Surgical Services

ACL/CCL Repair
(A referral from your primary veterinarian is recommended but NOT required for this procedure)
One of the most common injuries to a dog’s knee is the tearing of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This ligament is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans, as such the terms ACL and CCL can be used interchangeably. In both the human and dog knee, this ligament attaches from the back of the femur and crosses through to the front of the tibia providing stability.

When the CCL is torn or injured, the shin bone (tibia) slides forward with respect to the thigh bone (femur), which is known as a positive drawer sign. Most dogs with this injury cannot walk normally and experience pain. The resulting instability damages the cartilage and surrounding bones and leads to osteoarthritis (OA). The type of surgery recommended will be dependent on your dog’s size, age, weight, activity level, and the unique circumstances of the tear. Animal Works veterinarians will guide you through the decision making process and advise you on the best surgical option for your pet.

Extracapsular Suture Repair aka: The ACL band Surgery: This is one of two methods that we offer at Animal Works; some version of this surgery has been used in the vet world since the 1960’s. This surgery intends to restore stability to the hind joint by placing sutures outside of the joint but underneath the muscles. The placement of suture mimics the normal activity of the ligament. A continuous monofilament (one fiber) nylon suture is placed around the fabella of the femur and is looped through a hole drilled into the tibial tuberosity. The two ends of the fishing line like suture are held into place by a stainless-steel clip.

This is a good choice for animals of a medium to small size and that are generally calm. The repeated stress of an active or large dog can lead to the band breaking down or loosening before the knee has healed fully, which would mean another surgery to stabilize the knee.

The recovery period for this procedure will be roughly 16 weeks of attentive care and confinement. We will provide you with detailed instructions for post-operative care, as well as rehabilitation. The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from a CCL tear is just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive to keeping the site clean and ensuring that your dog wears a cone around its collar to prevent aggravating the area.

Modified Maquet Procedure (MMP)

The MMP is an evolution of the decades old TTA procedure. This is a procedure that changes the anatomy of the knee joint by cutting and moving a piece of the shin bone. In the MMP, the new position is maintained by a porous titanium wedge and staple. The large patellar tendon and thigh muscles will do the job of the ACL by preventing the femur from sliding backward. The benefit of the MMP over the previous TTA is that the process has been streamlined and the tools adapted to minimize surgical time and possible complications.

Despite the more invasive nature of the surgery, the recovery from an MMP is usually pretty quick. Dogs will typically be walking on the leg with some weight a few days after the procedure. A month or so post-op, many dogs will be putting a normal or almost normal amount of weight on the leg. Rest is still very important to the healing of the bone and rebuilding of the muscle after an ACL tear, and detailed instructions will be discussed before surgery to ensure the best outcomes for your pet.

Complications are somewhat rare, but can be more serious than those seen with the band surgery. The most extreme case would be a fracture of the shin bone. This would require a major surgery to repair and stabilize the bone while it heals. As with most complications, this is mostly preventable by following the outlined aftercare.

Anal Sacculectomy is a surgical procedure that is primarily used to treat anal sac disease. The anal glands, or sacs, sit on either side of your pet’s anus. Inside each sac are sebaceous glands, responsible for secretion production. Usually, the glands empty out regularly when your pet has a bowel movement. If the oily, smelly secretion does not come out in the feces, your pet’s anal glands can become impacted. Signs of anal sac disease include “scooting,” excessive licking under the tail, tenderness near the tail or anus, and /or bloody or sticky drainage from the anal sacs. Surgical removal of the anal glands is indicated whenever the pet’s anal glands are severely infected, continuously obstructed, or a tumor develops in the gland. The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from an anal sacculectomy is just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive to keeping the site clean and ensuring that your pet wears a cone around its collar to prevent aggravating the area.

A bite-wound abscess usually manifests as a painful, fluid-filled lump under the skin. You may notice a scab over a puncture wound near the lump, but sometimes an abscess is not noticed until it breaks through the skin and oozes pus. This can be quite common in cats who have access to the outdoors and often develop into serious infections that require immediate veterinary care. ​ If you believe your cat has an abscess, please call our office at 970-694-2625.

Cherry eye is a condition where the tear gland behind the dog’s third eyelid (the nictitating membrane) moves out of position and swells. It will have the appearance of a cherry sitting in the corner of the eye. The gland can pop out because of inflammation, allergies, infection, or having a genetic predisposition. The condition can occur in one or both eyes and occurs most frequently in young dogs under the age of two. Breeds such as English and French bulldogs, Bloodhounds, King Charles Spaniels, and Great Danes are more commonly affected.

Cherry eyes may or may not be painful for your pet; however, it can cause tear production to stop, which can cause dry eye or keratoconjunctivitis. To repair a cherry eye, we create a pocket in the third eyelid and sew the gland in place. Re-occurrence of cherry eye in dogs can happen, especially when the prolapsed gland is very big and has a history of being chronically inflamed. We do not “tack” cherry eyes at Animal Works.

We will provide you with detailed instructions for post-operative care. The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from a cherry eye surgery are just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive to making sure your pet wears a cone around its collar to prevent ​aggravating and scratching at the eye.

A dewclaw removal is comparable to a thumb on a human and classified as a vestigial digit. Most dogs will have dewclaws on the front paws, and some can be found on the rear as well. Not all dogs have dewclaws. Front dewclaw removal help dogs grasp things using their forelegs, such as a ball, toy, or food. Rear dewclaw removal in climbing breeds such as Saint Bernards, and Great Pyrenees are thought to help while climbing rough terrain. There is no valid medical reason for front dewclaw removal and even of well-developed rear dewclaw removal. Therefore, at Animal Works, we only consider surgical removal if there is a disease, injury, or a situation that makes surgery in the best interest of your pet.

A hematoma on a dog’s ear is when blood vessels in the pinna, the floppy part of a dog’s ear, burst and bleeds into the space between the ear cartilage and skin. This is most associated with trauma such as bite wounds and shaking or scratching the ears. Dogs with ear infections may shake their head or scratch their ears, causing an aural hematoma. In some cases, there may be a piece of material lodged in the ear canal, such as a piece of grass. One of the most common signs of an ear hematoma is the appearance of your pet’s ear; it can look like it is inflated or a large bulge. A dog with an ear hematoma may hold its head sideways, scratch at its ear, and may even shake its head more often than usual.

An ear hematoma can be very painful for a dog. Not treating it promptly or treating it incorrectly can lead to a disfigurement of the dog’s ear flap and the surrounding area.

We will provide you with detailed instructions for post-operative care. The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from an aural hematoma are just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive to your pet’s activity levels and ensure that your pet wears a cone around its collar to prevent ​aggravating the area.

Enucleation is the removal of an eyeball. There are many reasons that the eye may need to be removed, such as trauma, severe ulcers, cancer, glaucoma, or diseases within the eye. When the eye is removed, the tear gland and a portion of the eyelids are removed too. The remaining skin is permanently sutured closed. Hair will regrow over the area, and usually, the skin will sink in a little, which may or may not be very noticeable depending on your pet’s coat. Despite how scary it may sound, it is a common procedure that pets adapt to very well. We have additional tips for owning a blind dog; just ask at pick up!

We will provide you with detailed instructions for post-operative care. ​The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from an enucleation are just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive by carefully monitoring your pet after surgery and ensuring that your pet wears a cone around the collar to prevent rubbing or aggravating the eye.

Pets are curious creatures. They often put things in their mouths to carry around or just play with. Sometimes, these items end up getting swallowed. Intestinal foreign bodies or simply foreign bodies is a term that refers to any material other than food that is eaten by a pet and results in a serious digestive problem in the stomach. Foreign bodies such as, but not limited to, toys, strings, clothing, plastic, bones, rocks, and food wrappers can become lodged and create an obstruction. Any household objects your pet chews on can become a foreign body problem needing urgent veterinary attention. Intestinal blockage symptoms can be easy to brush off as merely an upset stomach unless you witness your pet swallow a foreign object. Common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and energy, painful abdomen to the touch, and whining. Your veterinarian will likely take an x-ray to determine if a foreign body is present and if surgery is needed. Sometimes the foreign body is obvious, but often, the foreign body itself may not be seen by the x-rays. An obstructive pattern of gas-distended intestines can imply there is something causing a blockage. When this happens, and there is not an obvious cause of obstruction on x-ray, exploratory surgery is necessary. Exploratory surgery is just as it sounds; we will need to explore things that could not be found on x-rays. Sometimes we may find that there is no foreign body but another cause of intestinal blockages such as twisted intestines or a growth. Getting to surgery as soon as possible will give your pet the best chance of survival. An intestinal blockage is an urgent, life-threatening matter!

A fracture is any break in bone or cartilage, either complete or incomplete. With any fracture, there is also damage to the pet’s surrounding soft tissues. Treatment for fractures varies widely depending upon the type and location of the fracture. Please contact us to see how we can help.

One of the most common minor emergencies we see during the summer is grass awn foreign bodies. Grass awns and foxtails are bristle-like spikey grassy weed plants that can become lodged in pet ears, between toes, and under the skin. The most common presentation is between the toes. Clinical signs will be swelling, redness, and even a draining tract. Grass awns have backward-pointing barbs that prevent retrograde movement, making removal difficult, painful, and causing them to migrate deeper into the skin with just your pet’s normal motion activities. If you see your dog’s foot appearing as described, please call our office at 970-694-2625.

One of the most common surgeries performed in veterinary medicine is a laceration repair. A laceration is a wound produced by the tearing of body tissue. Bites, cuts, and punctures often cause severe damage requiring surgical treatment. Surgical repair is indicated whenever the laceration occurred recently and is large enough to warrant sutures. Wounds have many causes, sizes, and locations. They are usually treated surgically by cleaning and removing the damaged tissue, then closing the wound with sutures. In some cases, drains may be placed in wounds if there is a concern for fluid build-up under the skin. If your pet has a laceration, please give us a call immediately. For this situation, we do not require a referral or previous diagnosis from your primary vet. The longer the time between injury and repair, the more likely the tissues will become infected and healing will be delayed.

We will provide you with detailed instructions for post-operative care. The post-operative care and monitoring component of recovering from a laceration surgery is just as important as the surgery. As the owner, you will need to be attentive to making sure your pet wears a cone around its collar to prevent aggravating and licking the wound.

(A referral from your primary veterinarian is recommended but NOT required for this procedure)

Patella Luxation is a displacement of the kneecap (patella). This condition occurs if the groove (the trochlea) is too shallow, and when your pet bends its knee, the patella pops out of place. The main symptom of a luxating patella is an intermittent hopping or skip on the limb when the patella pops out of place. The kneecap may dislocate toward the inside (medial) or outside (lateral) of the leg or move in both directions. Medial luxation is the more common condition that occurs mostly in small and miniature breed dogs, such as chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, Pugs, and toy poodles. When the patella is luxated out of the joint, it rides against the bone instead of in the joint groove, causing pain and eventually arthritis. It is often recommended to repair sooner than later to prevent future problems. In some cases, your pet’s knee may require bone rotation for alignment, which is medically called tibial tuberosity transposition (TTT).

Pyometra, or Pyo for short, is a life-threatening infection of the uterus. The uterus becomes filled with pus, and the infection can spread systemically, leading to sepsis. Pyometra occurs commonly in female pets who have not been spayed and will begin several weeks after a heat cycle. It develops due to an increase in hormonal stimulation from the uterus combined with introduced bacteria. Some symptoms of a pyometra include abnormal discharge from the vulva, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy. Pyometra is a serious medical condition that requires prompt treatment. If left untreated, the uterus will rupture, and your pet will die. The treatment is to surgically remove the infected uterus and ovaries by performing an emergency ovariohysterectomy (spay). The surgery is more complicated at this stage than a regular spay. Pets diagnosed and treated in the early stage of the disease are generally good surgical candidates.

A splenectomy is a surgical procedure meant to remove the spleen. Pets and people can live without a spleen. Spleens can be removed because of trauma, a mass, or torsion, which is the twisting of the blood vessels supplying the spleen. The symptoms you might see are generally vague and vary, such as decreased appetite, lethargy, swollen abdomen. Or, they just seem “not quite themselves”. It is important to see your primary vet for an accurate diagnosis, as these signs can mean any number of problems.

A splenectomy procedure may be carried out as an emergency, life-saving surgery if the pet’s spleen has already ruptured or as an “elective” surgery when the pet is stable, and your primary vet has detected the presence of suspected masses on the spleen. ​Please note: We are ​unable to perform emergency ​splenectomies.

Vaginal Prolapse occurs when the tissue of the vaginal wall protrudes abnormally through the vaginal opening. The prolapsed organ may appear in the shape of a donut, and the tissue will be pink and inflamed. The condition is mostly seen in young female dogs who have not yet been spayed and usually occurs right before or during the dog’s heat cycle. Dogs suffering vaginal prolapse may lick frequently at the genital area and experience pain or discomfort with urination. We require a surgical spay for your pet in this matter to bring her out of heat faster so the swelling will diminish and not recur.