2000 Bishop Drive
San Ramon, CA 94583
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Surgery & Surgical Services

Whether your pet requires a routine procedure like a spay or neuter surgery, or needs a more complicated orthopedic, soft-tissue or emergency surgery, we are well equipped to handle your pet's surgery needs. We are proud to provide comprehensive pre- and post-operative care, intensive pain management, and even minimally invasive surgical alternatives, including laparoscopy.
Before surgery at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care, every patient undergoes a thorough physical exam. This helps us identify any pre-existing medical conditions that might alter the surgical plan or affect our choice of anesthetic. We also perform pre-anesthetic blood testing on each pet which allows us to get a better idea of your pet's overall health.
During surgery, every pet’s vital signs are tracked using several different anesthetic monitors, and all surgical patients, including those undergoing routine procedures, receive pain control medications.

Orthopedic Surgery
Pets that suffer from bone fractures and other trauma may require orthopedic surgery. Just as human patients have specially trained surgeons to help repair and set broken bones, so do pets. In many cases our veterinarians are able to perform these surgeries without the help of a specialist. However, in extremely complicated or especially severe cases a Board-Certified Veterinary Surgeon will come to our hospital to perform these surgeries when needed.
Orthopedic surgery can be complex and can sometimes entail a significant amount of rehabilitation both in-hospital and at home. Our doctors are dedicated to working with you to help you choose the best option for your pet, and our staff is available whenever you need us to help with post-operative care, concerns or questions.
Common orthopedic problems that we handle include the following:
Knee Ligament Injuries:
The most common cause of rear limb lameness in the dog is rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. This is the same “ACL” that many people injure in their own knees. At Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care we commonly perform two different kinds of surgical repairs for torn ACLs in dogs:
1. Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)
By re-aligning the surfaces of the bones in the knee joint the forces between the bones can be altered such that the original ACL is no longer necessary. The TPLO surgery has proven to be the most effective procedure for returning a dog’s injured knee to full function.
TPLO Document
2. Extra-capsular Stabilization
In small dogs, or any size breed where a TPLO is cost-prohibitive, another procedure called the Extra-capsular Stabilization (also called the Lateral Suture Technique) is used. In this procedure, several strands of heavy weight nylon are implanted in the knee to replace the torn ligament.
Hip Surgery (FHO)
An FHO surgical procedure is when the ball portion of the hip and the attachment portion of the femur is removed – essentially removing the hip joint.
Fracture Repairs
The most common causes of bone fractures in dogs and cats is being hit by a car, or jumping/falling from extreme heights. Any dog or cat who develops a sudden, severe limp should be examined and can be X-rayed.
Fractures in cats and dogs can range from simple hairline cracks to complex fractures where the bone is shattered into many pieces. As a result, repairing a broken bone can vary from simply splinting the bone to hold it in place, to more complicated procedures like pinning, wiring and using plates and rods to secure the bones together. Our doctors are experienced in performing many types of fracture repairs, and when needed, board certified veterinary surgeons are called into our practice for to perform difficult procedures.

Soft Tissue Surgery
Soft tissue surgery involves surgery on parts of the body excluding the bones (orthopedic surgery). Common soft tissue surgeries include removing foreign objects causing intestinal obstructions, removal of diseased sections of the intestine, bladder surgery to remove stones or polyps, or surgery to remove masses from the liver, kidney or spleen.
We perform these types of surgeries every day and our doctors are highly skilled and trained to perform these and other types of soft-tissue surgeries including:
  • Exploratory abdominal surgery
  • Stomach and intestinal surgery to remove foreign objects or tumors
  • Surgeries of the liver, kidneys, and spleen
  • Removal of various tumors
  • Removal of bladder stones
  • Gastropexy Surgery (to treat or prevent Canine “Bloat”)
  • Eye/Ear/Nose/Throat surgery
  • Caesarian sections
  • Spay and Neuter
  • Laparoscopic Surgery (a minimally invasive alternative to open surgical procedures)
Pain Management & Anesthesia
Anesthesia
As a board-certified Internal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Cain has years of advanced training in Internal Medicine and has met special criteria set by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM).
Fortunately, anesthetics available for use in veterinary medicine today are very safe, and only the highest quality anesthetics available are used on patients at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care. In fact, we use the same anesthetic drugs in our pets that human anesthesiologists use on people.
Prior to any surgery or other procedure requiring anesthesia, all patients are given a thorough pre-anesthetic physical exam the day of anesthesia, and if required, receive on site pre-anesthetic blood tests.
During anesthesia several monitors are used to track our patients' vital signs, such as blood oxygen and carbon dioxide monitors, an EKG to monitor the electrical activity of the heart, and blood pressure monitors. Our patients are kept warm during anesthesia with warm-water heating pads under them and warm air blankets over them, which speeds up anesthetic recovery and helps keep our recovering patients comfortable.
After every surgical procedure, a recovery nurse is assigned to monitor your pet and assist them as they wake up from anesthesia. Our technicians will make sure that your pet feels comfortable, secure and safe as they transition through their recovery period.
Anesthesia and Your Pet.
Pain Management
Whether your pet has been injured, is recovering from surgery, or is in pain from other medical conditions or just “old age”, properly assuring their comfort while resolving their underlying problem is at the core of our mission. At Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care we pride ourselves on utilizing all the most recent information available on pain control to relieve your pet of pain to the greatest extent possible.
New pain management medications that work in the brain and spinal cord without causing drowsiness, as well as new anti-inflammatory medications, local anesthetic techniques, epidurals, and even acupuncture, are all methods that we use individually as well as in combination to be sure your pet is as comfortable as possible.
For hospitalized pets, many medications can be added to their IV fluids to maintain a continual flow of pain medications. Even transdermal skin patches that slowly and continually release pain medication for 3-5 days are used, which allows many pets to recover at home without the need for IV pain medications in the hospital.

Surgical Success Stories
Rico White
Age: 8 weeks
Breed: German Shepherd
Diagnosis: Congenital Esophageal Constriction/Blockage
Rico came to Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care at 8 weeks old for vomiting and stunted growth. A barium x-ray showed he had a Persistent Right Aortic Arch, which is a congenital anomaly of the blood vessels near the heart that are inappropriately wrapped around the esophagus, creating a constriction of the esophagus and restriction of food passage to the stomach.
Our doctors were able to quickly diagnose Rico's condition by performing a barium study with our digital radiography system. The digital x-rays were uploaded on-line for review by a Board Certified Veterinary Radiologist associated with the Veterinary School at the University of California at Davis.
Rico was then scheduled for surgery, where a Board Certified Surgeon performed the surgery. Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center was able to perform Rico's surgery and facilitate his recovery, sparing him and his owner the additional expense and stress of moving to another hospital for his procedure and post operative care.
Summary
After a successful surgery and several days of recovery in the hospital, Rico, now 7 months old, is an active and happy puppy, and is expected to have a completely normal, full life span.
Spencer Barcelos
Age: 6 years
Breed: German Shepherd
Diagnosis: Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV or Canine Bloat)
Spencer has been a patient at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care since he was 8 weeks old. Having owned Great Danes in the past, his owner was familiar with the dangers of Canine Bloat (Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus, or GDV), a life-threatening condition that can occur to any large breed dog where the stomach abnormally twists around, fills with gas, and cannot un-twist by itself. Without emergency surgery in this event the condition is fatal.
Fortunately, Spencer's owner learned about a procedure performed at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care called a laparoscope-assisted gastropexy—a minimally invasive preventative surgical procedure in which the stomach is permanently "tacked" in the correct position, thereby preventing the twisting of the stomach that occurs with Canine Bloat.
By performing this procedure laparoscopically, only two small abdominal incisions were necessary. Spencer's preventative surgery was performed as an outpatient procedure. He recovered well and went home that same day.
Two years later his owner noticed signs of abdominal distension and discomfort in Spencer. She rushed him to Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care where Dr. Taylor examined him and quickly took an x-ray. It revealed that although Spencer's stomach had begun filling with gas, it was still securely fixed in place by the previous gastropexy surgery. The procedure had effectively prevented the fatal twisting of the stomach that can occur in this instance.
As a result of having had minimally-invasive preventative surgery two years earlier, what could have easily become a life-threatening case of Canine Bloat turned out instead to only be a mild case of "gas". After receiving some medications to relieve the gas, Spencer went home that same night and quickly returned to normal.
To read more stories about Lives Saved.
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Copyright © 2006-2012 Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center.
All rights reserved. Updated: 2012-Sep-16
Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care is a quality veterinary clinic and pet hospital located in San Ramon, California. With 15 experienced veterinarians on staff with over 25 years experience, Bishop Ranch Vet has been serving the Tri-Valley and greater Bay Area since 2000. We care for and serve pets from the San Ramon Valley and the surrounding areas; Danville, including Blackhawk, Alamo, Diablo, Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, Walnut Creek, Castro Valley, Concord, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Oakland, and San Francisco. Offering comprehensive professional pet care services including urgent care, primary and preventive care, internal medicine, exotic pet care - including rabbits, reptiles, guinea pigs, hamsters, chinchillas and ferrets, pet boarding, medical boarding, microchipping, routine and advanced surgical procedures including spays and neuters, orthopedic surgeries, knee and cruciate surgeries, gastropexy, as well as minimally invasive surgery and diagnostics including laparoscopy, endoscopy, ultrasound and digital x-ray. The experienced and compassionate vets at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care work with you to provide the highest quality general and emergency veterinary care for your pet.