Friendship Surgical Specialists works closely with Friendship’s other specialists, including our anesthesiologist and emergency critical care specialists to ensure the most comprehensive care for your patients. FSS provides all disciplines of surgical care to the dogs and cats of Washington D.C., including orthopedic surgery, soft tissue surgery (abdominal and thoracic), and all types of oncological surgery. Access to many diagnostics on site helps us provide the best care possible- including MRI, CT, musculoskeletal ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, on site clinical pathologist and clinical laboratory, fluoroscopy, endoscopy, arthroscopy and laparoscopy.

In addition to surgical care, FSS also performs orthopedic/lameness evaluations and non-surgical orthopedic treatments. FSS prides itself on working closely with referring veterinarians to ensure that their patients receive the most prompt and skilled surgical care possible. Communication between client, specialist and referring veterinarian  is an area of utmost importance and allows us to differentiate ourselves from other surgical specialists in the area.

Services offered included, but not limited to:

Orthopedic surgery

• Arthroscopy
• Cranial cruciate ligament rupture, TPLO
• Patella luxation, fracture repair – open or fluoroscopic/minimally invasive

Oncological and Reconstructive surgery

Soft tissue surgery

• Airway surgery to correct laryngeal paralysis or brachycephalic airway syndrome
• Skin reconstruction
• Salivary gland surgery
• Thoracic (heart and lung) surgery
• Abdominal surgery (liver, gall bladder, intestine, adrenal gland, kidney, spleen, urinary bladder, ureter, urethra – including placement of subcutaneous ureteral bypass [SUB])

Emergency surgery

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus
• Foreign body obstruction
• Hemoabdomen
• Uoabdomen
• Emergency fracture fixation – including vertebral body fractures

Minimally Invasive surgery

• Arthroscopy
• Thoracoscopy
• Laparoscopy
• Fluoroscopically guided fracture repairs
• Intraluminal stent placement

Lameness evaluation

Extensive Wound Management

• Extensive bite wound management
• Wounds with or without concurrent orthopedic injury
• Wounds requiring advanced wound healing techniques such as Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) or skin grafting/rotational flap techniques

Interventional Surgical Procedures

• Urethral stent placement

How to refer:

• Urgent or Emergent surgical cases can be sent through the Friendship Hospital Urgent Care Service 24 hours a day for surgical referral.
• Clients may contact us directly via,
  • Email – FSS@friendshiphospital.com
  • Phone – Speak with the FSS Referral Coordinator at 202.363.7300
• Referring Veterinarians
  • Contact our surgeons directly to discuss cases.
  • Complete a referral form on our website so that we may contact the client directly or be prepared for their call