Specialty Services

Surgery

Our goal is to provide you and your clients with high quality, easily accessible, advanced surgical services at our convenient central Marin location in San Rafael. Please feel free to call our surgical service for information or advice on any of your patients requiring surgical care.

Dr. Cheri Nielsen has advanced surgical training in many areas. This includes orthopedic surgery (bone & joint procedures), soft tissue surgery (abdomen, chest, head/neck, and skin procedures), and neurosurgery (spinal procedures).

Dr. Nielsen enjoys all types of soft-tissue, orthopedic, and spinal surgery. She has advanced training in many areas, including:

  • Complex fracture repair using interlocking nails, external skeletal fixation, and bone plating
  • Soft tissue procedures such as portosystemic shunt attenuation, endocrine surgeries, skin flaps, and thoracic surgery
  • Laparoscopic and thoracoscopic procedures
  • Total hip replacement using either cemented or biologic (cementless) techniques
  • TPLO procedure

What sets our surgical referral service apart?

  • Surgery is performed by an ACVS board-certified specialist.
  • Post-operative patients are supervised by a doctor overnight, monitoring for any complications or the need for additional pain medication.
  • We strive to provide you and your clients with the most current options for surgical care using the latest techniques.
  • We offer minimally invasive surgery. As in the human field, use of new techniques and equipment allow faster recoveries with less discomfort.
  • We take anesthetic safety very seriously. Our typical patient is monitored by both our specialist and a highly experienced veterinary nurse using pulse oximetry, ECG, end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring, body temperature monitoring, and blood pressure monitoring. Most surgical patients are maintained on a mechanical ventilator throughout their procedure to optimize respiratory function.
  • We make patient comfort a top priority. Each patient receives an individualized pain-management plan.

Internal Medicine

Acting as an extension of your healthcare team, our internal medicine referral service provides management of patients with complex medical problems or requiring advanced diagnostic testing such as ultrasound or endoscopy.

Dr. Marcella Harb-Hauser holds a B.S. in Animal Physiology and in 1988 and received her veterinary degree from U.C. Davis. Her goal as an internist is to provide the best possible care for each pet while at the same time recognizing the unique needs of each of her clients.

Dr. Jennifer Kaae completed her veterinary degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. She then pursued a one year small animal medicine and surgery internship at Cornell University and a three year residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin.

Our highly skilled and compassionate internal medicine nursing team, led by Registered Veterinary Technician Kathleen Bennett, works closely with Dr. Harb-Hauser to ensure that each patient receives the best possible care and comfort.

We have invested in the advanced equipment necessary for treating patients with complex medical problems, including Doppler color flow ultrasound, video endoscopy, digital radiography, invasive and non-invasive blood pressure monitors, ventilators, advanced anesthetic monitoring equipment, and a comprehensive in-house laboratory.