Soft Tissue Surgery at Madison Veterinary Hospital
If your pet needs surgery, you’ll want to know why, what happens that day, and how to look after them afterward. We’ll go over all of it with you before the procedure.
Madison Veterinary Hospital has been doing soft tissue surgery for more than 50 years. Routine or complicated, every procedure is planned around your pet’s safety and comfort.
Soft tissue surgery covers almost anything that isn’t bone: organs, muscle, skin, and the rest. It ranges from spays and neuters to lump removals, bladder surgery, and exploratory surgery of the belly. Our team handles the surgery and stays with you through recovery.
Soft Tissue Procedures We Perform
Here are some of the soft tissue surgeries we do most often at Madison Veterinary Hospital.
Spay and Neuter
Spays and neuters are among the most common surgeries in veterinary medicine and among the most useful. Besides preventing litters, spaying eliminates the risk of pyometra, a serious uterine infection, and can lower the risk of some cancers.
Neutering lowers the risk of testicular cancer and prostate disease. These routine surgeries get the same monitoring and care as any other case.
Mass and Tumor Removal
Lumps and bumps are very common in pets, especially as they get older. Some are harmless. Others need to come off and be sent to a lab to find out what they are.
We check each lump carefully before recommending surgery and explain our reasoning and your options.
Gastropexy
A preventive gastropexy tacks the stomach to the inside of the belly wall so it can’t twist. That prevents gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), the life-threatening condition most people call bloat.
We strongly recommend it for large and giant breed dogs, especially deep-chested ones. It’s often done during a spay or neuter so your dog only goes under anesthesia once.
Cystotomy
A cystotomy opens the bladder, most often to remove stones. Bladder stones can cause pain, straining, blood in the urine, and sometimes a life-threatening blockage.
When diet or medication can’t dissolve the stones, surgery is often the best fix.
Splenectomy
Masses on the spleen are common in dogs, especially older and larger breeds. When we find one on an exam, imaging, or other tests, removing the spleen may be the right call.
We run the tests we need beforehand so we can plan the surgery and give you as much information as possible.
Intestinal Surgery
Dogs and cats swallow things they shouldn’t, and sometimes those things get stuck. When an object can’t pass on its own, surgery removes it and lets us check the surrounding intestine.
We also remove sections of intestine that are diseased, damaged, or no longer healthy and reconnect the healthy ends.
Abdominal Exploratory Surgery
When imaging and lab work point to a problem inside the belly but don’t give a clear answer, exploratory surgery lets us look at the organs directly, take samples, and treat what we find.
It takes experience, planning, and good judgment, and our surgeons have all three.
Wound Repair and Laceration Management
Injuries, bite wounds, and cuts may need to be cleaned out and surgically repaired. We judge how serious the wound is and plan a repair that helps it heal and lowers the chance of infection.
Enucleation and Eyelid Surgery
In cases of severe eye disease, trauma, or inoperable glaucoma, removing the eye may be the kindest way to end the pain.
We also do eyelid surgery for problems like entropion, where the eyelid rolls inward and rubs on the eye.
Additional Soft Tissue Procedures
We do many soft tissue procedures with our surgical laser, which can mean less bleeding, less soreness afterward, and an easier recovery.
We do more than what’s listed here. If your pet needs a procedure you don’t see, call Madison Veterinary Hospital at 248-399-5225 and we’ll tell you whether we’re the right fit.
Pre-Surgical Workup Before Your Pet Goes Under
We don’t operate without preparing first, and that starts well before surgery day.
Every surgical patient gets an exam and bloodwork before anesthesia. Depending on your pet’s age and history, that may include a complete blood count, chemistry panel, electrolytes, and a urine test.
Older pets and pets with health problems may also need chest X-rays or an ECG. All of this tells us whether your pet is healthy enough for anesthesia, shapes the anesthesia plan, and gives us numbers to compare during recovery.
Before surgery, we’ll call to go over fasting instructions and answer any last questions so you know exactly what to expect.
Anesthesia Monitoring During Surgery
Anesthesia is the part owners worry about most, so here is exactly how we handle it.
Once your pet is under, a veterinary technician watches their vital signs the entire time: heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen level, breathing, temperature, and anesthetic depth.
Every patient has an IV catheter so we can give fluids to support blood pressure and give medication right away if needed. We also keep your pet warm throughout, which matters a lot for safe anesthesia and a smooth wake-up.
Every patient gets this level of care, no matter how short or simple the surgery is.
Pain Management Before, During, and After Surgery
We plan for pain before, during, and after surgery.
Before surgery, we give pain medication so your pet starts out comfortable and anesthesia goes more smoothly. During surgery, we use local anesthetic where it helps.
Afterward, pets go home with a pain plan written for them, usually with oral medication and clear instructions for checking their comfort and healing at home.
For some patients, laser therapy on the incision during recovery can ease swelling and help healing. If you’re ever worried about your pet’s pain after surgery, call us. You know your pet best, and if something seems off, we want to hear about it.
Recovery Support After Surgery
Our job doesn’t end when surgery does. Before your pet goes home, we’ll go through the aftercare instructions with you in detail.
That usually covers activity limits, incision care, medications, feeding, warning signs to watch for, and when to come back for a recheck.
Call us with any questions about recovery or the discharge instructions.
Surgical Care Backed by Five Decades of Experience
Since 1970, families across metro Detroit, from Royal Oak to Sterling Heights, have trusted Madison Veterinary Hospital with their pets’ surgery.
We’re AAHA accredited and were named one of Newsweek’s Best Veterinary Hospitals in America in 2025 and 2026.
Our doctors have done soft tissue surgery for a wide range of conditions, and they treat every patient the way they’d want their own pets treated.
Before surgery, ask us anything about the procedure, the recovery, or whatever else is on your mind.
Related Veterinary Services
Surgery often ties into other parts of your pet’s care. Depending on your pet’s condition and plan, we may also recommend:
