Surgery

The high level of training and experience of VRCC’s surgeons Henry L’Eplattenier and Laurent Findji as well as the state-of-the-art surgical and anaesthesia equipment of the surgical suites allow the widest range of procedures to be performed: soft tissue surgery, orthopaedics and neurosurgery, plus minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery such as laparoscopy and thoracoscopy.

Surgery at VRCCMany surgical patients are first seen for a consultation with one of the surgeons. Others are transferred to the surgery team from the medicine or oncology department. Patients are usually admitted after the consultation and in most cases the operation is performed the following day, although in cases where more tests are required, surgery is sometimes scheduled at a later date.

Surgical procedures performed by our surgical team include:

  • Thoracic surgery: removal of lung tumours and other tumours in the chest or chest wall, treatment of chylothorax or pyothorax, pericardectomy.
  • Head & neck operations: brachycephalic airway obstruction, laryngeal paralysis, oral tumours, total ear canal ablation, salivary mucocoeles.
  • Gastro-intestinal surgery: treatment of oral tumours, removal of foreign bodies from the oesophagus, stomach and intestine, removal of tumours of the GI tract, perianal surgery (perineal hernia, anal sac problems, etc.)
  • Urogenital surgery: ectopic ureter, urethral obstruction, bladder stones, prostatic disease, kidney tumours, trauma to the urinary tract
  • Other abdominal procedures: surgery of the liver and pancreas, tumours of the adrenal glands
  • Removal of skin tumours including reconstruction, where necessary
  • Management of complicated wounds
  • Neurosurgery: cervical and thoraco-lumbar disc herniation
  • Orthopaedics: management of trauma (fractures, luxations and sprains), amputations

Our highly qualified surgeons would not be able to perform the most advanced surgical procedures and offer the highest standards of care if they did not have the support of a vet specialised in anaesthesia as well as dedicated interns and nursing staff who can provide intensive care to our surgical patients 24 hours a day, if necessary (including oxygen therapy, blood transfusions, etc.). The surgeons discuss every case with the anaesthetist thereby ensuring that an optimal treatment is given to manage intra- and postoperative pain. Owners can therefore be reassured that even if their cat or their dog is undergoing a serious operation, everything will be undertaken to try and keep their pet as comfortable as possible.

VRCC is staffed and equipped to accept surgical emergencies 24/7, 365 days per year