Charges for Services:
Fees charged for services are based on amounts needed to maintain the high quality of care we are proud to provide. Payment is requested at the time service is rendered, unless prior arrangements have been made for an emergency situation. For your convenience, we do accept approved checks, ATM/Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
Electrocardiogram:
With a blood screen we routinely perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) on your pet to detect heart abnormalities. We recommend that your pet has at least an annual ECG and that you help protect your pet’s heart health with a high-quality diet and monthly heartworm prevention.
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Blood Screening:
A blood screen, strongly recommended before your pet undergoes any anesthetized procedure, can uncover many problems, including bleeding or clotting disorders, before they become deadly. The blood chemistries tested by a mini-screen and what they help evaluate are:
- Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)--Kidneys
- Creatinine--Kidneys
- Alkaline Phosphate--Kidneys, Bones, Thyroid, Diabetes
- Potassium Chloride--Kidneys, Adrenal Glands
- Sodium--Water & Electrolyte Balance, Kidneys, Adrenal Glands
- Total Protein--Liver, Kidney, Immune System, Nutrition
- Alanine Aminotranferase (ALT)--Liver
- Glucose--Diabetes or Hypoglycemia
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)--Surgical Risks
A full panel screens six additional chemistries:
- Cholesterol--Lipid Disorder, Risk of Coronary Artery Disease, Hypothyroidism
- Amylase--Pancreas, Salivary Glands, Intestines, Gall Bladder
- Calcium--Parathyroid, Kidneys, Cancer, Bone Disease, Pancreatitis, Heart
- Phosphate--Kidneys, Parathyroid, Bone Disease, Diabetes
- Bilirubin--Liver, Bile Duct Blockage, Neonatal Diseases, Red Cell Destruction
- Globulin--Immune System, Liver
We will notify you if your pet’s blood screen is abnormal before anesthetizing your pet or recommending against surgery.
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Spaying and Neutering:
As a responsible pet owner, you already know that having your pet surgically altered prevents unwanted litters. Did you also know that altering your puppy or kitten can prevent smelly urine marking, unwanted bleeding from heat cycles, and many health problems that can arise when pets get older?
The night before any surgery, we ask that you remove your pet's food. Please check your pet into the hospital by 9:00am in the morning. This allows us time to do a pre-surgical examination, any requested or required health screenings, and to remove your pet's water.
When all has checked out well, we will pre-med your animal for three reasons: to reduce your pet's stress and anxiety, to begin pain prevention, and to reduce the amount of inhalant anesthetics needed to keep your pet completely asleep during surgery. We will then induce the animal and monitor all vitals and amounts of gaseous anesthesia that your pet receives.
A spay involves removing the ovaries and the uterus. A male neuter involves removing the testicles. Routinely, all sutures will be under the skin and will not need to be removed. In special situations, the surgeon may decide to use a suture or staple that will need to be removed after a sufficient healing time.
When your pet is released from the hospital, usually after an overnight stay, your pet will not be feeling as much pain as after a traditional surgery due to the unique properties of the laser. This makes it your job to prevent your pet from "overdoing". The incision should be kept dry for two weeks.
For information about Spay Day U.S.A., visit www.ddaf.org
To help local animals in need, visit www.angelfire.com/pro/safe/projectsafe.html
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Fluoride or OraVet™ Treatment:
When your puppy or kitten comes in for a spay or neuter, you might consider continuing his or her dental regimen with a fluoride or OraVet™ä treatment. Both of these treatments must be done on clean teeth and under anesthesia, so if your pet’s teeth are not clean, these will be done after a dental prophy.
A basic fluoride treatment, included in every dental prophy, gives clean teeth a coating of fluoride to help protect them from dental disease and to help protect you from potential bad breath problems.
For a complete barrier against tartar and plaque build-up, consider OraVet™ . We will apply OraVet™ to your pet’s clean teeth. Two weeks later, you will start a quick and easy weekly at-home regimen to keep OraVet™ working to its maximum potential. Ask us for an OraVet™ brochure or visit www.OraVet™.com for more details.
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Dental Prophylaxis:
A dental prophylaxis (prophy) is an anesthetized procedure that allows us to remove plaque and tartar from your pet's teeth without the discomfort you may have experienced at the dentist. If not removed, this buildup can lead to periodontal disease and even organ damage. Many of the signs of periodontal disease are hard to miss: bad breath, discolored teeth, swollen gums, bleeding gums. If periodontal disease is left unchecked, bacteria release toxins that destroy the tissue and bone that anchor teeth in place, and bacteria can enter the bloodstream damaging the heart, liver, and kidneys. Most dogs have periodontal disease by the time they are four years old because their owners don't know how important oral health is. Visit www.petdental.com for more dental tips.
Laser Nail Trim:
With our laser, we can trim your anesthetized dog's nails extremely short without pain or bleeding. You can maintain this short trim at home with a nail file. This is not a de-claw for dogs which would require removal of part of the toe. However, such a short, smooth trim does help protect furniture and people as well as greatly reducing the number of nail trims needed.
Microchipping:
A HomeAgain microchip is a way to help ensure the safe return of your pet in the unthinkable event of a loss. Currently, the HomeAgain is the only microchip acceptable for entry into Europe. The chip is inserted by needle between your pet’s shoulder blades. Insertion can be performed with or without anesthesia. Ask us for more information or visit www.homeagainid.com for more information.
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