Soft Tissue Surgery Service
About the Service
The soft tissue surgery service specializes in the surgical treatment and management of a variety of diseases and conditions. A team of health care providers, including board-certified surgeons (faculty), surgical residents, surgical interns, veterinary technicians (nurses), and senior veterinary students work together to provide you and your pet with expert-level care while allowing clinical teaching of our students, interns, and residents. Our soft tissue surgery service provides consultation, diagnostic testing, surgical treatment, and post-surgical care for our patients while striving to achieve effective communication and support to you, regarding your pet’s condition. In addition to accepting scheduled appointments, the soft tissue surgery service provides surgical management for emergent cases admitted through the Emergency and Critical Care Service during both normal business and after-hours. We also provide in-house consultation and management for patients admitted through other services of our hospital as needed by the requesting service.
What We Do
Our soft tissue surgery service is equipped to manage an array of elective and advanced surgical diseases and conditions. At the time of your appointment, we will assess your pet’s health record, obtain an updated health history, and perform a physical examination on your pet. Following our evaluation, we will consult with you on the most appropriate diagnostic and medical and/or surgical treatment plan for your pet. We perform surgery on numerous body systems including but not limited to the skin and subcutaneous tissues, ears, oral cavity, upper airway, cardiothoracic, abdominal, gastrointestinal, reproductive and urinary systems. We also specialize in wound healing and reconstruction. Our team strives to offer advanced surgical techniques including experience with an array of laparoscopic procedures including laparoscopic ovariectomy (spay) and laparoscopic-assisted gastropexies.
Our surgeries are performed in one of our state-of-the-art operating rooms. Surgical procedures are performed by or under the direct guidance of one of our surgical faculty members. Your pet will be monitored throughout the procedure by an anesthesia team consisting of board-certified anesthesiologists (faculty), anesthesia residents, anesthesia technicians (nurses), and/or senior veterinary students. Your pet will recover in our care ward which is fully staffed 24/7. Treatments will be performed primarily by our veterinary nurses and veterinary assistants following direct recommendations from our surgical team. We offer a high level of compassionate care to be sure our patients are comfortable in the postoperative period and receive the necessary treatments to aide in their recovery. Typically, our surgical patients are hospitalized for a minimum of 1-3 nights post-operatively; however, hospitalization times vary and are determined on a case-by-case basis. Our surgical team will provide daily updates on the status of your pet and will provide you with postoperative care recommendations at the time of your pet’s discharge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet the Team
Jessica Ball, DVM
Resident
Meenakshi Rajeev, DVM
Resident
Veterinary Support Staff
Kellye Berkley, LVT, CCFP
Kellye earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Veterinary Health Technology from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2016. Upon completion of her degree, she was offered a 6-week veterinary externship through the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. She then joined the AUCVM full time as a rotating small animal technician in 2016. In 2020, Kellye transitioned to the soft tissue surgery department full time and currently serves as the service’s licensed veterinary technician.