Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
  • 24-HR ER: 518-785-1094
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    • Emergency/Critical Care
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Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
  • Our Services
    • Dermatology
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Emergency/Critical Care
  • For Your Pet
    • Client Registration Form
    • Curb-Side Procedures
    • When Your Pet is a Patient
    • Client Portal
    • Pet Insurance
    • Payment Options
    • End of Life Arrangements
  • For Veterinary Teams
    • Referral Forms and Portal
    • Our Referral Process
    • At a Glance
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • VetBloom CE
  • About Us
    • Our Hospital
    • Our Team
    • Donate to AVMF
    • Why Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDcasts
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Benefits and Perks
    • Veterinary Training Programs
  • 24-HR ER: 518-785-1094

Our Blogs

Brain Surgery

October 1, 2016

As in people, brain surgery is performed for a variety of ailments, including surgical removal of brain tumors, correction of brain anomalies (e.g., Chiari malformation), removal of blood clots (e.g., subdural hematoma), and placement of shunts in patients with hydrocephalus. Brain surgery is performed most often by veterinary neurologists, but also by some veterinary surgeons.

The most common reason that brain surgery is performed in dogs & cats is to remove a brain tumor. In both dogs and cats, the most common brain tumor is a meningioma, a tumor of the membranes which surround & protect the brain & spinal cord.

While having your pet being diagnosed with a brain tumor is scary, it is important to know that animals generally do quite well with treatment. In general, animals tolerate brain surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy MUCH better than people, with fewer side effects.

In cats, surgical removal of a meningioma can be curative. In dogs with meningioma, and in both dogs and cats with other brain tumors, brain surgery can provide patients with improved quality of life for much longer than medical treatment alone, especially when followed by radiation therapy.

Dr. Mark Troxel performs brain surgery on a cat with a meningioma.
Post-operative photo of a dog that had brain surgery to remove a meningioma.
Intra-operative view of a meningioma (arrow) and normal brain (arrowhead). The cat’s nose is to the left.

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Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
518-785-1094 | 222 Troy Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110
  • 24-HR ER: 518-785-1094
  • Our Services
    • Dermatology
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Emergency/Critical Care
  • For Your Pet
    • Client Registration Form
    • Curb-Side Procedures
    • When Your Pet is a Patient
    • Client Portal
    • Pet Insurance
    • Payment Options
    • End of Life Arrangements
  • For Veterinary Teams
    • Referral Forms and Portal
    • Our Referral Process
    • At a Glance
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • VetBloom CE
  • About Us
    • Our Hospital
    • Our Team
    • Donate to AVMF
    • Why Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDcasts
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Benefits and Perks
    • Veterinary Training Programs
© 2022 Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital
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Emergency Hours

Due to a staffing shortage, we are temporarily reducing our Emergency/Critical Care service hours on Wednesdays.

Our Hours
Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open until 6 p. m. Closed overnight
Thursday: Open from 7 a.m. onwards
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours

If your pet needs emergency care during the window we are closed, the closest facility is:

Upstate Veterinary Specialties

152 Sparrowbush Rd, Latham, NY 12110

Phone: 518-783-3198

Please call them first to ensure they are open and accepting patients.