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VRC is proud to be a participating hospital for a new treatment option called Synovetin OA®, NOW AVAILABLE!

Synovetin OA® is a unique way to treat arthritis in dogs. It’s not a daily NSAID pill or chew, and it’s not joint surgery. Synovetin OA is just one simple, safe, fast, non-surgical injection that gives your dog up to ONE full year of relief. Because Synovetin OA is dosed directly into the elbow joint, right where it hurts, it targets the source of the inflammation and pain that cause your dog to limp. And Synovetin OA is not absorbed into your dog’s body like traditional dog arthritis treatments, so you can be confident that it’s a safe and effective choice.

How Can I Tell If My Dog Is Suffering From Osteoarthritis Pain?

Many dogs suffering from OA pain are not treated, as owners often attribute decreases in activity or playfulness to old age. Although pets may sleep more and become less active with age, any change in activity level should raise a red flag and warrants a veterinary evaluation. Unfortunately, OA-related activity changes often occur gradually, and owners may not notice that their pet no longer plays and runs as they once did. Signs that may indicate your dog is experiencing OA pain include:

• Lethargy
• Difficulty rising
• Exercising only in short spurts
• Hesitation or refusal to jump onto furniture or go up and down stairs
• Grumpiness
• Limping or lameness

Synovetin OA As a Treatment Option

This injection has been proven effective in the treatment of dogs with elbow OA. Synovetin OA® works by treating the disease at the source by targeting and deactivating the inflammation-producing cells for up to 12 months. Studies show a 92% success rate in dogs with mild and moderate elbow osteoarthritis. No significant side effects or safety issues have been reported.

Benefits include:

• Improving a dog’s active lifestyle
• Providing long-lasting pain relief
• May help keep OA from getting worse

Synovetin OA® treatments are administered by our board-certified surgeons, Kelsey Cappelle, VMD, DACVS,  Jason Coggeshall, DVM, DACVS-SA, and Brittany Neal, VMD, DACVS.

Additional information can be found here:
• Pet Owners
• Veterinarians

If your dog is currently receiving OA medications but still showing signs of pain, speak with your family veterinarian about additional options that can keep them more comfortable.

Ophthalmology

VRC’s Veterinary Ophthalmology service specializes in treating diseases of the eye in small animals and is pleased to offer a wide arrange of ophthalmic procedures and surgeries:

• Fluorescein Stain
• Horner’s Test
• Schirmer Tear Test
• Tonometry
• Aqueous Paracentesis
• Corneal Scraping/Conjunctival Scraping
• Dry Debridement
• Eyelid Laceration Repair
• Gonioscopy
• Grid Keratotomy / Diamond Burr
• Nasolacrimal Duct Flush
• Subconjunctival Injection
• Corneal Conjunctival Transposition
• Conjunctival Flap
• Entropion
• Enucleation
• Exenteration
• Eyelid Mass Removal – Wedge
• Eyelid Tacking
• Intrascleral Prosthesis
• Keratectomy – Superficial
• Parotid Duct Transportation
• Prolapsed Third Eyelid Gland Repair
• Proptosis Replacement
• Cataract Surgery
• Corneal Laceration/ Perforation Repair
• Distichiasis Removal
• Ectopic Cilia Removal
• Intracapsular Lens Extraction
• Ocular Ultrasound

Common Diseases of the Eye:

• Cataracts—More common in dogs than cats, a cataract is a loss of transparency in the lens. If you’ve noticed a milky haze, white streaks or other opacity in your pet’s eyes, cataract surgery could be an option to restore vision.
• Cherry eye—Unlike humans, dogs and cats have a “third eyelid.” The tear gland in that eyelid can prolapse, creating a red and swollen mass known as cherry eye. Surgery will bring your pet comfort now—and could spare you both from daily rounds of dry-eye medication later.
• Corneal ulcers—Caused by a variety of factors, from injury to endocrine diseases, the type of corneal ulcer helps determine the best path for treatment. While medication sometimes controls pain and infection, deeper ulcers may require surgery.
• Entropion—Cuddly fur and eyelashes are part of your pet’s charm, but they can play a troublesome role for some cats and dogs. The eyelid margins can invert, allowing hair or lashes to rub the cornea. Ulcers and perforations can occur, so surgery in these cases is usually recommended.
• Eyelid neoplasms—While most eyelid growths in dogs are benign, surgical removal can provide relief from discomfort. Immediate treatment is critical with cats, however, as their eyelid neoplasms are usually malignant.
• Glaucoma—The leading cause of blindness in animals and people, glaucoma is an interruption to the flow of fluid through the eye, allowing painful pressure to build up. Early medical and surgical treatments can help maintain vision in one or both eyes.

Anesthesiology & Pain Management

VRC is pleased to offer anesthesiology and pain management for the comfort and safety of our patients. We provide the following services to patients, owners, and referring veterinary community:
– Pre-operative anesthesia consults
– Advice on peri-anesthetic management
– Advanced ultrasound-guided locoregional analgesia techniques
– Perioperative neuromuscular function monitoring
– In-house post-operative pain management

Pain Management

Unlike most humans who are able to verbally communicate discomfort, pets can only communicate with us with changes in their behavior. These changes are often subtle, even in the face of significant pain.

Left untreated, painful animals experience dramatic declines in overall health with adverse effects on multiple body systems. Ultimately, quality of life can rapidly deteriorate. The consequence of a pet’s suffering can also damage the bond between a pet and his/her human family.

Our pain management team is here to give you the tools you need to identify whether your companion is painful and provide an individualized and multimodal approach to the treatment of his/her condition. This may include medications alone or in combination with a variety of other treatment approaches.

Arthroscopic Surgery

OVERVIEW
VRC takes pride in offering concerned pet owners the most up-to-date technologies available for the assessment and treatment of your dog or cat. When it comes to arthroscopic (joint-related) surgeries, our veterinary surgeons believe in using minimally invasive tools and techniques such as tiny scope cameras that can be inserted via incisions of less than a quarter-inch to look inside of your pet’s joint. The images taken by these cameras can then be magnified in order to diagnose a problem quickly and accurately. These small incisions reduce your pet’s recovery time post-surgery, while also causing the least amount of scarring, pain, and overall risk to your pet’s health. Arthroscopic procedures are usually outpatient surgeries, or involve a simple overnight stay, so that your dog or cat can be back at home as quickly as possible to recover where they’re most comfortable.

SPECIALTIES

Arthroscopic surgery allows VRC’s veterinarians to see a bigger and more detailed picture of what’s going on inside your pet’s joint. Sometimes, joint problems are too small to be seen without an enlarged image to review. Our minimally invasive arthroscopic surgical procedures can be applied to a variety of concerns, such as:

• Elbow dysplasia
• Fragmented medial coronoid disease
• Diagnosis of torn cranial cruciate ligaments
• Ligament and tendon injuries
• Removal of osteochondral fragments
• Treatment of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in shoulders, elbows, and knees

Please contact us for more details, and to find out how we can help your pet. CONTACT US