Advanced Surgical Technology
& Specialized Care for Your Pet
Powered by VetScalpel® CO2 Laser & LigaSure™ Vessel Sealing — Delivered by Our Skilled Surgical Team at Burke Forest Veterinary Clinic.
At Burke Forest Veterinary Clinic, we are committed to providing an elevated standard of veterinary surgery that goes well beyond routine care. Guided by hospital owner and operator Dr. Bowles and our experienced board-trained surgeon, Dr. Davis, our team performs complex, high-stakes procedures that general practices typically must refer out. As a proudly independent, privately owned hospital, our treatment plans are guided solely by the individual medical needs of your pet, never by corporate quotas.
By equipping our surgical suite with cutting-edge medical technologies, specifically the VetScalpel® CO2 Surgical Laser and the LigaSure™ Vessel Sealing System, we achieve unmatched surgical accuracy and gentleness. From delicate airway corrections to life-saving abdominal interventions, our combination of expert surgical leadership and state-of-the-art tools ensures safer anesthesia, minimal discomfort, and smoother, faster recoveries.
Specialized Procedures We Perform:
- Complex Abdominal Procedures: Splenectomy (complete removal of the spleen) and liver biopsies utilizing LigaSure for rapid, bloodless vascular ligation.
- Brachycephalic Airway Repair (BOAS): Widening pinched nostrils (stenotic nares) and shortening elongated soft palates in French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, and Bulldogs with zero-contact laser precision.
- Prophylactic Gastropexy: Preventative stomach-tacking surgery for deep-chested breeds (e.g., Great Danes, German Shepherds) to safeguard against life-threatening bloat and stomach twisting (GDV).
- Perianal Fistula & Anal Gland Surgery: Gentle laser ablation and excision for sensitive, chronically inflamed tissues while preserving vital sphincter function.
- Advanced Oral Surgery & Gingivectomies: Clean vaporization of oral growths, treatment for feline stomatitis, and hyperplastic gum resection with immediate bleeding control.
- Orthopedic & Soft Tissue Surgeries: Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) hip procedures, emergency pyometra surgery, foreign body retrievals, and rapid, low-pain skin mass/tumor ablations.
Regional Consultations & Patient Referrals
We welcome families and referring veterinarians from across Northern Virginia. We make the consultation process seamless by providing comprehensive pre-operative evaluations, thorough diagnostic reviews, and fully customized post-operative pain management protocols to give your pet the best possible surgical outcome.
Benefits of Advanced Surgical Technology
- Minimal Blood Loss: LigaSure permanently fuses vessels up to 7mm, while the CO2 laser vaporizes surface micro-vessels in real time.
- Shorter Time Under Anesthesia: Instant vascular sealing substantially cuts operating times, making surgeries much safer for senior and high-risk pets.
- Reduced Post-Op Pain & Swelling: The CO2 laser seals nerve endings instantly upon contact, dramatically limiting inflammation and discomfort.
- Sutureless Internal Healing: Decreases the need for excessive internal foreign suture materials, minimizing tissue reactions.
- Lower Infection Risk & Faster Recovery: Thermal precision sanitizes surgical margins, resulting in less tissue trauma and quicker discharge times.
View Our Adoption Spotlight
Have a Question?
Advanced Veterinary Surgery FAQs
Traditional cold-steel scalpels cut tissue mechanically, which tears microscopic blood vessels and stimulates raw nerve endings, resulting in standard bleeding, inflammation, and bruising. The VetScalpel® CO2 laser uses a focused beam of light energy that cleanly vaporizes tissue while instantly sealing capillaries, lymphatics, and nerve endings simultaneously. This creates a nearly bloodless surgical field, dramatically reduces post-surgical swelling, and significantly decreases pain.
The spleen and liver are deeply vascular organs that handle substantial blood volume. In traditional surgery, sealing these vessels requires placing dozens of individual manual sutures or clips, which takes considerable time and leaves internal foreign material behind. LigaSure™ uses precise electrical energy and pressure to permanently fuse vessel walls up to 7mm in seconds, eliminating suture reactions, preventing internal oozing, and cutting surgical anesthesia time substantially.
Yes. Oral tissues are highly sensitive and bleed easily, which can make conventional oral surgeries challenging. With the VetScalpel® CO2 laser, we can cleanly vaporize oral growths, perform gingivectomies (resecting overgrown gum tissue), and treat painful conditions like feline stomatitis with minimal bleeding. The instant sealing of nerve endings dramatically reduces post-operative swelling and pain, helping pets return to eating comfortably much sooner.
Pain prevention begins before your pet even wakes up. As the VetScalpel® CO2 laser makes an incision, it instantly vaporizes and seals exposed nerve endings rather than severing them mechanically. This natural sealing effect prevents the intense post-op throbbing, bruising, and severe inflammation common with traditional scalpel blades. Combined with tailored multi-modal pain medications, this allows pets to rest peacefully and start moving comfortably much sooner.