Hospitals

Comprehensive Care + 24 Hour Emergency

Orthopedic Surgery

Agricultural Animal
Orthopedic surgery

Meet Our Specialists

The Orthopedics Service at Cornell University Hospital for Animals is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions in farm animals. Our staff includes board-certified veterinarians who have pioneered many of the approaches used for diagnosis and treatment of joint and bone disorders. 

Our service offers advanced diagnostic techniques and cutting-edge treatments in a contemporary facility designed to maximize the safety and care of farm animals. We offer post-operative surgical care 24 hours a day in a special orthopedic ward and our staff is trained specifically to care for orthopedic conditions.

We work in a collaborative environment that brings together a diverse group of veterinary specialty services including Anesthesiology, Imaging and Clinical Nutrition to provide comprehensive veterinary care for your animal. 

What to Expect During Your Appointment

Your scheduled visit to the Orthopedic Service at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals begins when you pull up to the circular driveway in front of the Large Animal Hospital. Please park your vehicle in the driveway, come into the reception area and check in at the front desk. After a small amount of paperwork, a veterinary student will help you unload and walk your animal to its assigned stall. 

Often times, you may leave your vehicle and trailer right in the driveway but, if the lot is full, the receptionist will provide you with a parking pass and directions to nearby longer-term parking where overnight parking for trucks and trailers is also available.

After your vehicle is parked, a student will ask about your animals past medical, surgical, travel and vaccination history and performs a basic physical examination. Then, the surgery resident and faculty member will join the student to conduct a full orthopedic examination. Students observe and participate in this examination, which is invaluable to their education and development. We appreciate your patience and understanding in allowing these future veterinarians to interact with you and your animal.

After the physical examination, our veterinarians will discuss their findings and treatment options, including cost. Together, you will develop plan for further diagnosis and treatment of your animal. 
In most cases, you will be asked to leave your animal in the care of the student after this initial examination so that we may begin appropriate diagnostic testing, which commonly includes imaging studies and diagnostic nerve blocks. 

You will most likely be asked to return in the afternoon to discuss our findings and recommendations. Please understand that our primary concern is the well being of your animal, and that although we will always strive to minimize the duration of your stay, we do not wish to compromise patient care. When you return, you will meet with the veterinarian and the student working with your animal to discuss their findings and therapeutic recommendations. 

Animals that require a surgical procedure are typically admitted, and their surgery will occur the following day. Animals that do not require surgery will be discharged with a plan for rehabilitation and pain control, if necessary. You will also receive a copy of discharge instructions, which outlines our findings and recommendations. We will strive to make sure that we have answered any and all questions that you may have prior to your departure.

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