accidentally got a hold of food prior to being here, you may be asked to reschedule for safety reasons.

For the safety of our patients, all surgeries are required to have bloodwork done prior to any anesthesia procedure. This allows us to address any medical concerns prior to sedation. We highly recommend that this labwork be done at least a few days prior to surgery and can be scheduled when booking your surgery appointment.

Dental Exams and Cleaning

Pets need dental care too! Much like people, cats and dogs fight gum disease, plaque and tartar. In fact, it is one of the most common medical conditions that we see in our patients. When you bring your pet in for an exam, the doctor will check their teeth and gums and let you know when it is time for them to be cleaned.

To thoroughly examine your pet’s teeth and gums, properly get rid of nasty plaque and tartar and really clean their pearly whites, they will need to be anesthetized. Though sedating your dog or cat seems scary, it’s not as bad as it sounds—in fact, the procedure has never been safer. Prior to sedation, the doctor will perform blood work that will check your pet’s basic body functions and help us to determine whether or not your pet is healthy enough for sedation. Throughout the procedure, all pets are monitored closely by both a surgical technician and monitoring equipment.

Much like when we go to the dentist, the technician will scale and polish every tooth. Dental radiographs allow the doctor to see what is going on under the gum line and allows her to determine which teeth are damaged or unhealthy and need to be extracted.

When you think about it, the benefits of dental cleaning outweigh the possible risk of anesthesia. Not only will your pet’s breath smell better but their teeth will be shinier and healthier too! As an added bonus, maintaining healthy teeth and gums will help to protect your pet’s other organs, like the heart and kidneys from the damaging effects of dental disease.

Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery (or cryotherapy) is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. Cryosurgery is used to treat a number of diseases and disorders, especially skin conditions. Cryotherapy may be a better description of the procedure, since surgery is usually associated with cutting and in most cases, this treatment (therapy) does not involve actual cutting. Cryotherapy has been in use for over two hundred years. The application of intense cold will result in the death of the targeted tissue and the numbing of surrounding sensory nerves, reducing pain and discomfort. In many cases, it can be curative depending on the condition and the site. This type of procedure is helpful in removing small growths or skin tags and can usually be done with only local anesthetics.

Recovery and Aftercare

Our specially trained surgery technicians monitor your pet’s vitals throughout their entire procedure and recovery process. This includes monitoring heart rate, oxygen levels, temperature, blood pressure, ECG, and gum color. After the procedure is done, all of our patients are then set up in a kennel to recover from the anesthesia with warm blankets and towels. The technician stays with your pet until they are extubated and awake. Patients that are recovering from anesthesia are monitored by our doctor and surgery technician for several hours prior to being discharged to the owner. We ensure that patients are alert and can ambulate on their own without exception.

The surgery technician will go over your pet’s specific after care instructions and be provided with a form that not only lists these instructions, but also provides contact information for the emergency clinics should any concerns arise overnight. We will call you the following day to check in and make sure things are going ok as well.

T.L.C. Animal Hospital

14870 Space Center Blvd., Suite L
Houston, TX 77062

Phone: (281) 282-9944
Fax: (281) 282-9961
Email: recept@tlcah.com

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