As a board-certified small animal veterinarian, Dr. Joel Todd Leroy Prince provides comprehensive care for dogs and cats. Focused largely on orthopedic surgery, Dr. Joel Todd Leroy Prince maintains an up-to-date knowledge of arthroscopic surgery and other current surgical techniques.

Arthroscopic surgery allows a veterinarian to examine and even treat joint and other problems with minimal disruption to the surrounding tissues. Eliminating the need for large incisions, the surgery instead involves a series of small cuts, through which the surgeon passes a specially designed instrument called an arthroscope. This device includes a lighting element and fiber-optic cables as well as a surgical camera, which transmits images of the joint to a video monitor.

If the evaluation uncovers abnormalities that are eligible for surgical correction, the surgeon need only create a few additional small incisions to introduce specialized surgical instruments. This instrumentation allows the surgeon to remove problematic tissue, conduct a biopsy, or cut away a bone spur. Although the examination may show that an open surgery is necessary, arthroscopic examinations typically translate to a quicker recovery time and less discomfort as compared to more invasive evaluations.

If a growth is found to be benign, the veterinarian will likely leave it alone unless it is interfering with the dog's mobility. This is most common in the case of lipomas that develop under the leg. Otherwise, growths are unlikely to impede the dog's functioning or health enough to warrant treatment.