Frequently Asked Questions
Can we clean your pet’s teeth on the same day as their surgery?
No. Anytime the teeth are cleaned or they eat, etc., the blood stream is showered with bacteria. That bacteria can then travel to wherever else surgery is being done and cause a higher risk of infection.
Can your pet be neutered/spayed on the same day as their surgery?
Most of the time, the answer will be no. It takes energy to heal and if you put too much on the body, it may cause more problems and more stress on the patient. Also, your regular veterinarian will have to give us their permission as they can do those procedures. There is a myth that going under anesthesia multiple times in a short period of time is a concern but, as long as they don't have any other issues, it should not be a concern.
Can you switch to Davis Animal Hospital for general practice services (i.e. vaccines, etc) after being referred to Dr. Montgomery?
You can not switch to Davis Animal Hospital for general practice services for 2 years after being referred/seeing Dr. Montgomery.
Can you board or have your dog groomed with Davis Animal Hospital after being referred to Dr. Montgomery?
If your vet has boarding or grooming services, we will require that you schedule with them. If they are full, we can schedule here or if your vet does not have those services, that is not a problem. Our hotel does require Rabies, distemper, bordetella, and the flu vaccinations to be up to date.
Can you board your patient immediately after surgery?
We highly recommend taking them home the day after surgery unless there is a reason that we need to keep them (i.e. a fever or incision issues). Keeping them in the hospital after surgery can sometimes cause added stress making the patient not want to eat and have a harder time urinating/defecating after surgery along with other possible complications. If you do board immediately after surgery, they also will need to be up to date on their Rabies, distemper, bordetella, and flu vaccinations and special arrangements with Dr. Montgomery's team has to be made as they will be taking care of your pet while they are here. It does cost additional since they are being “hospitalized” rather than standard boarding. Please contact us for more details.
What if my patient needs a refill of medications after their surgery?
You can get refills with either us or your regular veterinarian directly after surgery but once the patient has been released from Dr. Montgomery's care, refills will need to be done with your regular veterinarian.
What if my patient needs a refill of medications and it has been months after surgery or they have just had a consultation?
In these cases, typically it will be recommended to get refills from your referring veterinarian.
Do braces work?
No, we have seen many braces come in recently and have actually done exams on those patients with the braces on and what they are “stabilizing” are just as unstable with the brace on vs. without it. They typically are not worn correctly either meaning that they are kept on patients 24/7 when they are just supposed to be worn when exercising. This can cause skin issues and pressure sores. Some dogs do not tolerate them and they turn into expensive chew toys. A brace is very rarely recommended for any orthopedic issue. See video of unstable knees with braces at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xIx_Llv10k&t=1s
How long does it take arthritis to start?
Textbooks say that the first signs of arthritis on X-rays are noted 28 days after the initial injury. This does not mean that the joint in question is terribly arthritic at that time but the starting signs of arthritis is present at that time.
Does the consultation cost apply to the surgery cost?
Yes, as long as surgery is done within an amount of time where a recheck exam does not have to be done prior to surgery, then it will be applied to the surgery cost. If it has been a certain number of months (depending on the problem), a recheck may be needed prior to surgery.
Can an ACL/CCL tear heal itself?
No, it cannot heal on it's own. This is a mechanical problem and the way to fix mechanics is to actually do surgery. The ligament is under tension, like a rubber band, so when it tears, it is like getting two ends of a rubber band to grow back together while also being under tension. Mother Nature sometimes can cause other ligaments and tendons in the knee to become enlarged to help stabilize the knee but, once the knee becomes stable, if it does, arthritis has already progressed to an advanced stage.
Do you need an X-ray to diagnose a CCL rupture or can you diagnose a CCL rupture with an X-ray?
No, you cannot see ligaments or tendons on X-rays. X-rays mainly show bones and other dense structures to some extent. You CAN tell if there is effusion (extra fluid) in the knee but that just tells us that there is a problem there and not what the actual issue is. To diagnose a CCL rupture, there are two different manipulations, one is called a drawer sign and the other is a tibial compression test, and depending on if the knee is stable or unstable during those manipulations, that tells us if the ligament has torn. It is not usually painful to do those manipulations and dogs do not typically need any sedation unless they are overly tense.
Do you need to do X-rays after a TPLO procedure is done for a CCL rupture?
No, we do not take X-rays after the TPLO procedure. Early in Dr. Montgomery's career, he would take an X-ray 8 weeks after surgery prior to releasing his patients to full exercise but they kept showing the same thing. Patients would come in at the 8 week check doing really well, the X-ray would be within normal limits. If the patients were not doing well, they typically came in prior to the 8 week check and would have X-rays done at that time. He no longer does X-rays since patients who are doing well will show the same thing where if there is a concern, we definitely need to see them sooner and we do not want to waste the clients time or money to do X-rays if there are no concerns.