Medicine

Puppy and Kitten Care

There is so much to learn when welcoming a new puppy or kitten into your home. We like to see puppies and kittens each month for three visits to help get them off to a good start. During these visits, we examine the pet to be sure there are no developmental abnormalities, and we administer the vaccinations and deworming medications needed to protect these little patients. We also provide education for new owners regarding vaccine schedules, intestinal parasite control, heartworm prevention, flea and tick control, nutrition, and spaying or neutering. We also provide information to help with housetraining and other behavioral issues.

Annual Examinations for Adult Animals

Every pet should have an annual examination to identify any changes in their health status. Since animals age faster than people, yearly exams are particularly important. During this visit, the veterinarian will examine your pet from nose to tail in order to provide you with the best recommendations for your pets¹ overall health, including dental care, nutrition, and weight management. Diseases can progress quickly, so early identification and intervention is vital to diminishing the effect and duration of the problem. These yearly examinations are the most important tool we have for detecting diseases. Routine procedures such as vaccination, heartworm testing, and fecal exams are often done at the same time as the yearly physical exam. Many clients also find it convenient to pick up supplies like heartworm, flea and tick preventatives during the visit for the annual exam.

Geriatric Medicine

Just like people, elderly animals often have special needs that require close monitoring. Dogs are considered to be geriatric patients beginning at age seven, and cats at age ten. For our senior patients, we recommend semi-annual examinations, and annual bloodwork, urinalysis, and blood pressure evaluation to help us detect the problems most common at this stage of life. Treatment of a disease early on provides a better prognosis for the pet to live out a long and active lifetime. We will also discuss your pet¹s changing needs in regard to nutrition, exercise, and weight management. Many older animals experience chronic pain from arthritis, so we discuss strategies to maximize joint health and manage arthritis pain. Behavioral issues will be addressed as geriatric patients may undergo personality changes.

Permanent Identification

We offer microchipping to help ensure your lost pet can return home.

Sick or Injured Patients

Our doctors are skilled in identifying and treating internal diseases, skin and ear problems, dental disease, orthopedic problems, and behavioral issues, among many others. They will rely on our many in-house testing capabilities to make their diagnoses. We offer the latest in digital radiology, which provides instant patient images. Our state-of­the-art computer system allows easy access to patient test results and radiographic images. It facilitates good communication between client and doctor for comprehensive case follow up. Critically ill patients can be hospitalized to receive intensive care.

Dental Health

Our team can evaluate your pet¹s teeth and gums and determine if a professional dental cleaning is indicated. Dental disease in common in our pets, and can adversely affect organs like the heart and kidneys as well as cause significant pain. Oftentimes we find there is significant dental disease when the pet has not even demonstrated any outward sign of a problem at home. It takes very severe, painful disease to make most dogs or cats stop eating. Our doctors are trained in the techniques to preserve viable teeth, and how to extract those that need to come out. We have top-of-the-line dental equipment to scale off the plaque and tartar, polish the teeth, and section teeth that need to be extracted. We have an array of home dental care products that will help you keep your pet¹s mouth looking and smelling great.

Physical Therapy

Animals that have undergone orthopedic surgery are started on a physical therapy plan after surgery. The pet exercise techniques are demonstrated to the owner at the time of discharge. The owner can then perform the physical therapy on their pet at home, to optimize recovery time. Physical therapy dramatically reduces the recovery time so the animal has use of the limb much sooner.