A board certified surgeon is a veterinarian who has trained extensively in the discipline of small animal surgery and has considerable experience in that area. In addition to 4 years of veterinary school, boarded surgeons have completed at minimum a one year general internship (or private practice equivalent of 5 years), a three year small animal surgical residency approved by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, and successfully completed a rigorous board certification exam.

Just as humans are treated by specialists for a variety of medical reasons, animals too should be treated by veterinary specialists when advanced care is warranted.  There are many reasons why your vet may recommend referring your pet to a surgical specialist.   A specialist’s expertise compliments that of your pet’s primary care veterinarian to ensure the best outcome for your pet.  

The reasons for a surgical specialist referral will be individual to you and your pet. Examples may include:

• Complex surgical procedures that your general practice cannot provide or when specialist equipment is needed.
• 24 hour care and post-operative monitoring is necessary.
• Advanced imaging is required for diagnosis, such as CT imaging, ultrasound, or digital radiology.
• Second opinions in complicated or unusual cases

We are open from 8am – 5pm Monday through Thursday, and 8am – 3pm on Fridays.  Surgery is performed Monday through Thursday.  STVS is closed during most major Holidays.

South Texas Veterinary Surgery is a referral-only hospital. Only your veterinarian can refer your pet to a specialist. We work hand-in-hand with your primary care veterinarian to provide the best overall care plan for your pet. If your pet is in need of surgery, please contact your primary care veterinarian directly to have them send a referral and your pet’s medical records. Once the information is received, we will reach out to you directly to schedule a consultation for you and your pet with our board-certified veterinary surgeon.

It is vital for you to do a few things before you come to your appointment.

Make sure you have allowed enough time in your schedule for the appointment. It is likely that you may be at the hospital for over an hour, depending if additional diagnostics or in-house bloodwork is needed.

Ensure your pet is leashed or in a secure carrier. For the safety of your pet, and other clients and pets, please do not allow your pet to socialize with other animals or clients. New surroundings and experiences can be stressful and some pets can become unexpectedly reactive and respond in an unpredictable manner. Please be sure to stay attentive to your pet at all times. 

Bring all current medications in their original prescription containers with clear and legible prescription labels. By law, and for the safety of your pet, we cannot accept medications that are not clearly marked. You may bring controlled substances to show and confirm the name and dosage during the consultation, but if your pet stays for surgery, controlled substances are not permitted to stay with your pet.

If you are considering same day surgery, be prepared to leave your pet. Please do NOT leave personal objects, which are unlikely to get back to you in a busy hospital setting where things get sent to the laundry regularly. If it is something that is important to your pet, and your pet and/or you would be sad not to get it back, please DO NOT leave it! STVS provides bedding and blankets to keep your pet cozy and comfortable during their overnight stay.

If you are considering same day surgery, please DO NOT feed your pet the morning of the appointment unless your pet is Diabetic, or under 6 months of age.  Please remove food 12 hours prior to the appointment, but continue access to water at all times.  If medications are required, you may give it to your pet with a small meatball of food to hide the medications.  If you are unsure about whether it is appropriate to feed your pet, please call us for clarification.

If you are considering same day surgery, please bring 2 pre-measured meals (no raw diets) in pre-portioned bags or containers.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you cannot make your scheduled appointment or if you need to reschedule.  Cancellations or rescheduling within 24 hours of the appointment time will incur a fee.

All pets undergoing anesthesia are required to have blood work performed within the past 30 days.  Your pet’s overall health is important to evaluate prior to anesthesia.  Blood work allows the surgeon to evaluate certain vital organ functions prior to mediation administration.  We highly recommend that your referring Veterinarian submit a full panel of blood work prior to your surgical consultation.  If there are any abnormalities, the blood work may need to be repeated the day of surgery.  If no bloodwork has been completed within 30 days, we can perform this in-house the same day of your pet’s surgery.

If you are considering same day surgery, please DO NOT feed your pet the morning of the appointment unless your pet is Diabetic, or under 6 months of age.  Please remove food 12 hours prior to the appointment, but continue access to water at all times.  If medications are required, you may give it to your pet with a small meatball of food to hide the medications.  If you are unsure about whether it is appropriate to feed your pet, please call us for clarification.

You will check in at the front desk. Once there is an available technician and an exam room, you and your pet will be called to the back. Once in an exam room, the technician will take a history from you and assemble any other information that you have brought with you.

Once the technician has spoken with the doctor, we will return to the room to continue the conversation and perform our exam. A general physical examination will be done, followed by an orthopedic exam, a neurologic exam, or both. It is possible that we will remove your pet from the exam room for gait analysis, as this cannot be done in a small area.

We will discuss the exam findings along with whatever diagnostic information you have brought with you (blood work, radiographs, etc.) and make a plan for either further testing or surgical options. If your pet does not require extensive further testing, it is possible that surgery could occur that afternoon.

Following surgery, you will be contacted by the technician and/or the doctor to let you know how the procedure went and how your pet is recovering.

Your pet will stay in the hospital at least one night after surgery. This allows your pet to recover from their anesthetic event on intravenous fluids, scheduled pain medications, and we perform continuous monitoring of their vitals so that both you and your pet can get a good night’s rest. They will be attended by an overnight technician who has direct access to the surgeon should any questions arise regarding your pet’s care.

The following morning, the surgeon will perform another examination on your pet and will determine if your pet is eligible to be discharged from our care. Once the patient is cleared for discharge, we will provide you with a final update and confirm your pet’s discharge appointment time. Discharge appointments may take up to 30 minutes, so please plan accordingly.

A skilled overnight veterinary technician attends to our hospitalized patients.  They have direct access to the surgeon should any questions arise regarding your pet’s care.  The hospital’s telephone system does not accept incoming calls overnight (5pm to 8am).

STVS is a cashless facility.  We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, as well as Care Credit and Scratch Pay. A deposit will be required prior to leaving your pet for surgery, and the balance will be paid when you pick up your pet.

Specialist treatment is typically more expensive than you might be used to.  At the appointment, treatment options will be discussed and estimates of anticipated costs are provided.  If financially you are not able to pursue the recommended options, then we will modify treatment to something affordable for you, or you may make the decision not to treat your pet.  Our job is to give you all the options, let you know what the best options are, and then let you make your decision with all the information provided.  We also are able to provide you with third party credit organization options: Care Credit and Scratch pay.

You will receive detailed instructions about your pets specific surgery at the time of discharge. A technician will go over the instructions with you in detail. You will sign the discharge instructions, signifying that we went over it with you and that you understand your role in your pet’s recovery. We will not let you leave unless you understand what we are asking you to do!

If applicable, the discharge instructions will also have information regarding physical therapy for your pet’s condition. You will be given a link to a video that will help explain and demonstrate how to perform physical therapy at home.

Any questions that you have regarding aftercare can be directed to our technicians during regular business hours by calling the main phone number: 210-962-5388, Option 1 for Surgery.

If questions arise on a weekend or holiday, you may contact the helpline number on your pet’s discharge paperwork.  You may call or send a text or a picture of any concerns you may have regarding your pet’s recent surgery.  This line is monitored from 12pm to 6pm on weekends and holidays only.  

Please remember that this is NOT an emergency line.  If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency please contact your regular veterinarian, or your previously designated 24 hour emergency hospital. Some after hour hospitals you may contact are Mission, EPC/Thrive, or BluePearl.  If the emergency is related to why your pet was under the care of STVS, please be sure to update us at your earliest convenience to alert the surgeon of your patient’s current status.

Every pet is different and giving medications will vary among all of them!

Some patients are oblivious and will eat their medications if placed in their food bowl, especially if they are chewable tablets.

You may hide medications in a yummy treat such as a canned version of your pet’s food, or ‘Pill Pockets’ which are available at most pet stores.

Some patients are more difficult and you must give it orally. A ‘Pet Piller’ may be necessary to safely administer medications; these are available at most pet stores. This is a syringe type device with a soft applicator tip that has a plunger which allows the tablet or capsule to go further into your pet’s mouth to easily swallow.

If you know that you or your pet prefers liquid medications versus tablets or capsules, please let us know. There are times when we can make a substitution to help make your life easier.

Please note that some medications need to be given on an empty stomach, or with food.

Please note that some medications require refrigeration.

ALWAYS check the label prior to giving medications, and keep a log of when medications are given, especially if there is more than one person responsible for medicating your pet.

It is advised that you time pain medications 30-45 minutes prior to physical therapy sessions, it will make physical therapy more comfortable for your pet and easier for you.  If you are still experiencing trouble, please contact us so we can discuss referring you to a rehabilitation and physical therapy hospital. Professional physical therapy can help treat arthritis, orthopedic conditions, muscle development, ligament, and many other types of injury. It also helps with general recovery, obesity, and fitness training.

STVS is a referral only hospital and does not treat emergencies.  If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency that must be addressed after hours, on weekends, or on holidays please contact your regular veterinarian, or your previously designated 24 hour emergency hospital. Some after hour hospitals you may contact are Mission, EPC/Thrive, or BluePearl.  If the emergency is related to why your pet was under the care of STVS, please be sure to update us at your earliest convenience to alert the surgeon of your patient’s current status.

STVS is a referral only hospital and does not treat emergencies.  If your pet is experiencing a medical emergency during normal business hours, please contact your regular veterinarian, or your previously designated 24 hour emergency hospital.  Some after hour hospitals you may contact are Mission, EPC/Thrive, or BluePearl.  If the emergency is related to why your pet was under the care of STVS, please be sure to update us at your earliest convenience to alert the surgeon of your patient’s current status.