City of Lakes Veterinary Surgery

07/11/2024

Smushed face cats often have tiny nostrils. Since cats have no choice but to use their noses to breathe, Persians like Max often have tough lives. He was afraid to drink water or groom. We can fix that!!!

06/13/2024

Today was a Star Wars surgery cap kind of day.

04/11/2024

This poor little chihuahua jumped off the couch this morning and broke her radius and ulna bones. Thankfully, we were able to add her repair onto the end of our surgery schedule today. A bone plate and 7 screws later, she’s on the way to a great recovery.

03/25/2024

Frankie came in today for his suture removal, 2 weeks after a lip reconstruction. He had a large tumor that required removal of the majority of his upper lip. Although he had a setback early on, a revision turned out perfectly. Dr. Hammel rotated much of his lower lip to cover the defect. Once the scabbing flakes off and his hair grows back, he will look totally normal!

03/15/2024

Bandit is the Bestest Boy! We repaired his tibia with an interlocking nail, a very stable construct that includes a very thick pin in the center of the bone, and 4 stout bolts. It will provide great internal support for even a giant dog like Bandit.

11/16/2023

10 week old Molly, resting before surgery to repair her broken humerus. She’s so adorable! (Not up for adoption, just really cute!)

09/01/2023

The staff got to enjoy a nice evening together at the Minnesota Zoo’s Wild Nights! Our technicians work so hard, and are so dedicated to all of our patients. We appreciate you so very much, Tori and Laura!

05/06/2023

Dr. Hammel repaired a broken leg on Ego, a top agility athlete, 7 years ago. Today he won the Pro Plan Agility Championship. Congratulations Ego!

04/12/2023

Poor kitty! Sometimes fixing a fracture, like this shattered tibia in a 3 year old cat, is truly like piecing together a challenging jig saw puzzle. Lots of hardware needed here, but the outcome should be excellent.

04/02/2023

Beau, a couple years out from surgeries to repair his ACL in both knees by Dr. Hammel, living his best life!

03/04/2023

We send most patients home with this wonderful product after surgery on a rear limb!

02/09/2023

Tori and I are fixing this little puppy today! Donate a few dollars if you can!

01/05/2023

Every once in a while in this profession, we make a real difference. Sometimes we don’t even realize how much. This is one of those examples. This physician was the target of a mass shooting at a major hospital near us. We happened to be at the vet clinic a couple of blocks away at the time. I could not stop thinking about what those poor people went through. A year later, having escaped the shooter, his dog broke her femur, and we fixed it.

“Dr. Hammel, I think about you almost every day for your restoring running at lightning speeds on all four legs to our Sheltie "Tillie" with your ORIF nasty comminuted femur fracture just after Labor Day at Buffalo under Dr. Max’s local care. She has earned more than dollars can compare in therapy bringing happiness again every morning when we play goofy floor catch & chase games before I go to clinic to see human patients after my not really wanting to live after our clinic shooting. She sleeps by our bed every night and gets into her share of trouble to be sure! I am indebted to you and your surgery. Thank you.”

Chills.

11/18/2022

Who doesn’t like to see a makeover “before” and “after”? Cats with flat faces commonly have tiny nostrils, also known as stenotic nares. This can be a problem, especially since cats can only breathe through their noses. Today we opened this cat’s airway by enlarging his nostrils, making him breathe much more comfortably.

11/16/2022

So great to see one of my all time favorite patients, Chevy today! Thanks Shirley for bringing him in to see us. We have done ankle, knee, and elbow surgery on him. I’ve had the privilege of helping him with 3 out of 4 legs. It’s been several years since his last one, and he’s doing great!

04/09/2022

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Looking for some temporary (easily moved or removed) traction for slippery stairs? Avoid a fall for your pet with mobility issues! Great way to help your pet during recovery from surgery. This type of tread can be very helpful and is very reasonably priced.

RIOLAND Stair Treads Carpet Non-Slip Indoor 15PCS Stair Runners for Wooden Steps, Stair Rugs for Kids and Dogs, 8" X 30", Beige

03/31/2022

Leo is recovering well after we repaired a fracture in his elbow he sustained during a bad fall. His surgery went fantastic, and he’s on the road to getting back to being an active puppy again!

12/19/2021

Toys and games are a great way to challenge the mind of a pet recovering from surgery. Puzzles can leave a pet as tired as exercise, without the risk higher impact activity may have on him or her. Here, Frank pushes a toy which occasionally drops out a treat!

11/18/2021

This is 12 year old Wyatt. He suffered from laryngeal paralysis, a degenerative disease of the opening to the windpipe. He would struggle to breathe with any strenuous activity, and would get winded just walking around. He's back to loving life after Dr. Hammel performed surgery to open his airway. What a happy guy!

09/04/2021

Not often we get to play ball with one of our patients! This is Haley. We performed ACL surgery on both of her knees in the last couple years. She just recently recovered from the second knee. Can you tell which one? Hard to tell from how well she is doing!

07/23/2021

Our crew for our yearly participation in the Minnesota Vet Medical Foundation golf outing. CLVS sponsors the event yearly.

07/16/2021

We had a great time with the future Dr. Abby Byrd of Iowa State University over the past couple of weeks! Thank you for being such a great veterinary extern!

05/18/2021

Yesterday we removed this BB from Judd the cat’s skull. His owner had adopted him two years ago, and he had always had nasal discharge and sneezing. Radiographs showed the metal foreign object.

Under anesthesia, Dr. Hammel placed a wire into his nose for reference, and took 2 more X-rays (see them in this post). Then, he performed surgery through the roof of the mouth to access the BB.

Judd will feel so much better!

03/10/2021

Let’s play “name that species”! No cheating... surgery on this animal today for a rescue group. Any guesses what it is? Pictures promised after the surgery until then, guess away!

02/20/2021

Beau's family shared this picture with us. He is 3 weeks into recovering from surgery on his second knee, and feeling great! Is it playtime yet?

01/22/2021

Flashback Friday- recovering a fawn with fractured tibia Dr. Hammel had just repaired. This was about 14 years ago....

01/21/2021

Before and after photos from a rhinoplasty for a bulldog with stenotic nares (narrow nostrils). We also shortened this dog’s soft palate. This will be life changing for this dog’s ability to breathe well and be active!