With nearly 30 years of surgical experience, Dr. Heekin is qualified to perform a wide range of procedures, from minor lumps and bumps to in-depth abdominal surgeries. In addition to her surgical skill, she is committed to quality surgical care through utilization of
- A spotless, well-equipped surgical suite
- Continual attention to proper sterile technique
- Patient care with intravenous fluid support, thermal support, and pain control
- Highly qualified technical staff
Anesthesia
Our mission for anesthesia is simple: Safety and comfort for your pet.
Safety starts with comfort. It is a well-documented fact that pets with good pain control perform better under anesthesia. Each pet is given pain medication prior to any surgical procedure. During surgery, pain control is customized to the needs of the patient. Additional pain control is achieved via use of local anesthetics to numb the surgical site and/or continuous micro-drips of intravenous pain medication. Following anesthesia, patient comfort is maintained through a combination of injectable and oral pain medication.
Safety continues with another creature-comfort: warmth. Another fact is that anesthetized patients lose the ability to maintain body temperature, creating a “chilling” effect on anesthetic safety. In other words, maintaining a normal body temperature improves anesthetic safety. At Heekin Animal Hospital, cold tables are warmed or covered, tiny feet are protected by insulated booties that prevent heat loss, and each patient is surrounded by a “Bair Hugger” brand warm-air blanket. Body temperature is measured throughout each procedure to ensure that our patients are warm—and safe.
Safety is achieved through rigorous monitoring of each patient. Anesthetic monitoring is where we see the effects of our patient care efforts. We have state-of the-art anesthetic monitors that allow us to follow
- Heart rate
- ECG tracing
- Respiration rate
- Oxygen level of the blood
- Carbon dioxide levels of the breath (measures lung function)
- Temperature
- Blood pressure
Safety is assured by a doctor and staff dedicated to—you guessed it—safety. Our staff gives careful and individual attention to your pet each step of the way. Anesthetic monitors are machines designed to deliver numbers, but our Registered Veterinary Technicians are trained to recognize the meaning of those numbers, and attend to anesthetic adjustments while the supervising veterinarian attends to the surgery.
