Surgery at Keauhou Veterinary Hospital is performed in an operating suite on-site. We utilize state of the art equipment including Pulse Oximetery, ECG, and blood pressure monitoring, fluids and IV catheters for every surgery. At Keauhou Veterinary Hospital we believe in giving you the total cost for the surgery. These items are already included in our cost for these services. Your pet’s safety is our priority and we believe every animal, like people deserve to have fluids during surgery and having a catheter in place allows us do that. It also allows us to give emergency medications quickly should we need to. We also include a complimentary nail trim for every patient during sedation for surgery in our facility. (Hawaii Island Humane Society surgeries have the option of these services at the additional cost charged to our regular clients.)

Pain Management at Keauhou Veterinary Hospital is not optional. Any time you have an injured animal or an animal that is going into surgery as an elective procedure, they deserve the benefits of pain management. It has been proven that animals heal faster and with fewer complications when they are properly managed with pain medications.

There is a difference between anti-inflammatory medication and analgesics. Certain medications work well for swelling, however they have little or short-acting effects on pain. That is why Dr. Head makes sure that every animal is offered pain medication before surgery and immediately after surgery. These pets will be sent home with additional medication during the recovery period after their procedure. Dr. Head has extensive training in surgery and orthopedics. He has taken both basic and advanced orthopedic training through Synthes. They are one of the founders of orthopedic bone plating theory, application and orthopedic equipment for both humans and animals. At Keauhou Veterinary Hospital we pride ourselves on using their equipment to obtain the best possible results for your pets. Dr. Head also completed a 12-month small animal medicine and surgical internship in New Mexico at a large multi-doctor referral practice.

He has taken the Kyon Tibial Tuberosity Advancement training and our facility is equipped with their specific surgical packs and instruments for this procedure. Please see additional information on this surgery under surgery and orthopedics on this website.

It is our goal to make sure your pet is comfortable and has a safe environment in which to have surgery. All of our surgical staff has been trained and logged countless hours in surgery. Dr. Head and our nursing staff want the best possible outcome for your pet.

You will be asked to sign a consent form prior to your pets surgery, please read this form carefully, as all surgery carries risk factors and we want you to feel informed and understand the form you are signing. As always if you have questions prior to surgery or about one of the many procedures we perform here in our hospital please don’t hesitate to ask.