Surgery

Veterinary Orthopedic Surgery and more at PSVS:

Hearing that your pet needs surgery can be daunting and stressful. Here at Puget Sound Veterinary Specialists, our Surgery Team is here to guide you and your pet through the entire process, from your initial appointment to when your pet is healed and beyond. Our surgeons, highly-trained and skilled support staff, and the entire team at PSVS are here to provide you and your pet with exceptional, cutting edge, compassionate care, comprehensively guiding you through the surgical process. We believe in a collaborative approach, working seamlessly as a team both within our different specialties here at PSVS and with your family veterinarian to provide a full continuum of care.

Both of our surgeons are board-certified in surgery, meaning they went through rigorous, advanced training in surgery after becoming a veterinarian to specialize in advanced surgical techniques. They have many years of experience providing the full range of advanced surgical procedures, including veterinary orthopedic surgery, soft tissue surgery, and minimally invasive surgery including laparoscopy and arthroscopy.

We are passionate about making surgery as least traumatic and comfortable as possible to make your pet’s recovery as easy as possible. Surgery can be invasive, but our surgeons and surgical team are passionate about pain management and provide minimally invasive alternatives (using small fiberoptic cameras and instruments to perform surgeries through small incisions) with some surgeries to minimize postoperative pain. We take pride in offering advanced multimodal pain control, utilizing different techniques such as nerve blocks and long-acting numbing agents to numb the surgical site.

Each pet and family is unique which encourages our surgeons to take an individualized approach to each patient. They will comprehensively discuss surgical and non-surgical options (if applicable) and work with you to determine the best option for you and your pet.

See the below list of common surgical procedures we provide at PSVS and check out the American College of Veterinary Surgeons here for a full list.

Orthopedic Surgery:

Cranial cruciate ligament stabilization (TPLO or lateral suture)
Arthroscopy
Patellar luxation repair (i.e. “slipped” or dislocating kneecap)
Trauma-related surgery (such as broken bones/fractures, joint/ligament/tendon injuries)
Femoral head and neck excision
Growth deformity surgery
Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia
Lameness evaluation
Medical management of back pain
Platelet Rich Plasma injections for arthritis

Soft Tissue Surgery:

Ear canal ablation
Amputation
Urogenital surgery (bladder stones, cystotomy, cystectomy)
Salivary mucocele
Gastrointestinal disease (foreign body, enterotomy, resection and anastomosis)
Rectal / Anal gland mass excision
Perineal urethrostomy
Splenectomy
Wound management and reconstruction
Prophylactic surgery: Laproscopic gastropexy
Maxillofacial/oral surgery, often in collaboration with our Dentist, Dr. Lindsey Schneider

Rest assured, if you choose PSVS for your pet’s surgery, they will be in the caring, skilled hands of our veterinary orthopedic surgeons during the entire process.

SAMANTHA COLLINS, DVM, DACVS-SA

DIPLOMATE, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS

Born and raised in the Seattle area, Dr. Collins originally had a career in geology, but found great satisfaction in her volunteer work with animals and wanted to channel this passion into a career where she could have the greatest impact helping pets and their families. She made the decision to leave her career as a geologist for veterinary medicine to allow her to fulfill the joy of the art and science of veterinary medicine and her desire to contribute to the greater good by helping pets and their families. She knew immediately that she wanted to be a veterinary surgeon. She ventured East to go to Veterinary school at Cornell University, earning her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. After a year at the University of Georgia for her Small Animal Rotating Internship, she went back to Cornell University for her Surgery Residency from 2010 to 2013, where she was able to work with Dr. Knapp-Hoch. She obtained her board certification (DACVS) in 2014. After working in Buffalo, NY and Charleston, SC, she was able to come back to her beloved PNW.

While she loves all aspects of surgery, Dr. Collins is most passionate about cranial cruciate ligament injury and fracture management to get our furry friends “back on all four” again, the intricacies of feline surgery and how they are often not just “small dogs”, skin reconstruction after large/difficult tumor removal, wound management, and minimally invasive surgery. Her utmost priority is providing the highest quality care for patients (in and out of the operating room) and compassionately and comprehensively guiding pet parents through what can be a daunting process when their pets require surgery.

After being back on the East Coast for too long, away from her PNW roots, she is so grateful to be back in her heartland of the Puget Sound region. She spends her free time doing CrossFit and Olympic weight-lifting and being outside in our beautiful mountains or Puget Sound as much as possible, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, cycling, relaxing on the Oregon Coast, or in the snowier months in the mountains, snowboarding and snowshoeing. As many of these activities as possible are done with her energetic, happy-go-lucky Flat Coated Retriever, Finnegan. When at home, she is held hostage by her snuggle-loving cat, Dillinger (aka “Dilly), cheering for the Seahawks and Mariners (and soon-to-be Kraken!). She is so grateful and happy to be joining the Kitsap Peninsula community!