Do we do any general practice?
No, we don't do any general practice, only our specialties. We only accept patients that have been referred to us by a primary care veterinarian. At the conclusion of that patient's treatment, they return to their primary care veterinarian for their general healthcare.

What kind of anesthesia do you use?
Each of the doctors at South Bay Veterinary Specialists are in charge of the anesthesia protocol for their cases. However, all have the same philosophy when it comes to general anesthesia. We believe that only the safest and most up to date agents should be used and each case should have complete preanesthetic evaluation and constant monitoring. This means that each case undergoes a complete physical examination and preanesthetic lab evaluation. If approved by the doctor, then an anesthestic premedication is given to relax the patient, dry their oral and respiratory secretions, and maintain a normal heart rate. After they are relaxed, an intravenous catheter is placed and they are given a rapid intravenous induction agent and placed on Isoflurane gas anesthesia. Isoflurane is considered the state of the art gas anesthetic agent in veterinary medicine. Each case is monitored at all times by a certified Animal Health Technician (AHT) using visual assessment scores in addition to an EKG, Respiratory Monitor, Pulse Oximeter, Blood Pressure Monitor and computerized pump driven intravenous fluids. Each patient is monitored by the technician until they extubated and fully awake. We perform over 1000 anesthesia cases every year.

Will my pet be in pain after surgery?
Unfortunately any person or animal that undergoes a surgical procedure almost always suffers some discomfort postoperatively. No veterinarian likes to see their patient in discomfort. In addition to that fact, there is scientific data that confirms that patients medicated for pain postoperatively make faster and more successful recoveries. Even though some patients appear to be in only mild discomfort or none at all, it is hard to tell. Therefore, at SBVS, all patients that have painful conditions or are postoperative are routinely given narcotic pain relievers. One of the advantages of 24 hour care at SBVS is that there are doctors in the hospital round the clock and they can therefore make sure your pet has as painfree recovery as possible. Additionally, we now offer the option for you to bring your pet in the day before a surgical procedure to have a fentanyl patch applied. This is a transdermal (through the skin) narcotic pain relief system that takes about 8 - 12 hours to become fully effective. Why do this? Because pain research has shown that if narcotics are on board before pain receptors are stimulated they are significantly more effective at blocking the recognition of pain. The end result is a less painful recovery.

What is board certification?
This means that a veterinarian has completed an AVMA approved residency training program in a specific specialty and has passed an examination given by that specialty board certifying that they are qualified to practice that specialty.  The guidelines of the American Board of Specialties of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) state that only veterinarians that are board certified may advertise and refer to themselves as veterinary specialists.

What is a Diplomate?
Diplomate is the designation given to veterinarians that have passed a specialty board and have received the diploma for that specialty college. There are presently 20 specialties in veterinary medicine today, such as the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. A board certified surgeon is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.