Services

Big River Veterinary Services provides routine general pet care as well as specialized services.

Orthopedic Surgery: Cruciate ligament injuries are very common in dogs. We offer 2 types of procedures for repair of cruciate ligament injuries:

Lateral Suture Stabilization, or LSS, is a method of cruciate ligament repair that utilizes a length of surgical nylon to reconstruct to cruciate ligament and stabilize the knee joint. WE use the isometric point method of stabilization similar to the new TightRope® procedure, but without the risk of complications associated with the use of multifilament surgical implants. The LSS provides good stabilization for any size dog. 

Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotmy, or TPLO, is a geometry modifying surgery for cruciate ligament repair. This procedure alters the slope of the tibial plateau and functionally eliminates abnormal joint instability during weight bearing. This surgery is preferred over the LSS for dogs over 50 pounds. Dogs seem to recover sooner and return to pre-injury activity more fully than LSS patients.  

Fractures are repaired by a number of different techniques including external skeletal fixation to bone plating. Dr. Cardosa has 15 years of orthopedic surgery practice and has repaired many different types of fracture from simple transverse fractures to complex joint fractures. BRVS regularly performs a number of different fracture repairs using various methods of internal and external fixation. The cost of fracture repair is variable depending upon the nature of the fracture, extent of injuries and the method and size of fixation necessary to repair the fracture and associated injuries. Estimates for fracture repair cannot be given over the phone. We must see the radiographs and the patient before we can commit to a cost for repair.

In addition to these procedures we also offer rigid endoscopy, surgery of the abdomen, bladder and other soft tissue procedures. We are full equipped with a new CT machine, ultrasound, oxygen therapy, digital radiography and other specialized equipment.