Our Mission:
To do all the good we can,
For all the people and pets that we can,
In all the ways that we can,
For as long as ever we can. Services:
Wellness and Preventive Care: We offer core vaccination programs tailor-made for your pet's individual life stage and specific lifestyle needs, as well as deworming, intestinal parasite screening, heartworm testing and prevention, and full blood panels to evaluate the health of your pet's red and white blood cells, platelets, and internal organs. We also offer counseling on parasite prevention, nutrition, hygiene, and dental health care, and can perform spays, neuters, full dental cleanings and dental x-rays. We are also happy to help you address behavior problems with a combination of nutritional supplements, changes to your pet's daily routine, screening for any underlying medical causes, and referral to high-quality professional training programs. Injury, Illness, and Emergency Care: We know there is nothing more scary than your best friend not feeling well, and we are here to help you through that process. Our experienced clinicians can provide high-quality advanced imaging such as x-ray and ultrasound, can perform a variety of in-house diagnostic blood tests with same-day results, and, if needed, can provide hospitalization and emergency surgical care. We can also perform a variety of diagnostic tests such as biopsies and cultures that can be processed through an outside laboratory. Care for the Senior Pet: Senior pets, like senior people, require more frequent evaluation and often additional testing to manage their health, and also often need chronic medications and supplements to manage conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, and thyroid conditions. We promote a holistic view of health that encompasses your senior pet's body and mind to help insure their golden years are something you treasure. End-Of-Life Care: We want to be with you for every step of your pet's life. We understand that end-of-life care is a difficult topic, and our compassionate staff can help discuss options for your pet's pain management and hospice care, finicky appetites, and bodily functions. If and when you choose to help your pet peacefully pass away, it is our privilege to walk alongside you in that journey.
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Frequently-Asked Questions:
1) What are your prices? Our goal is to make our prices accessible to the greatest number of clients we can without compromising the quality of our care and service. We also believe in individualized medicine that focuses on the unique needs of each patient. For that reason, we can provide you general prices over the phone, but for best results we recommend making an appointment with us so we can make sure your pet is fully evaluated and can receive the best possible care.
2) What if my pet is scared of the vet? "White Coat Syndrome" is one of the greatest barriers to pets getting regular good-quality medical care, but we passionately believe that every pet deserves the best, and we want to make sure that can happen for your nervous friend! If your pet is anxious at the vet, PLEASE TELL US AHEAD OF YOUR VISIT. After an initial evaluation, we can talk to you about options such as bringing in stool samples with you (to avoid that booty-poke so many pets hate!), bringing your pet by for "fun visits" where we walk them through the hospital and give them treats without performing any medical services, and even the option to pre-medicate before your visit with mild oral sedatives. For severely frightened pets, muzzles allow for safe handling and also help promote a calm submissive mind-set, and as a last resort, injectable sedation can be used to insure your furry friend can receive critical medical services.
3) What if my pet is sick and I can't afford to come to the vet? Unfortunately, there are no government-subsidized programs to provide free health care for animals, but there are other financing options. Care Credit is an emergency loan program that we are happy to assist you with applying for, and pet insurance is always a preventive option you can pursue before your pet ever gets sick.
4) Does my pet need heartworm prevention if they never go outside? Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes, and a single bite from a mosquito can infect your dog or cat with heartworm disease which, if left untreated, can lead to heart failure and death. Almost every veterinarian can tell you about "indoor-only" pets that they have diagnosed with heartworm disease, because mosquitoes can and do get inside our homes. Treatment is very expensive for dogs and is not currently an option for cats, so prevention is definitely the best way to go. We can talk to you about different options for heartworm prevention, including oral products, topical products, and even injectable products for dogs! No pet should have to suffer from this preventible disease.
5) What about vaccines? Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools we have for preventing contagious diseases. Many of these deadly diseases, such as parvo, distemper, and feline leukemia, can be acquired by casual contact with other animals or even just by passing through areas other animals have been! Bringing your pet to grooming, dog parks, pet stores, a friend's house, or even just outside to use the bathroom can expose them to serious risk if they are not correctly vaccinated. And even completely indoor pets can get out by mistake! If you are concerned about over-vaccinating your pet, please let us know so we can discuss with you options for modified vaccine protocols, as well as titer-testing to confirm immunity instead of re-vaccinating.
6) Why does dental cleaning have to be performed under anesthesia, and why does it include x-rays? It is a painful condition, especially in senior pets, and it can lead to serious and even life-threatening conditions such as infections of the blood and heart, respiratory infections that progress to pneumonia, and even fractures of the jaw from secondary bone loss! A high-quality dental cleaning includes dental x-rays to screen for this secondary bone loss, as well as screening for pockets of infection or tumors around the roots of teeth, which may need to be addressed with oral surgery. It also includes probing around the pocket of each tooth to evaluate for gum loss or mobility that may indicate a region of concern where future infection is likely to develop, and ultrasonic scaling both above AND below the gum line to remove calcified plaque, as well as polishing the teeth and applying a flouride treatment. These services cannot be completed in a safe and quality manner on a pet that is awake, and studies support that significant disease is missed when an "anesthesia-free" dental cleaning is performed.
