MEDICAL CARE

When your pet is hospitalized for an illness or surgery, he will be monitored for any change in his condition and will be babied to get him back on his feet as soon as possible.   Pain control, frequent walks, and hand feeding of special diets are just as important as the specialized but routinely used equipment like EKG's, oxygen sensors, IV fluid pumps, etc.   Feel free to call to inquire about your pet's progress at any time.  Visits by the owner are generally welcome but should be arranged in advance to be sure it's a good time, based on his and other hospitalized pet's schedules for treatments.  Don't worry about your friend being exposed to contagious diseases, since we require all contagious animals to stay in our isolation area which has a separate air supply and the nursing staff wear special smocks, gloves, etc.  Of course, any critically ill patient is monitored in our intensive care area.  Boarding pets are kept separately so you don't have to worry about them stressing your sick friend.  Should you or our medical team feel that your pet needs night-time monitoring, we can have you transfer him to an emergency clinic, with transfer back to us the next morning.

PHARMACY         

We have an extensive in-house pharmacy with additional items available through special order.  Medications for pets are governed by the same federal and state laws as those for human prescriptions.  All prescription medications must be authorized by a veterinarian with a valid patient-doctor relationship with that particular pet.   Please do not pressure us to violate this law by asking for medications for pets we have not examined within the past year.  This is for the safety, health, and well-being of your pet.   We urge you to call ahead for refills so that the staff has adequate time to have it authorized by the doctor, to prepare it for dispensing, and to be sure it is in stock. 

You can also order products, foods, and medications (both prescription and non-prescription) directly from our Online Store.   You can access this by clicking the link at left or on the home page.  Prescription medications do require authorization.  Prices differ from our in-office pricing due to our supplier.  Unfortunately, manufacturer rebates available in-office are not valid online either. We also cannot do any price matching online although we are able to be competitive in the office.  We are always amused when clients want to purchase from other internet suppliers to save cost; we offer price matching...but we are usually less than online stores!  For some items, only large quantity purchases are available; for example, in the office you can purchase just a single month supply of heartworm preventive but online, a minimum of 6 months is required.   For details, feel free to call the office.

Do not use old or expired drugs, and do be sure to keep all medications out of the reach of children and all pets.  Always follow the directions exactly, and feel free to call us if you have any questions about its use or if you feel that you pet is having unexpected or significant side effects.   Remember to finish all medications unless you are told otherwise, such as for a specific time period or on an "as needed" basis.  Finally, only give medication prescribed by your veterinarian to that pet.  Dosages vary among different sizes of pets, and what may be safe for a dog may not be safe for a cat.  This includes over-the-counter medications for people since some can be deadly to our pets.

Don't be fooled by the advertisements of internet pharmacies.  Prescriptions are required to purchase their products which often times are not less expensive than purchasing it directly from us.   In fact, we can mail our products directly to you or you can order through our website.  In addition, internet pharmacies may be selling foreign products, black market formulations, expired products, or outright counterfeit drugs.  Many drug manufacturers will not supply products to these pharmacies since they may be operating outside of state pharmacy rules.  Manufacturer's guarantees that come with these products when purchased through us, such as heartworm preventives, are not covered when they are purchased via the internet.  Most of the time our products cost less anyway and if not, we will usually match their prices.  Remember, if you spend your money in your own community, it supports our employees, who in turn support your own business and interests, instead of sending the same amount of money out of state.  In addition, manufacturers often provide us  with discount coupons, rebates, or a"buy 6 get 1 free" deals that make our products even less expensive than internet pharmacies and discount stores.  In addition, purchases through our clinic allow us to keep fees for other services lower and supports jobs that keep the money wit hin your own community, thus supporting your own job. For more information, go to www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048164.htm or watch this video:

NUTRITION & DIETARY COUNSELING 

 Get your new puppy or kitten off to a good start, and keep them in optimal condition, by using premium brand foods throughout their life.  We recommend Science Diet, Eukanuba, and ProPlan. We sell Science Diet (and ProPlan by special order) which is guaranteed in that you can return it for a full refund if your pet won't eat it.   For a coupon, click on "Other features" at left, then "Coupon."  We always recommend gradual changes when switching to a new food to minimize gastrointestinal upset and to increase acceptance of the new taste.

Some recent advances in pet nutrition include: 1)  In young ones, using foods supplemented with DHA has been shown to enhance brain development, making for smarter, more easily trained pets,   2) Use lower calorie content foods and those with less calcium and phosphorus levels for large breed puppies to lessen the risk of developing orthopedic problems like hip dysplasia,    3)  Feed controlled portions rather than allowing free access to food to prolong your pet's life, and 4) cats will benefit from being fed low carbohydrate foods since they are naturally carnivores and dry foods are not natural for them, so use of at least some canned foods is helpful. 

The number one nutritional disease facing our pets today is the same as it is for people:  Obesity.  This can predispose your pet to heart and lung conditions, joint injuries, and diabetes.  It makes it more difficult to diagnose conditions since we cannot "feel" things like cancers as easily when buried in fat and surgery and anesthesia are more difficult in overweight pets.  The key is prevention through limiting calories and keeping pets active.   Studies have shown that pets that have access to food all the time have a two year shorter life span compared to those when access to food is limited; all this is due to prevention of obesity.  Two years is a long time relative to an animal's lifespan!  If your pet is getting a little heavy, use low cal (light) foods and limit snacks (vegetables and unsalted popcorn are great - avoid grapes).  If he is already fat, a prescription low diet food may be needed.  For cats, using high protein/low carbohydrate foods (especially canned versions) are most effective.

Just like following special diets is needed for various problems in people, the same is true for our pets.   For example, many diseases like heart failure, kidney dysfunction, diabetes, or liver disease can be managed much more successfully with special diets.   Very specifically formulated prescription diets have been formulated to manage these diseases and others.   In one study, use of special kidney diets resulted in a two year longer survival time after diagnosis of kidney disease compared to pets fed grocery store brands.   Most recently developed are ones for allergies, arthritis, cancer management, and brain deterioration (senility), so almost any condition can be improved through special diets.   Generally we carry Hill's Prescription Diets as well as many prescription formulations of other manufacturers such as Purina, Eukanuba, or Royal Canin.  Plus, these companies guarantee that your pet will eat the food, so if this is an issue, you can return the unused portion for a full refund.  You can also order many of these foods through our online store (click VetSource at left) for home delivery although typically they are more expensive due to shipping costs. For a starter bag, click on "Other features" at left, then "Coupons" to give it a try!

All of our front team members are certified nutritional counselors so they should be able to answer any questions you have about dietary management of your pet's problems!