Frequently Asked Questions

What to expect on my first appointment?

Orthopedics accepts initial appointments on Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Plan to be here for a good portion of the day. Your pet will receive a physical and orthopedic examination. Then, we will suggest a diagnostic workup and give an estimate for that testing (usually a stance analyzer, and x-rays). If you agree to testing, you leave your pet for diagnostics and return 2 to 4 hours later. At that time, we will discuss our findings and recommendations for treatment including surgical options. Surgery will be scheduled on a different day of the consultation unless it is deemed an emergency.

How to prepare for the appointment?

Because in most cases we will use reversible sedation to get diagnostic quality imaging, we ask that your pet be fasted for the appointment. That means NO FOOD after 12:00 pm the night before and no sedative type medications the morning of the appointment. Access to fresh drinking water is allowed at all times.

It is helpful if you bring along the medications your pet is currently taking. If your pet has a sensitive stomach or is on a special diet, you should bring that food with you as well.

If you have blood work results, X-rays and other information from your veterinarian, please bring them with you to the appointment.

When will my pet’s surgery be scheduled?

If your pet is a surgical candidate, the surgery and details of the hospital stay will be discussed the day of the consultation. Surgeries are typically performed on a different day following your appointment.

All pets must stay the night of the surgery and sometimes one more night depending on how they recover. We will call you every day while your pet is in the hospital to update you on their progress.

Will we have to come back?

Most orthopedic surgeries require recheck appointments. Depending on the procedure performed, rechecks will be done from 2 weeks to at least 10-12 weeks following surgery. Your pet will need to be fasted for that appointment as well. That means NO FOOD after 10:00 pm the night before and no sedative type medications the morning of the appointment.

Some rechecks can be done at your primary care veterinarian (suture or staple removal). However, in most situations it is preferable for us to perform the recheck appointments.

Post-operative recheck appointments can be scheduled for Mondays through Friday. There is a small charge for the exam, sedation, and X-rays. These appointments can be shorter but often still involve a few hours total time.

How much will it cost?

For orthopedic appointments, the typical cost of an examination, sedation and set of x-rays of 1 area of interest is roughly $500 to $650.

The cost of surgical procedures varies greatly depending on the type of surgery and ranges based on the specific condition. Following your appointment, we will provide you with a more specific estimate.

Please note that we require a deposit of payment of the low end of the estimate when you leave your pet for care.

Do we have weekend hours?

We do not see appointments on the weekend. However, it is not uncommon to release a patient after surgery on a Saturday morning (typically between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m.). If you will be coming to pick up on a weekend, you will be given an arrival time. You must make arrangements to arrive at that time.

Do I have to have more X-rays taken?

We understand that taking more X-rays may seem redundant. However, in order to make our surgical plan, we need to look closely at certain things. Those things are not always visible in older X-rays or the X-rays your veterinarian took as a screening process.

Our surgeons sometimes need different views, different positioning or more recent films. We will NOT take extra X-rays if we don’t need to. It is the surgeon’s discretion to make that decision.

Can you do X-Rays without sedation?

Positioning for some X-rays can be awkward and slightly uncomfortable. It is very rare that we can get the exact positioning we need to make a surgical plan without sedation. It is beneficial to your pet to be sedated and have some pain medication available for the type of positioning we need.

Can I board my pet at the hospital?

We do not have the staff or facilities to simply board a pet. However, sometimes surgery requires a longer hospitalization or an extended stay for medical needs.

Do you offer physical rehabilitation?

Yes, on all post-operative cases we will give you a physical rehabilitation plan to follow at home starting the day after surgery. Home exercises are included in most surgical estimates.

Surgical estimate

Because we bill for each service rendered, you never pay for something your pet did not get. However, it can be difficult to give exact estimates for many procedures. An extra bandage, night in the hospital, or pain medication can make a difference in your final bill. Our surgery estimates are rough estimates only. The numbers reflect our best knowledge of the potential cost of your bill during your pet’s hospital stay for the evaluation and surgery.

These estimates include the exam, routine diagnostic work up (x-rays, advanced imaging, blood work), surgery, anesthesia, the immediate post-operative care, and post-operative medications. The surgeon will give you a more specific estimate. You will need to leave a deposit when you leave your pet for care.

What are my payment options?

For payments you have several options: paying with credit cards, checks, or cash.

The other payment options, including CareCredit, which is an interest-free payment plan. You’ll have to apply online and, based on your credit score, be approved for a certain allowance.

​​​​​​​We do have pet portal with Trupanion pet insurance which will give us an answer regarding their coverage based on the estimate given to your pet.