717-599-6131 info@hrvss.com
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Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty
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When Everybody is Convinced it’s Cancer (part 2)

When Everybody is Convinced it’s Cancer (part 2)

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | Jul 3, 2023 | Blog

This is a follow-up to a previous blog with the same title: Sometimes, we remove a mass that was believed to be cancer, but the biopsy shows that it was perfectly benign. Here 2 more actual patients we recently treated. Delilah and the evil skin masses Delilah, a 12...
Oliver and the stubborn hernia

Oliver and the stubborn hernia

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | Jun 2, 2023 | Blog

Oliver, an 8 year old terrier, was in trouble. Pooping became more and more difficult. He would go outside and squat multiple times, straining, whining and in obvious pain. Yet not much would come out… sometimes, nothing at all… He had swelling on the side of his anus...
Extreme makeover: Starr’s cleft palate surgery

Extreme makeover: Starr’s cleft palate surgery

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | May 2, 2023 | Blog

Starr, an incredibly cute 3 month old Pug, was the runt of her litter. She was not thriving and was not eating properly. So she had to be bottle-fed, every 2-3 hours, round the clock, by her amazingly dedicated owner! When her siblings were transitioned to solid food,...
Why would a pet lover choose to amputate their pet?

Why would a pet lover choose to amputate their pet?

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | Apr 3, 2023 | Blog

“I recommend amputating your pet’s leg.” No pet owner ever wants to hear these terrible words. Sadly, it’s a common situation family vets and surgeons are in. At HRVSS, we perform a significant number of leg amputations – front or back – in cats and dogs. And almost...
Everly From Suffocating To Breathing Well

Everly From Suffocating To Breathing Well

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | Mar 1, 2023 | Blog

“I am rushing Everly to the emergency clinic. Her breathing is labored. She is vomiting foam. And her lips and gums are blue.” This was the panicked call Everly’s owner received from the manager of a boarding facility in Pennsylvania, where her dog had been dropped...
Why did you remove Thor’s penis???

Why did you remove Thor’s penis???

by Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty | Feb 6, 2023 | Blog

Thor, a 2-year-old, 100 lb Great Dane, was in a tough and strange situation. He had a condition called paraphimosis. This means that being intact (i.e. not neutered), he got a bit excited with his female Great Dane buddy, and could not get his penis back in his...
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20 Questions to Ask Before Your Pet’s Surgery

Trusting your vet or a surgeon with doing surgery on your beloved pet is not as easy as it sounds. It requires a lot of trust.
To help you establish that trust, here are some questions I feel are reasonable to ask your vet or your surgeon.

  • Are you a board-certified surgeon, i.e. a true specialist?
  • What’s my pet’s exact diagnosis?
  • What are ALL of the treatment options?
  • What is the name of the specific surgery you recommend?
  • What is the purpose of the surgery?
  • Why do you think this surgery is a better option than the other ones?
  • Is my pet a good candidate for this surgery?
  • Who is the best person to do the surgery?
  • How many of these surgeries have you done in your career?
  • How many of them have you done in the last year?
  • What are the possible risks and complications?
  • How common are they in general? How about in your hands?
  • What is your success rate?
  • Are there additional tests required before surgery?
  • How will my pet be monitored during and especially after surgery?
  • How long will the surgery take, and how long will my pet need to stay at the clinic?
  • If there is an overnight stay, who will supervise my pet?
  • How will pain be assessed and addressed?
  • How long will it take for my pet to fully recover?
  • What are the postop care instructions and restrictions?
Even though this list looks long, and seems like it would take hours to answer, a good surgeon should answer many of these questions during the consultation anyway.

So check those questions off as they go, and ask the remaining questions after that.

It’s critical to have open and transparent communication with your surgeon to ensure you make an informed decision about your pet’s surgery.

If you would like to learn how we can help your pet with safe surgery and anesthesia, please contact us using the button below

Contact Us

We help your pet get back to feeling their best.

Privately owned Harrisburg Regional Veterinary Surgical Specialty is the first and only local veterinary surgery center in the Harrisburg area. We partner with your family vet to provide your pet with surgical expertise in orthopedic, “soft tissue” and cancer surgery. All we do is surgery!

We proudly serve pets in Pennsylvania (Dauphin County, York, Lancaster, Lebanon, State College, Reading, Wilkes-Barre & Scranton, Progress, Colonial Park, Hershey, Elizabethtown, Carlisle, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Stroudsburg, Enola, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Good Hope, Camp Hill, Dillsburg, Boiling Springs, York, Gettysburg, Lancaster, Lititz, Middletown), New Jersey (Phillipsburg, Blairstown, Morris Plains, Trenton), New York (Manhattan, Buffalo), Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland (Baltimore, Gaithersburg), West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and even Florida!

Need a hotel? We have so many clients from out of town and out of state that we created a list of nearby pet-friendly hotels.
Simply ask for it, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

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Location

989 East Park Drive, Suite A
Harrisburg, PA 17111

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Contact Info

P: 717-599-6131
E: info@hrvss.com

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