HUNT VALLEY, Md., Jan. 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Dr. Allan Frank, Hunt Valley Animal Hospital is one of the few veterinary hospitals in Maryland that provides minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery. The Hunt Valley veterinarian says that he and his team have invested considerable resources and study over the past few years to equip the animal vet clinic with modern surgical tools and to train in advanced surgical techniques. Dr. Frank says these techniques require much smaller incisions and result in fewer complications, less bleeding and faster recovery times. He says these advances help with urgent surgeries as well as wellness surgeries such as spay and neuter operations.
The Hunt Valley veterinarian, who has been performing pet surgeries since 1984, explains that many of the techniques he and his team use are the same as those used in advanced human surgeries. "Pets experience pain and complications from surgery just as humans do. We started doing laparoscopic pet surgery a way of making surgery easier on pets—and it actually enhances our ability to be very precise and exact so there are fewer complications."
Dr. Frank explains that laparoscopic surgery involves smaller incisions and tiny cameras. He says that a traditional spay surgery on a female pet, for example, usually requires a long abdominal incision to remove the uterus and ovaries. His animal vet clinic, however, provides the option of just removing the ovaries via laparoscopy. He says two or three tiny incisions are made. Into one, he inserts a tiny camera attached to a thin rod. The camera transmits a clear, magnified image onto a monitor that enables the surgeon to operate precisely, he says, while disturbing less of the surrounding tissue. Dr. Frank adds that pets are usually up and about much sooner after laparoscopic procedures.
According to Dr. Frank, there are many types of advanced surgery provided at the animal hospital. He mentions that for large breed dogs, he often recommends doing a gastropexy along with the spay surgery so that there are even fewer incisions and surgical appointments. During a gastropexy, the dog's stomach is attached to its abdominal wall to prevent a common, but deadly condition in which the stomach becomes twisted. Another advanced technique he mentions is surgery to shorten an elongated soft palate in short-nosed dog breeds such as boxers, bulldogs and pugs. He says this surgery enables these breeds to breathe more easily.
Dr. Frank adds that these advanced surgical techniques enhance pet wellness. "Sometimes pets need surgery to survive. Our goal is to use techniques that make the process smoother, less complicated and easier to recover from. Less cutting equals faster healing."
Hunt Valley Animal Hospital provides all aspects of pet care including wellness care, holistic treatments, pet dental care and advanced surgical techniques. To learn more, visit the animal vet clinic's website at http://huntvalleyanimalhospital.com.
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