Sacramento Veterinarian Dr. Susan Barrett is Watt Avenue Pet Hospitals Director and specializes in cosmetic ear trimming for show dogs & family pets & feline declawing with state-of-the-art pain management
In addition, we offer a group of specialists who practice at our hospital
Feline declaws $1300 to $1400 including pain medication
We are a proud member of the American Animal Hospital Association and adhere to the highest standards of care
Sacramento Veterinarian Dr. Susan Barrett is Watt Avenue Pet Hospitals Director and specializes in cosmetic ear trimming for show dogs & family pets & feline declawing with state-of-the-art pain management
In addition, we offer a group of specialists who practice at our hospital
Feline declaws $1100 to $1200 including pain medication
Surgeons: $2500-$4000
including medications
We have three board certified surgeons for major surgeries
Board certified surgeons –soft tissue surgery, fractures, dislocations
Board certified radiologists–abdomen, soft tissue, chest Complicated Orthopedic/soft tissue Cases are done by our Board Certified Surgeons:
$2500-$4000 including medications
Dr. Susan Barrett is an expert in cosmetic surgery for dogs and cats with over 35 years experience. She has a perfect anesthesia safety record with over 20,000 surgeries performed in her career. Cosmetic surgery is an elective procedure and the surgeon should be experienced in anesthesia and surgery for the safety of your pet. She also provides state of the art pain management for all procedures.
Dr. Barrett is well known for cosmetic ear surgery or “trimming” for show dogs for 38 years and also performs the surgery for family pets when the owner wants the standard breed look such as Great Danes, Dobermans, and the American Staffordshire Terrier.
Dr. Barrett is an expert in all breeds of dogs who have their ears altered for a certain look or function, including Cane Corso, Presa Canario, Dobermans, Danes, Schnauzers, Minature Pincher, American Staffordshire Terriers sometimes known as Pit Bull, and the Argentino Dogo.
Cosmetic Ear Surgery is typically done at 12-14 weeks of age, however, it depends on the breed and the length of a puppy’s ears which can vary. Her primary concern is the safety and health of the dog before any cosmetic procedure is done. All puppies must have at least 2 vaccines and 2 dewormings by another vet or our hospital. Dobermans require a screening test for clotting as this breed has a hereditary clotting condition called von Willebrand Disease. Ears can still be done but a blood product with this factor must be ordered and given during the surgery if there is a clotting deficiency. Cost is based on weight of the dog. If the dog fails the screen, the blood is sent to Cornell University for a formal test.
Dr. Barrett is an expert in feline declawing and her class of 1980 was the first to be taught the new surgical method of declawing cats. As a veterinary student she was determined to master this new
Surgery as her own Siamese cat at the time had the claws removed with the old method of using the guillotine nail clippers and crushing the nail and last digit. This causes extreme pain and suffering and it often results in removal of a portion of the pad causing scarring and pain that can last for years. Her own cat had it done and had severely scarred pads and excess bleeding and never walked the same and she was horrified.
The new technique should be done by someone very experienced also. It involves making a small incision with tiny scalpel (laser can be used but is more painful) over the membrane at the nail bed. She uses a special instrument which clamps on the nail and pulls open the joint and it protects the pad.
Once an incision has been made she carefully dissects the entire last digit and nail out. There is only a small opening and she uses tissue adhesive to close the opening or places one suture for older cats. She puts a drop of a local anesthesia into the opening to keep the area numb for a while and the cat has pain medication on board prior to the surgery and post op until the pain patch becomes effective. The feet are wrapped in padded bandages and the cat is kept overnight. A pain patch is used post op for 4 days as well as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory.
The bandage comes off the next day and the pads are not touched and in most cases the cats are walking as if nothing was done. The sutures stay in and fall out eventually or we can remove them. There is no post op lameness or trauma. This state of the art declaw surgery is $550 and includes blood screening, anesthesia, surgery, bandage, IV catheter, monitoring of the patient with surgical nurse and pain meds.
Using the nail clipper method, the nail bed is often left in and the nail can eventually start to regrow and small horn like nails protrude and cause pain. Dr. Barrett has had to surgically remove regrowing nails inside the skin on all digits numerous times that were done by this method from other veterinarians.
