If the veterinarian believes that the patient would benefit from the skills and experience of a surgical specialist the doctor will refer the patient to an ACVS board certified veterinary surgeon. Surgical procedures typically handled by an ACVS specialist include orthopedic procedures, which often require use of special instrumentation and implants, exploratory surgeries of the chest and abdomen, neurological surgeries, reconstructive and plastic surgery. As in people many pets will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. The diagnosis of cancer can be devastating to the pet owner. Today however many options are available in an attempt to treat cancer and return the pet to a good quality of life with their family.
Surgery is often the primary way to treat a solitary form of cancer.
An ACVS trained surgical specialist can assist the pet s regular veterinarian in developing a treatment plan. Often the initial veterinarian makes the diagnosis and performs additional tests to stage or determine the extent of cancer that is present. These staging tests include radiographs, blood tests, ultrasound, and biopsy procedures. Once a diagnosis has been determined and often after initial staging tests have been performed the surgical specialist is consulted. Depending upon the type and location of the cancer the surgeon may recommend additional staging tests or advanced tests such as, CT scan, MRI, or nuclear medicine to plan the surgical approach.