Pet Surgery Pricing

The cranial cruciate ligament (CCL), also known as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans, is found in the knee (called the stifle in pets). When this ligament is torn, an abnormal shearing force occurs causing pain and arthritis over time. The lateral suture surgical technique places a false ligament on the outside of the joint to stabilize the knee allowing return of function and slowing the progression of arthritis. Pets must have strict rest post-op to allow scar tissue to form.  Crate rest is the only way to ensure pets will lie still and rest. A crate is required, and the pet must stay in the crate, other than to go to the bathroom, for the first 2 weeks. It is up to you to keep your pet calm and under control. It is the pushing off / accelerating forward/ jumping motion that can cause your pet to damage the repair. Even after the crate rest period, no exercise should be allowed for 6 weeks. Pets must stay on a short leash when outside and under control at all times to prevent above mentioned movements. Crate rest should be used for a longer period if your pet will not behave calmly out of the crate after the first 2 weeks. Learn More and Watch our ACL Video (Cruciate ligament repair done with the lateral suture technique)

The most common reasons for amputations include growths, trauma, and dislocation. Pets are not vain and do not care how they look as long as they continue to receive love. Pets do very well with only 3 legs.

The most common reasons for tail amputations include growths, trauma, and malformations.

The most common reasons for toe amputations include growths and trauma.

Bloat is a surgical emergency to untwist the stomach that has been twisted and distended with gas and fluid. It occurs when a deep chested dog’s stomach fills with fluid or food and then twists and begins to distend with gas. When the stomach twists, it pulls the spleen along with it and can cause shock and then death. The first goal is to relieve the gas and fluid. Next, we surgically untwist the stomach and spleen and remove any permanently damaged tissues. Finally, we tack the stomach to the body wall so that it cannot twist again. A preventative stomach tack can be performed early in life (usually at the same time as a spay /neuter) to prevent this life threatening situation (gastropexy).

Animals have 3 eyelids. The same two lids (upper and lower) that we have, and a third that crosses from the nose side. This third eyelid contains a gland that produces tears to keep the eye moist. When this gland becomes inflamed, it swells and has the appearance of a cherry sitting in the corner of the eye. The inflammation is usually caused by infection or irritation from hair, dust, etc. It is important to keep the hair trimmed around the eyes to help decrease irritation.

To remove a cherry eye, we remove a portion of the gland so that enough gland is preserved to still make tears but not enough to swell outside of the pocket it normally resides in. It is extremely rare for dry eye to occur after a cherry eye repair, but if it occurs, moisturizing drops will be needed long term. We do not “tack” cherry eyes at Helping Hands.

Cholecystectomy is removal of the gall bladder. Animals can live safely without their gall bladders. The gallbladder is tucked between the lobes of the liver on the right side of the abdomen and is responsible for aiding in digestion. Because most pets eat a consistent diet, dietary changes are usually not a concern for pets. The most common reasons to have the gall bladder removed are from formation of stones, mucoceles, or cancer.

A colectomy is removal of the colon usually due to cats with megacolon or any pet with colon cancer. Pets can live safely without their colon. The colon is responsible for storing and dehydrating fecal matter prior to being expelled in a bowel movement. When the colon is removed, bowel movements can be a bit more frequent and softer than normal.

A cystotomy is the medical term for opening the urinary bladder to remove either stones or a growth. Urinary bladder stones in dogs and cats are commonly caused by chronic low grade urinary tract infections and/or the way your pet metabolizes the mineral contents of its food and water.

Even as the most dedicated pet owner, you may not realize your pet has a urinary tract infection or bladder stones because it is against your pet’s nature to complain. You may not even be aware that there is a problem until they are having accidents in the house or urinating blood.

Sadly, because of this, we perform cystotomies on a regular basis here at Helping Hands.

Bladder stones in dogs or cats are detected most commonly by x-ray, but can also be found with ultrasound or, if there are many stones, your vet may simply find them by palpating the bladder with their hands. We will need a copy of your veterinarian’s medical notes and x-rays before getting you on our schedule. So please have your vet e mail or fax those notes and x-rays of your pet to us.

Learn More and Watch our Cystotomy Video

Crypthorchid means a retained testicle that has not fallen into the scrotal sac. When this occurs, it is found either in the inquinal region or in the abdomen. No matter where the testicles are found, they are both removed when your pet is neutered.

C-SECTION $555.00 with spay – $655.00 without spay

After hours C-SECTION $1,555 with spay – $1,655 without spay (includes after hours fee)

A C-section is performed when a pet cannot deliver babies naturally, either because they are too big, malpositioned, or there are too many babies.

Learn More and Watch our Dental Video

(includes bloodwork, anesthesia, teeth cleaning, extractions of any teeth visually decayed or loose, and medications if necessary)

Helping Hands is pleased to announce that we are now offering the option of dental radiographs for your pet!  Radiographs are beneficial in allowing us to visualize the parts of your pet’s teeth that are underneath the gumline.  Being able to see this area allows a better assessment of the overall oral health of your pet.  Some of the conditions radiographs allow us to assess include, but are not limited to: bone loss, tooth resorption, tumors, retained roots and fractures.  Full mouth radiographs before and after a dental procedure can help diagnose pre-existing problems and ensure that all problem teeth are fully addressed.

Learn More and Watch our Dental Video

(includes bloodwork, anesthesia, teeth cleaning, extractions of any teeth visually decayed or loose, and medications if necessary)

Dewclaws are residual thumbs. The dewclaw nails do not make contact with the ground and tend to grow around and back into the paw if they are not kept trimmed. They can be found on either the front or rear paws, attached by bone or loosely hanging. Not all dogs have dewclaws.

They are most often removed due to nail entrapment, infection, or if owners are unable to keep the nails trimmed. If they are loose and detached the fee is $125.  If they are connected by bone, the price is $325, the same price as a toe amputation.

Having an elongated soft palate makes breathing difficult and noisy. Shortening the soft palate, so that it no longer covers the larynx, makes for a happier dog who can breathe easier and more quietly. This is a common finding in brachycephalic (short nose) dogs, such as pugs, bulldogs, etc. Often an elongated soft palate goes along with stenotic nares (pinched nose holes) and tracheas that are more narrow. The three together is called brachycephalic dog syndrome.

Entropion is a rolling in of the eyelids leading the lashes to rub on the eyeball. This can cause minor irritation up to severe corneal ulcerations. The number of affected lids depends on your pet’s anatomy. A minor nip-tuck of the eyelid will allow the lid to unroll and relieve the irritation to the eye. It is best to slightly overcorrect the lid so that any future irritation will not allow the lid to roll back in. You may see a bit of pink in your pet’s eye once the lids are corrected. This is simply the conjunctiva around your pet’s eye. Sometimes visibility of the pink area will subside as the swelling goes down, other times you may continue to see the pink area. This is cosmetic only and will not negatively affect your pet. The fee for correction is per lid, not per eye. One to four lids can be affected.

Enucleation is removal of the eye ball. There are many reasons that the eye ball needs removal. Trauma, glaucoma, and cancer are the 3 most common reasons. When the eye is removed, the lids are closed and sealed. Hair will regrow over the area and the skin will usually lie flat. Pets compensate well with only one eye.

When we explore the abdomen, we look for unknown causes of your pet’s illness and attempt to fix it if we find something that is operable. We will have you leave a contact number for us so we can discuss our findings, options and prognosis based on what we find on exploration. An exploratory surgery is usually indicated when all other less invasive means of diagnosis have been exhausted.  Many times we offer this surgery as a tool for diagnosis. In some cases, we are not able to fix what we find.

There are several reasons for a pet to need an FHO. Congenital birth defects such as hip dysplasia or Legg Calve Perthes disease, hip luxation, or trauma. In an ideal world, a total hip replacement would be the gold standard of care like in people, but since pets walk on 4 legs instead of 2, they can still walk easily without stable hip joints. An FHO involves removing the ball of the upper leg bone that connects with the hip bone so that the 2 bones do not rub together abnormally and cause severe pain. It is a procedure to relieve pain. It does not replace the hip joint. It removes part of the joint. A proper orthopedic exam and x-rays are required to make the definitive diagnosis and recommendation for an FHO.

The majority of dogs have good to excellent return to function. They may walk or run with a slight swagger, but typically go on to live a pain-free life.

GROWTH REMOVAL- EXTRA LARGE (greater than 5 inches in length) – $725

GROWTH REMOVAL – LARGE ( 3 – 5 inches) – $525

GROWTH REMOVAL – MEDIUM (1 – 3 inches) – $325

GROWTH REMOVAL – SMALL (less than 1 inch) – $125

Growths can appear anywhere on your pet’s body and can grow from many different cell types. Some are slow growing and some can grow quite quickly. Either way, any abnormal lump or bump should be checked by your veterinarian. A needle biopsy (a very small sample taken with a needle) can help determine the type of growth and if removal is indicated. This will be done by your regular full service veterinarian. If a larger sample is needed, or you simply want the growth removed, we can remove the growth and send the entire piece of tissue to the lab with the results sent to your full service veterinarian for review and follow up care. If the cell type is unknown prior to surgery or if the growth is suspicious for cancer, we will make every effort to achieve clean margins of skin around the growth. Therefore the incision will appear larger than the actual growth was. There are some areas of the body where the skin will not allow for clean margins and only a debulking of the mass can be achieved.  Drainage tubes and bandages may be used post- op depending on the location and size of the growth. Instructions for care will be sent home with you.

Please keep in mind that growth removal pricing is based on the size of the incision necessary to remove the growth and hopefully achieve “clean margins,” not on the size of the growth itself. There are some areas of the body where the skin will not allow for clean margins and only a debulking of the mass can be achieved. If the growth was deemed benign prior to surgery, removing this extra margin of skin will not be necessary. If your veterinarian has not determined this, we will attempt to achieve “clean margins” meaning we will attempt to get as much as the mass off with as much visually healthy tissue as possible so if it is something scary like cancer, we get as much of it as possible.

Growths can appear anywhere on your pet’s body and can grow from many different cell types. Some are slow growing and some can grow quite quickly. Either way, any abnormal lump or bump should be checked by your veterinarian. A needle biopsy (a very small sample taken with a needle) can help determine the type of growth and if removal is indicated. This will be done by your regular full service veterinarian. If a larger sample is needed, or you simply want the growth removed, we can remove the growth and send the entire piece of tissue to the lab with the results sent to your full service veterinarian for review and follow up care. If the cell type is unknown prior to surgery or if the growth is suspicious for cancer, we will make every effort to achieve clean margins of skin around the growth. Therefore the incision will appear larger than the actual growth was. There are some areas of the body where the skin will not allow for clean margins and only a debulking of the mass can be achieved.  Drainage tubes and bandages may be used post- op depending on the location and size of the growth. Instructions for care will be sent home with you.

Please keep in mind that growth removal pricing is based on the size of the incision necessary to remove the growth and hopefully achieve “clean margins,” not on the size of the growth itself. There are some areas of the body where the skin will not allow for clean margins and only a debulking of the mass can be achieved. If the growth was deemed benign prior to surgery, removing this extra margin of skin will not be necessary. If your veterinarian has not determined this, we will attempt to achieve “clean margins” meaning we will attempt to get as much as the mass off with as much visually healthy tissue as possible so if it is something scary like cancer, we get as much of it as possible.  

HERNIA REPAIR (INGUINAL) – $455

HERNIA REPAIR (UMBILICAL) – $255

HERNIA REPAIR (DIAPHRAGMATIC) – $995

A hernia is caused by trapping of tissue between torn muscle and skin causing a pouch. They are most commonly located at the umbilicus (belly button area), inguinal area, perineal (next to the rectum), or in the diaphragm (the muscle between the chest and the abdomen) although they can occur anywhere there is muscle. They can be congenital (born with it) or traumatic (caused by trauma). All hernias are repaired by replacing the tissue back where it belongs and closing the hole in the muscle. We do not repair perineal hernias.

A lateral ear canal resection opens up the ear canal to allow air to circulate, pus to drain and improves the ease of cleaning the ear.

The patella is the medical name for the knee cap. A luxating patella occurs when the knee cap slips in and out of the groove it normally resides in. Most often in pets it slips medially (towards the other leg). MPL’s are graded on a scale of 1 – 4 based on the severity of the luxation.We repair Grade 1 through Grade 3 luxations. We do not repair Grade 4 luxations at Helping Hands because it requires cutting, moving and pinning of bone (tibial crest transpositions). We do not have the equipment for performing tibial crest transpositions. Crate rest for the first 2 weeks is mandatory. It is the only way we can ensure your pet will not place any jumping or jarring motions on the knee during the recovery period. Physical therapy through your regular full service veterinarian, may be needed to help these pets regain full function of the leg.

Excessive skin folds around the nose can lead to chronic skin and eye irritation. Removing this excess skin allows air to circulate and keeps debris from getting trapped between skin folds that leads to irritation and infection.

Having nasal stenosis (narrowing of the nasal passages) makes breathing difficult and noisy. Opening these passages makes for a happier dog who can breathe easier and more quietly. This is a common finding in brachycephalic (short nose) dogs, such as pugs, bulldogs, etc. Often nasal stenosis goes along with elongated soft palates and tracheas that are more narrow. The three together is called brachycephalic dog syndrome. Often the soft palate should be shortened if it is elongated along with the opening of the nasal passages. There is no good repair for a narrow trachea, so repairing the other 2 parts of the syndrome helps compensate for the narrow trachea.

A nephrectomy is removal of the kidney. Animals, just like humans, have 2 kidneys, but can live with only one as long as it functions well. The most common reason for removal of the kidney is cancer or damage to the ureter (the tube that empties the kidney into the urinary bladder).

NEUTER – CAT (in addition to other procedure) – $35

NEUTER – CAT – $100

NEUTER – DOG (in addition to other procedure) – $55

NEUTER – DOG – $155

NEUTER – CRYPTORCHID – $175

Neuter is the term used for removing the testicles in a male pet. The scrotum is retained and will usually shrink on its own over time. This procedure is recommended for young pets as a preventative measure, not only to prevent pet overpopulation, but for many behavioral and medical reasons as well. Retained testicles, testicular cancer, testicular torsion, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, perineal hernias (due to straining from an enlarged prostate), and increased incidence of UTIs and urinary bladder stone formation. This list contains the most common medical concerns in unneutered males that we see on a daily basis.

A PU is the medical term, in cats, for removing the penis to make a larger opening for your cat to be able to urinate through preventing future urinary blockage. In dogs, the penis is not removed but the urine is rerouted to empty through a different and larger opening.  We require your veterinarian to rule out bladder stones via an x-ray or ultrasound (sometimes both are needed). Learn more about Perineal Urethrostomy

Pyometra is a life threatening infection of the uterus. If left untreated, the uterus can rupture and your pet will die. Early spaying is recommended to prevent this life threatening condition. Pyometra most commonly occurs in an unspayed pet within a few weeks of your pet being in heat.

Salivary glands are removed when the drainage ducts get blocked and swelling under the tongue (ranula) or neck (mucocele) occurs due to buildup of trapped saliva. There are several glands that produce saliva, but only 2 main salivary glands, one on each side of the jaw. The main salivary gland, on the side of the swelling, is removed with the hopes that the other remaining glands on that side produce enough saliva to prevent dry mouth, but not enough to cause recurrence of the swelling. In some cases, the ranula/mucocele can re-form or form on the other side, necessitating a second surgery. Even with both main salivary glands removed, ranulas and mucoceles can recur from the smaller salivary gland tissue throughout the neck region. Our fee includes removal of the associated salivary gland and repair/drainage of the ranula and/or mucocele on one side.

SPAY – CAT – $105 (in addition to other procedure)

SPAY – CAT – $155

SPAY – DOG – $225 (in addition to other procedure)

SPAY – DOG – $275

Spay is the term used for removal of the uterus and ovaries. This procedure is usually recommended for young pets as a preventative measure, not only to prevent pet overpopulation, but for many medical reasons as well. Pyometra (infected uterus, a life threatening condition), uterine and ovarian cancer, prolapsed uterus or vagina, distochia (puppies trapped in the birth canal requiring emergency c- section), and breast cancer (85% higher incident in unspayed females). This list contains the most common medical concerns in unspayed females that we see on a daily basis.

Splenectomy is removal of the spleen. Animals and people can live safely without their spleen. The spleen is an abdominal organ involved in the production and removal of blood cells and forms part of the immune system. Other organs take over these functions if the spleen is removed. The most common reasons we remove spleens are due to trauma (splenic rupture), cancer, and splenic torsion (twisting of the spleen cutting off blood supply).

Stomach tacking is a preventative surgery to prevent bloat. Bloat is a surgical emergency to untwist the stomach that has been distended with gas and fluid. It occurs when a deep chested dog’s stomach fills with fluid or food and then twists and begins to distend with gas. When the stomach twists, it pulls the spleen along with it and can cause shock and then death. When the stomach is tacked preventatively, it will be unable to twist, therefore preventing the life threatening emergency known as bloat.

Pets and people have 2 thyroid glands in their neck. Most often only one needs removal, but even if both require removal, thyroid hormone can be supplemented by medication. The most common reasons to remove a thyroid gland in dogs is an abnormal growth of the gland and in cats, hyperthyroidism is the most common reason.The thyroid and parathyroid glands are anatomically close together and when diseased, occasionally cannot be distinguished from one another. The parathyroid is responsible for calcium balance and manipulating/removing it can lead to a drop in calcium levels that can be life threatening. Therefore, after thyroid surgery in any pet, calcium monitoring for 24 hours post-op is required. We do not provide this service, so plans should be made ahead of surgery for transfer post-op to any 24 hour facility for calcium monitoring.

Excessive skin folds around the vagina can lead to chronic skin irritation and urinary tract infections. Removing this excess skin through surgery allows air to circulate and keeps debris from getting trapped between skin folds. This makes for a much happier and more comfortable pet.

Most often the vagina will prolapse when a dog is in heat due to swelling of uterine tissue or the presence of a mass. We require a spay for these pets to bring them out of heat faster so that the swelling will subside and not recur.

WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR – LARGE (greater than 5 inches) – $325

WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR – MEDIUM (2 – 5 inches) – $225

WOUND / LACERATION REPAIR – SMALL (less than 2 inches) – $125

Wounds have many causes, sizes, and locations. They are usually treated by cleaning, debriding (removal of damaged tissue), and closing/suturing the wound. A drain may be placed in a wound if there is concern for fluid build-up under the skin. Instructions for care will be sent home with you.