Veterinary Surgical Centers

About VSC

In the many years that Veterinary Surgical Centers has been providing advanced surgical services to the Bay Area we have earned a reputation for honesty, integrity, excellent patient care and outstanding support to you and your veterinarian before, during, and after surgery throughout the recovery process. 24-hour doctor care and a multi-disciplinary team approach have driven our success. Furthermore, we recognize the vital role that family veterinarians and their staff play in ensuring the best possible outcome for patients requiring surgical interventions. Because your personal veterinarian is such a vital part of the patient care process, we partner with them, providing timely phone updates and comprehensive written reports following diagnosis and treatment.

Our goal is to assist you in making informed decisions and we will discuss the relevant medical condition and all of the treatment options available. We will encourage you to ask any and all questions to help you determine the best choices possible for your family and your companion.

VSC partners with 24-hour care facilities and other specialty disciplines so that together we can offer the most up-to-date diagnostic techniques and therapeutic treatments. When you entrust your pet to us you can be assured that there is always a doctor present providing continuity of patient care and that veterinary specialists are always on-call, available for situations that may require immediate attention.

Download The Art of Surgery, the Heart of Compassion

Download Considerations and Perspectives - Does my pet "need" a veterinary surgical specialist?

About Our Hospitals

Our hospitals are equipped with sophisticated diagnostic, surgical and anesthetic multi-parameter monitoring equipment to support our specialty surgical services.

Advanced diagnostic options include:

  • Plain and contrast radiology
  • Digital radiology
  • Radiology specialist consultations
  • Ultrasonography (Echocardiogram)
  • Thoracoscopy
  • Laparoscopy
  • Myelography
  • Endoscopy
  • Arthroscopy
  • Computed Tomography (CT scan) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Our Surgeons

Every one of our surgeons are completely trained as Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons ( www.ACVS.org) or, by virtue of having completed a residency in advanced surgery, are qualified to sit for this exacting certification. “Board certified” status is a special designation bestowed only after graduating from a 4-year, North American accredited veterinary school, completing a 1-year rotating internship, completing a 3- or 4-year surgical residency, meeting specific training and caseload requirements, and performing and publishing novel research. Once this process is complete, the resident must still achieve successful performance on a written, case-based and practical examination offered by the ACVS. There are only approximately 1200 surgeons world-wide that have achieved the requisite knowledge, expertise and proficiency to attain diplomate status within the prestigious American College of Veterinary Surgeons!

Our specialized surgical services include:

  • Advanced orthopedic surgery (trauma repair, limb alignment, joint injury repair)
  • Arthroscopy and minimally invasive surgery techniques
  • Reconstructive joint surgery
  • Spinal/neurosurgery (herniated discs, spinal fractures, wobblers)
  • Total joint replacements
  • Advanced reconstructive soft-tissue surgery
  • Surgical oncology
  • Cardiothoracic surgery
  • Abdominal surgery (gall bladder, liver, urogenital, intestinal)
  • Performance and competition athletic injury repair
  • Stem cell (regenerative) therapy

Our Medical Staff

Our registered veterinary technicians and professional staff assistants are specially trained in the field of veterinary surgery. Each individual of our patient care team is committed to providing thorough, educated and compassionate care to your companion during their entire surgical experience.

Appointments and Fees

All patients are seen by appointment; please call if you need to reschedule or cancel this appointment. Arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time to register and to complete all appropriate paperwork. Bring any records or case summaries provided by your referring veterinarian along with your pet’s medical history, a list of medications, diagnostic images (such as x-rays), and laboratory results. If possible, make prior arrangements to have these results forwarded to our hospital before your appointment; our staff will assist you in obtaining any necessary information. This data may be important in the diagnosis and treatment of your pet’s condition and helps avoid duplication of services and fees. Unless medically contraindicated, please fast your pet prior to the examination, withholding food (it is okay to provide water) after 10pm the night before the exam. This fast may allow us the flexibility, when indicated, to perform routine blood work and/or to safely sedate or anesthetize your pet for diagnostic or therapeutic treatments.

We will provide you with a detailed, written fee estimate when we admit your pet to the hospital and upon request. We will collect a deposit prior to performing diagnostics or surgery and, as is customary, the remaining balance of the bill is due at the time of your pet’s discharge.

Our Mission, Operating Principles, and Values

Our Mission

We are Veterinary Surgical Centers, a dedicated, professional and compassionate team of veterinary surgeons and professionals who partner with family veterinarians and other specialists to provide 24-hour care and unparalleled advanced surgical services to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our Operating Principles

  • We partner with 24-hour facilities in Berkeley and Dublin in addition to providing mobile surgical services.
  • We will expand our medical centers to accommodate the veterinary surgical needs of the San Francisco Bay Area.
  • We help our pet owners and referring veterinarians make well informed decisions by providing thorough diagnostics, education and innovative surgical solutions.
  • We provide proactive, timely and accurate communication to our pet owning clientele.

Our Values

  • We believe in the dignity and value that animals add to our lives.
  • We believe in upholding the unique and cherished bond between pet owners and their family veterinarian.
  • We believe that both family veterinarians and pet owners should be able to meet us face-to-face before allowing our doctors to perform surgery on their pets.
  • We apply these same values to ourselves, our own pets, and the pets under our care.
  • We honor the opportunity to share these services with you.