Surgery For Small Animals.
The past few decades have seen a period of continuing advances in the art and science of veterinary surgery. Even the last few years have seen advances of great value. In the field of surgery, operations are carried out today which a few years ago could not have been contemplated.
Operations into the chest cavity or intra-thoracic surgery involving vital organs such as the gullet lungs and heart are now part of the surgeon’s skills. The “pinning” of bones, where the old-fashioned and cumbersome splint has gone by the board, has resulted in finer and more rapid repair, with far less pain and discomfort to the patient. Prostatectomy, or removal of the prostate gland which causes so much trouble in the older male dog, has now become commonplace and is now one of the most recent conditions to come within the range of the surgeon. Small animal cardiology has also advanced with new techniques available including the use of a CT scan.
While a PET scan is useful for measuring functions such as blood flow, oxygen use and a patient’s glucose metabolism in order to see how particular organs are working, a CT scan is more useful for providing internal images with anatomic information. When combined in the way described above doctors have access to a wealth of information that enables them to “see” exactly what is wrong with a person and how serious the condition is. When used together these two scans (or modalities) create synergy – they can provide much more detailed information and prove to be far more valuable than when used separately. For more information on the best animal care London has to offer click here.
In the scope of the clinicians the antibiotics have greatly widened the horizons of veterinary medicine. The newer antibiotics have a broad spectrum activity which means that they are very effective against a wide range of disease-producing organisms. Nevertheless virus diseases have still to be conquered by antibiotics or chemo-therapeutic agents, but their life also is limited. The newer antibiotics have also the added advantage of being far less weakening or harmful to the patient and thus enable a more rapid recovery.
The fact that many are effective when given by mouth means that the patient can often be nursed at home and suffer less disturbance as a result. For the aged patient the cortisone group of drugs have resulted in the great saving of both life and also discomfort. In cases of eye damage or disease, this group of drugs has saved the sight of hundreds of animals which before would have become blind, or even have died.
