A Cut Above

Surgical care for dogs and cats.

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Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger your pet's health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, pre-anesthetic blood work is requirement for all pets undergoing anesthesia. Blood work results provide a more complete picture of your pet's health and allow us to tailor an anesthetic protocol that is specific to your pet. Your pet's vital signs are monitored during anesthesia.

Surgeries are performed Monday through Friday and include routine ovariohysterectomies (spays) and castrations (neuters), dental prophylaxis, mass removals, intestinal procedures (gastrotomies, enterotomies, intestinal resections/anastamosis), bladder procedures (cystotomies), eyelid/entropions, amputations, and other soft tissue surgeries. General Surgery

Specialty Surgeries

Complex soft tissue surgeries and orthopedic/spinal surgeries are referred to Dr. Melissa Stoll, ACVS, a board certified surgeon with Coastal Carolina Veterinary Specialty Services. As a convenience to you and your pet, she provides her surgical consultations and services right here at Capeside Animal Hospital.

Specialty Surgeries

Complex soft tissue surgeries and orthopedic/spinal surgeries are referred to Dr. Melissa Stoll, ACVS, a board certified surgeon with Coastal Carolina Veterinary Specialty Services. As a convenience to you and your pet, she provides her surgical consultations and services right here at Capeside Animal Hospital.

Pain Management Capeside Animal Hospital offers the safest and most effective injectable and inhalant (isoflurane) anesthetics and also pain relief for all surgical procedures. All surgical patients receive a pre-operative sedation (which includes pain medication) to minimize anxiety. We monitor body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ECG as well as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels throughout the entire procedure. Pain management is an important part of our pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. Surgical patients, including those undergoing routine procedures such as an ovariohysterectomy (spay) and castration (neuter), receive pain control that includes injectable medications, local anesthetics, cold laser therapy and oral pain medications. Anesthesia

Laser Surgery Your pet's health is as important to us as it is to you. Capeside Animal Hospital is pleased to offer laser surgery. In many procedures, the laser can replace the scalpel and provide a better alternative to traditional surgery. Please ask if your pet's surgical procedure can be done with laser!

A laser is a device that generates an intense beam of light at a specific wavelength.

Our patients are treated with a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, the most widely used type of medical laser in the world. CO2 lasers produce an invisible beam that vaporizes the water normally found in the skin and other soft tissues. Because the laser beam can be precisely controlled, it removes or “cuts” only a thin layer of tissue at one time, leaving the surrounding areas unaffected. This level of control allows your veterinarian to be extremely precise in every laser surgery procedure.

  • Less pain- The laser seals nerve endings as it “cuts,” so your pet may require less anesthesia during the operation, reducing the risk of complications. Pain after surgery is also reduced.
  • Less bleeding- The laser seals small blood vessels during surgery.
  • Less swelling- Laser energy does not crush, tear or bruise because there is no physical contact with the tissue.

  • Reduced risk of infection- The laser sterilizes as it removes diseased tissue, killing bacteria that cause infection
  • Precision- The laser can remove unhealthy tissue without affecting or removing surrounding healthy tissue.
  • Quick return to normal activities- Healing is rapid and there is less post-operative discomfort.
  • Laser procedures reduce the trauma to your pet, improve healing, and may shorten time spent in the veterinary hospital.

No. Laser technology has been proven to work for more than 20 years- human doctors have used lasers to help many thousands of people. Capeside Animal Hospital is please to be the first veterinary hospital in North Brunswick County to offer Laser Surgery specifically for animals.

A laser is ideal for a wide variety of surgical procedures for dogs, cats, and other animals. Laser surgery can correct many common conditions such as cysts, tumors, warts, and infections that may occur around the eyes, ears, in the mouth, and anywhere on the skin. Specialized internal procedures are also possible.