PROCEDURES & THERAPIES
Know what to expect.
Prepare for care.
Understand why a procedure or therapy may be recommended, what happens at the clinic, how species differences affect the plan, and what recovery can involve.
Find a procedure or therapy ↓INFORMATION FOR CAREGIVERS
A clearer conversation with your veterinary team.
These guides explain care in everyday language, including benefits, limitations, risks, practical preparation and questions to ask. A shared procedure name does not mean identical medication, fasting, anesthesia or home-care instructions across species. Follow the written plan for your individual animal.
For honeybee colonies, the relevant professional may be an apiary inspector, extension specialist or veterinarian, depending on the problem. Food-producing animals also require attention to treatment records and withdrawal requirements.
Use the species filter to find guides that discuss your animal. Species listed describe the scope of each article; they do not imply that every treatment discussed is appropriate for every patient.
BROWSE PROCEDURES & THERAPIES
Understand the care plan.
32 guides
Anesthesia and sedation
How a tailored anesthesia plan supports comfortable procedures, and what owners can do before admission and during recovery.
Dogs · Cats · Rabbits
Read this guide →Surgery & AnesthesiaSpay and neuter
Planning reproductive surgery, choosing timing, and recognizing when recovery needs veterinary attention.
Dogs · Cats · Rabbits · Ferrets
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresDental cleaning and extractions
Why complete dental assessment includes more than visible tartar, and how cleaning, imaging, and extractions fit together.
Dogs · Cats · Rabbits · Domestic equines
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresBiopsy and histopathology
What a tissue sample can reveal, why results take time, and how to plan the next decision after a pathology report.
Dogs · Cats · Ferrets
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresEndoscopy
How a camera examination and carefully selected samples can investigate digestive or other internal problems.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresBlood transfusions
Why blood products may be needed, how compatibility is checked, and what a transfusion can and cannot accomplish.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresFluid therapy
Why veterinary fluids need an individual prescription, ongoing reassessment, and careful monitoring for too much as well as too little.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresOxygen therapy
How supplemental oxygen supports a struggling patient while the veterinary team treats the cause of the breathing problem.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Nutrition & ComfortFeeding tubes and assisted nutrition
Why nutritional support may be recommended before appetite returns, and how families can prepare for safe home care.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresWound care and bandages
Why wound treatment may change over time, how bandages protect healing tissue, and which changes need prompt reassessment.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Pain & RehabilitationPain management
A practical guide to recognizing pain, choosing veterinary treatment, and measuring whether your dog or cat feels and functions better.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Pain & RehabilitationRehabilitation and physical therapy
Understand how veterinary rehabilitation supports movement and recovery, and how a tailored home plan differs from simply doing more exercise.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesCancer chemotherapy
An owner guide to chemotherapy goals, appointment planning, side effects, and safe care at home for dogs and cats.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesRadiation therapy
Learn why radiation may be offered for a pet’s tumor, how treatment is planned, and what care is needed during and after a course.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesImmunosuppressive therapy for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia
Understand why treatment suppresses the immune system, why monitoring and gradual changes matter, and when a dog or cat with IMHA needs urgent care.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesAntibiotics and culture-guided treatment
How veterinarians decide whether antibiotics are needed, use laboratory results, and make a treatment plan that owners can follow safely.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesInsulin and diabetes treatment
A guide to starting and monitoring diabetes treatment, maintaining a dependable routine, and preparing for low blood sugar or other complications.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Hospital & Diagnostic ProceduresUrinary catheterization
What a urinary catheter does, why hospitalization may be needed, and how to monitor urination after a dog or cat returns home.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Surgery & AnesthesiaFracture repair
How broken bones are stabilized, what influences healing, and why activity restriction and follow-up imaging matter after treatment.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Surgery & AnesthesiaGastrointestinal foreign body surgery
What happens when a swallowed object requires surgery, why bowel damage changes the plan, and which recovery signs deserve immediate attention.
Dogs · Cats
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareDental procedures for rabbits and rodents
What a dental examination, tooth correction, or extraction involves for small mammals, and why recovery depends on eating comfortably again.
Rabbits · Guinea pigs · Chinchillas · Rats · Mice · Hamsters · Gerbils · Degus
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareEquine dental examination and floating
A practical guide to oral examinations, floating, and recovery for horses, donkeys, and mules.
Domestic equines · Horses · Donkeys · Mules
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareEquine joint injections and regenerative therapies
Understanding treatment goals, evidence limits, procedure risks, and rehabilitation before choosing an equine joint therapy.
Domestic equines · Horses · Donkeys · Mules
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareAvian procedures and hospital care
How avian teams plan stabilization, anesthesia, procedures, and home recovery for companion birds and poultry.
Companion birds · Poultry
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareReptile and amphibian hospital care
Why enclosure conditions, careful handling, and species-specific recovery instructions are part of medical treatment.
Reptiles · Amphibians
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareAquatic treatment and quarantine
Planning treatment around the animal, the water system, and safe separation of new or sick aquatic animals.
Aquatic animals · Aquatic invertebrates
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareHoney bee colony treatment planning
A colony-level plan that connects diagnosis, mite monitoring, apiary expertise, veterinary oversight, and label-compliant treatment.
Honeybees
Read this guide →Species-Specific CareLivestock reproductive and obstetric care
Planning reproductive visits, recognizing difficult births, and supporting dams and newborns with species-specific veterinary care.
Cattle · Sheep · Goats · Pigs · Camelids
Read this guide →Nutrition & ComfortHumane euthanasia and end-of-life care
Making comfort-focused decisions, preparing for a professional euthanasia appointment, and arranging species-appropriate aftercare.
Dogs · Cats · Rabbits · Guinea pigs · Chinchillas · Rats · Mice · Hamsters · Gerbils · Degus · Ferrets · Domestic equines · Horses · Donkeys · Mules · Companion birds · Poultry · Reptiles · Amphibians · Aquatic animals · Aquatic invertebrates · Cattle · Sheep · Goats · Pigs · Camelids
Read this guide →Nutrition & ComfortTherapeutic nutrition across species
Using food as part of a medical plan while respecting species, life stage, disease, and the limits of diet labels.
Dogs · Cats · Rabbits · Guinea pigs · Chinchillas · Rats · Mice · Hamsters · Gerbils · Degus · Ferrets · Domestic equines · Horses · Donkeys · Mules · Companion birds · Poultry · Reptiles · Amphibians · Aquatic animals · Aquatic invertebrates · Cattle · Sheep · Goats · Pigs · Camelids
Read this guide →Pain & RehabilitationLaser Therapy (Photobiomodulation)
Understand therapeutic laser treatment, where it may fit into a pain or rehabilitation plan, what the evidence can and cannot tell us, and how safety and response are monitored.
Dogs · Cats · Domestic equines · Horses · Donkeys · Mules
Read this guide →Medical TherapiesRadioactive Iodine Therapy (I-131)
A detailed guide to radioiodine treatment for feline hyperthyroidism, with a separate explanation of selected canine thyroid tumor care, licensed hospitalization, home precautions and thyroid and kidney follow-up.
Cats · Dogs
Read this guide →Sources and review
Each article links to veterinary guidelines, university resources, professional organizations or relevant government guidance. Content last reviewed: October 6, 2026. Review status: veterinary-informed; independent veterinarian review not yet completed.
Read our editorial standardsResearch, updates and corrections →Prepare for your appointmentQuestion sheets, medication records and recovery trackers →