Two board-certified surgeons. One dedicated soft-tissue OR with a Steris surgical table, an articulating surgical light, integrated suction, and a vapor anesthesia machine with full multi-parameter monitoring. One orthopedic OR with C-arm fluoroscopy, a dedicated orthopedic instrument set, and a full ortho power-tool inventory.
We performed approximately 1,100 surgical procedures last calendar year. Roughly 60% were soft-tissue cases, 40% orthopedic. Most cases come to us by referral from a general practitioner. Some come directly — clients can self-refer for a surgical consult without a GP letter, and a meaningful percentage of our TPLO caseload arrives this way after a family has done their own research. We will see either kind of referral.
The hospital is built around the surgery service the way an architectural firm is built around its design studio. The anesthesia protocol is uniform across both ORs and is reviewed annually. Every anesthetic case gets a dedicated technician for monitoring — not a circulating technician — and every case gets a written anesthesia plan before the patient is premedicated. We use the WHO surgical safety checklist for every case.
Soft-tissue surgery — performed by Dr. Marcus Whitaker, DACVS
Marcus's training is in general soft-tissue surgery with a focus on abdominal, otologic, and brachycephalic airway work. He has performed thousands of splenectomies, several hundred TECAs, and a comparable volume of BOAS corrections since residency. He still does the surgery himself — there is no surgical resident on his cases.
- TECA
- Total ear canal ablation, for chronic refractory otitis. Definitive surgical treatment when medical management has failed.
- Hepatic mass removal
- Liver lobe resection for benign and malignant masses. Pre-op CT staging standard.
- Soft palate resection (BOAS)
- Brachycephalic airway syndrome correction. Often combined with nares widening and saccule resection in the same anesthesia.
- Perineal hernia repair
- Single or bilateral. Combined with castration when appropriate.
- Ureteral SUB device placement
- For ureteral obstruction in cats. A definitive solution when medical management or stenting has failed.
- Complex mass removals
- Multi-stage closure, advancement flaps, regional flaps. Margins planned with the oncology service when indicated.
- Splenectomy + abdominal exploratory
- For splenic masses with or without hemoabdomen. Same-day surgical capacity for emergent cases during business hours.
- Cholecystectomy
- Gallbladder mucocele cases. Pre-op ultrasound and bloodwork standard.
Orthopedic surgery — performed by Dr. Reema Sandhu, DACVS
Reema completed her orthopedic surgical residency at Ohio State in 2013 and joined Field & Stone in 2014. She runs the orthopedic OR exclusively. Her caseload is roughly 240 TPLOs per calendar year, plus fracture repair, patellar luxation work, and the occasional FHO. For cervical disc disease and intracranial neurosurgery she refers to a board-certified neurosurgeon at VCA Animal Specialty Group.
- TPLO
- Tibial plateau leveling osteotomy. Standard of care for cruciate ligament disease in dogs over 30 lbs. Approximately 240 procedures last year.
- TTA
- Tibial tuberosity advancement. Alternate cruciate technique for selected anatomy.
- Fracture repair
- Plate fixation, intramedullary pinning, external skeletal fixation. Severity-graded planning.
- Patellar luxation correction
- Grades II through IV. Trochlear groove deepening, tibial tuberosity transposition, fascial imbrication.
- Hemilaminectomy
- For thoracolumbar disc disease. Cervical cases referred to neurosurgery — we do not operate on the cervical spine.
- Femoral head and neck excision (FHO)
- For chronic hip pain or non-reducible coxofemoral luxation.
- Joint arthroscopy
- Diagnostic and minimally invasive treatment for elbow and shoulder cases.
What a surgical consultation looks like
The surgical consult is 45 minutes. We ask families to upload imaging, bloodwork, and the referring DVM's letter through our online portal in advance — that way we walk into the consult having already reviewed the case. The first ten minutes is a focused exam. The next twenty is the conversation: the differential, the surgical options, the realistic outcomes, what the recovery actually looks like, and what it costs.
The third part of the consult is decisions. If surgery is the right path, we book it then and there and provide a written estimate before the family leaves. If medical management is more appropriate, we say so and write the recommendation back to the referring DVM. If a second specialty consult is needed — a cardiology workup before anesthesia, an oncology consult to confirm staging — we coordinate that directly.
We do not pressure consults toward surgery. The conversation that ends with "let's hold off and re-image in six weeks" is a perfectly good consult. Roughly 8% of our consults end without scheduled surgery, and we are content with that number.
For urgent cases — splenic mass with hemoabdomen, GDV, urinary obstruction, septic abdomen — we will operate the same day or the next business day. Call the referral line at (626) 555-9181 from the GP's office and we will triage immediately.
"Every surgical decision is two conversations — one with the radiographs and one with the family."
Pricing & estimates
Every surgical case receives a written estimate before scheduling. Estimates include pre-op bloodwork, anesthesia, surgery, hospitalization where indicated, and the standard post-op recheck schedule (typically a 14-day suture-removal visit and an 8-week recheck for orthopedic cases). Sample ranges, current as of 2026:
- TPLO
- $4,800–$5,800 (per stifle) — includes pre-op bloodwork, anesthesia, surgery, 8-week recheck imaging, suture removal.
- Splenectomy + abdominal exploratory
- $3,200–$4,500 — depending on intra-op findings and hospitalization required.
- TECA (per ear)
- $3,800–$4,800 — bilateral cases performed as separate procedures with appropriate spacing.
- Soft palate resection (BOAS)
- $2,400–$3,200 — combined nares widening adds $400–$600.
- Fracture repair (long bone, single)
- $3,800–$5,500 — depends on implant selection and complexity.
- FHO
- $2,800–$3,400.
We accept all major pet insurance with direct submission to the carrier. CareCredit is available. We do not require pre-payment in full but do require a non-refundable scheduling deposit for elective procedures.
Question: What's the typical recovery for a TPLO?
TPLO recovery happens in three phases. The first two weeks are strict confinement — no stairs, no jumping, leash-only out for elimination, and a recovery cone. Most dogs are weight-bearing within 24 to 48 hours but should not be loading the leg significantly. Weeks three through eight are controlled leash-walking, building gradually from five-minute walks to twenty-minute walks. We see the patient back at eight weeks for recheck radiographs to confirm bone healing at the osteotomy site. Weeks eight through twelve are a graduated return to off-leash and normal activity. Most dogs reach full function by four to six months post-op.
Question: Do I need to bring imaging from my GP?
Yes — bring whatever exists. The radiographs, the ultrasound, the lab work. If your GP can upload them through our online referral portal in advance, that's better; we'll have reviewed them before the consult. If imaging is older than 90 days or non-diagnostic for the specific question we're answering, we may recommend updated studies. We do not duplicate diagnostics unnecessarily.