For pet owners
Your vet said surgery. Here is what that actually means.
Your pet is operated on either at the veterinary practice they already know, with the surgical team traveling in, or at our outpatient center in Lake Grove. Either way you keep your own veterinarian. This page walks through the whole process, start to finish.
The short version
Where will my pet’s surgery actually happen?
Most people picture surgery as something that happens at a big specialty hospital across the county. It does not have to. There are two settings here, and your veterinarian decides which one suits the case when the date is booked.
At your own veterinarian’s hospital. A travel surgeon brings the instruments, implants and surgical expertise to the practice your pet already knows, so your pet is dropped off at the same building as always.
At our center in Lake Grove. Some cases are better served by a dedicated surgical suite, with CT imaging in the same building. Your pet comes to us at 3070 Middle Country Road, Suite 4. It is an outpatient center, so most pets go home the same day.
The practical difference for you either way: fewer unfamiliar rooms, fewer handoffs, and a veterinarian who has known your pet for years staying in charge of their care. Your veterinarian keeps managing the medications, the rechecks and the questions at 8pm on a Tuesday.
We complement your veterinarian. We do not replace them.
What this means for you
- You do not have to find a surgeonYour veterinarian makes the referral and sends the records. Your job is to say yes and prepare your pet.
- You are not billed by the surgical teamYour veterinarian’s office provides the estimate and handles payment, because they are providing the anesthesia, monitoring and in-house care.
- Your pet stays in familiar handsWhen the surgery travels to your own practice, the people holding your pet before and after are the ones who always do. When it happens at our center, your veterinarian still runs the follow-up.
- Complex cases still get what they needWhen advanced monitoring or an overnight stay is warranted, we coordinate with trusted 24-hour facilities.
How it works
From your veterinarian's exam room to your living room
Five steps, and your veterinarian is involved in every one of them.
- 01
Your veterinarian examines your pet
It starts where you already are. Your veterinarian works the case up, decides surgery is the right step, and reaches out to us directly. You do not have to find a surgeon yourself or explain the history twice.
- 02
The case is sent over with the diagnostics
Your veterinarian submits the referral with bloodwork, radiographs and any advanced imaging already in hand. Nothing gets scheduled without baseline bloodwork and the imaging the case requires. That is what keeps anesthesia safe and the plan accurate.
- 03
A surgery date is set
Depending on the procedure and your veterinarian’s facility, surgery happens either at their hospital, with our team traveling to them, or at our outpatient center in Lake Grove, where there is a dedicated surgical suite and CT imaging on site. Your veterinarian will tell you which, and what to expect on the day.
- 04
Surgery day
You drop off in the morning after fasting your pet overnight, either at your veterinarian’s office or at our Lake Grove center if that is where the case is booked. You get a call once your pet is out of surgery, with a discharge time.
- 05
Home, with a plan
Whoever discharges your pet goes through custom instructions with you, covering medications, activity limits, incision care and recheck timing, and your own veterinarian gets the same instructions. Dr. Lombardi is available to them for post-operative recommendations for as long as the case needs.
Preparing
Before and after surgery day
Your veterinarian will give you instructions specific to your pet, and those always win. This is the general shape of it so nothing catches you off guard.
The night before
- No food after midnight unless your veterinarian says otherwise
- Diabetic pets and some chronic conditions get different instructions, so ask
- Confirm which morning medications to give and which to hold
- Set out the carrier, leash and any medications you need to bring
Set up recovery at home
- A quiet, confined space with non-slip footing
- No stairs, no jumping onto furniture
- Cats: litter box close by, and switch to paper or pellet litter
- Plan for a second pair of hands at pickup
At drop-off, your vet or our center
- When your pet last ate and drank
- Which medications were given this morning
- Any allergies, reactions or sensitivities
- A phone number you will actually answer all day
- Check which address you are dropping off at: your own practice or our Lake Grove center
After surgery
- Give every medication exactly as written on the discharge sheet
- Keep the e-collar on, because one licking session can undo a careful closure
- Hold to the activity restrictions, especially after orthopedic surgery
- Book the recheck before you leave, and call with any concern
Recovery, honestly: most pets are groggy the day of surgery and quiet the day after, then start acting like themselves within a few days. Pain relief starts before the first incision, with injectable medication beforehand and for many procedures a long-acting local anesthetic that keeps working for up to about 72 hours. Orthopedic recoveries are longer and the activity restrictions are not negotiable. Age and procedure change the timeline, so ask your veterinarian what to expect for your pet specifically.
Paying for it
Money should not be the reason a pet stays in pain
Costs go through your veterinarian’s office, not through us. They build the estimate, because they are the ones providing anesthesia, monitoring, medications and the in-house care around the procedure. Some practices ask for a deposit before scheduling, so it is worth asking early rather than being surprised.
If you want a sense of the range before you commit, ask your veterinarian for a written estimate and call us with any questions about what the procedure itself involves.
Payment plans through Cherry
Flexible plans are available through Cherry, with fast approvals, 0% APR options and no hard credit check, so your pet can have the procedure now and you can pay over time.
- Ask your veterinarian’s office how they apply it to your estimate
- Or call us and we will point you in the right direction
Questions
The things owners ask us most
Still stuck on something? Call 631-946-8269. A two-minute conversation beats an hour of searching.
See all questionsNext step
Have a question about your pet's surgery?
Ask us directly, or bring your veterinarian into the conversation. Either works. There is no wrong question when your pet is the one in pain.