Soft Tissue Surgery

We’re open 7 days a week until 7 pm at both Darlinghurst and Double Bay, enabling us to handle urgent surgical cases during these hours. Our

Abdominal Surgery:

• Emergency splenectomy for bleeding splenic masses
• Intestinal surgery for foreign body obstruction or perforation
• Bladder stone removal
• Gastric surgery, including gastropexy for bloat prevention
• Exploratory surgery when diagnostics indicate abdominal disease

Mass Removals:

• Skin and subcutaneous mass excision
• Tumour removal with appropriate surgical margins
• Reconstructive procedures following extensive mass removal

Emergency Procedures:

• Pyometra surgery
• Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) surgery when presented during opening hours
• Wound repair and trauma surgery

We close at 7 pm daily. For after-hours emergencies or cases requiring overnight intensive monitoring, we coordinate transfer to nearby emergency veterinary services. This ensures your pet receives appropriate 24-hour monitoring and critical care when medically necessary.

We don’t have staff on-site overnight. Stable post-operative patients go home the same day or next morning with pain medication and detailed instructions. Patients requiring overnight monitoring are transferred to emergency centres equipped for continuous care.

Modern anaesthesia protocols, advanced monitoring equipment, and experienced surgical nurses work together to minimise risk. We use:

• Pre-operative health screening and blood work
• Intravenous fluid support throughout procedures
• Multiparameter monitoring (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide, temperature)
• Multimodal pain management beginning before surgery
• Anaesthesia protocols tailored to each pet’s health status and procedure type

Our surgical nurses have worked together for years—many have been with us for over a decade. This team cohesion matters enormously. When everyone knows their role and trusts one another, surgeries run smoothly and pets recover more comfortably.

Surgical outcomes depend on multiple factors:

• Procedure type and complexity
• Patient age, health status, and concurrent conditions
• Severity of disease being treated
• Post-operative care compliance at home

We discuss realistic expectations before surgery, explaining what success looks like for your pet’s specific procedure. Not every surgical patient returns to perfect function, but most experience significant improvement in comfort and quality of life.

Complications occasionally occur: infection, wound dehiscence, bleeding, or anaesthetic reactions. When they do, we manage them. You won’t navigate these problems alone.

For minor complications, such as seroma formation or superficial wound issues, we guide management over the phone or schedule brief rechecks for patients. For significant complications, we schedule immediate reassessment and provide necessary intervention or arrange external specialist consultation when appropriate.

Surgery affects the whole family. From your first consultation through discharge and recovery, you work with the same team that genuinely cares about outcomes. We provide honest surgical risk assessment, transparent cost estimates, and realistic recovery expectations.

If surgery isn’t the best option, we’ll be honest with you and discuss alternatives.

For more information on Soft Tissue Surgery, contact Vet HQ Darlinghurst or Double Bay.