What is soft tissue surgery?

The body’s soft tissues are those parts not associated with the nervous (e.g. brain) and musculoskeletal (bone) systems. At Adelaide Plains Veterinary Surgery, soft tissue surgery is a broad discipline encompassing many of the surgeries you will be familiar with.

Common soft tissue surgical procedures performed by our expert vets include pet desexing, large mass or lump removals, reproductive surgery, respiratory and chest surgery, heart surgery, liver surgery and intestinal surgery. Using advanced technology in our state of the art vet clinic many surgeries can be minimally invasive.

If your pet requires soft tissue surgery our friendly staff will explain to you exactly what’s involved and what you’ll need to do, but here are the basics.

In the morning

You will be greeted by our friendly reception team the morning of surgery, and your pet will be admitted into our surgical ward by one of our experienced surgical nurses. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to care for your pet. We’ll do a pre-anaesthetic exam (including blood testing if required). Your pet will be provided with a comfortable bed and will usually be administered a light sedation a few hours before the surgery is scheduled to assist In keeping them calm and relaxed prior to their procedure.

During surgery

General anaesthesia will be administered by our expert surgeon, and surgery is performed under close observation from the team of experienced nursing staff. Blood pressure, breathing rate and blood oxygen levels are monitored while our expert surgeon carries out the operation. We continue to monitor the pet during the recovery stage and they will be clean, dry, warm and settled in our state of the art vet practice.

What then?

In most cases pets are able to return home once they are awake, walking, and have their pain under control. If there are any concerns about a pet’s recovery, we may keep them overnight for observation – your pet’s health is our top priority. On discharge our experienced team will provide you with comprehensive post-surgery care instructions.

If you’re worried about your pet’s health, call Adelaide Plains Veterinary Surgery to make an appointment today, (08) 8520 3600