Q & A
Q: What billing options are available to me?
A: Full payment is expected at the time services are rendered. Due to the small size of our business we are unable to delay
payment for services provided. However, we can assist you in applying for CareCredit, a low-to-no interest credit card, which can
be used for your pet or personal health services.
You can apply for an account
and find more information on their website,
www.carecredit.com.
We also accept cash, checks (accompanied by a current Driver’s License), Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and CareCredit. Our staff is also happy to fill out any necessary paperwork for any type of Pet Insurance you may have.
Q: Is heartworm testing really necessary?
A: As recommended by the American Heartworm Society
(www.heartwormsociety.org), we require an annual Heartworm Test before we can dispense any heartworm preventative.
While heartworm medications are 99% effective when administered correctly on a monthly basis, it can be deadly to give preventative if your pet is currently infected with heartworm disease. Even if you miss one month of medication, your pet is at risk for infection.
We recommend any pet, cat or dog, that regularly spends time outdoors be treated with preventative year round, not only to ensure heartworm protection but also provide a monthly de-wormer for parasite control.
Q: Why is pre-anesthetic bloodwork important?
A: Before placing your pet under anesthesia, we will perform a complete physical examination to identify any existing medical
conditions that could complicate the procedure and compromise the health of your pet. Because there is always the possibility a
physical exam alone will not identify all of your pet's health problems, we strongly recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing prior
to anesthesia.
The tests we recommend are similar to, and just as important as, those your own physician would run if you were to go under anesthesia. It is important to understand that this does not guarantee the absence of anesthetic complications. It may, however, greatly reduce the risk of complications as well as identify any medical conditions that could require medical treatment in the future.
Pre-Anesthetic Blood Screening helps us to assess the organs that process the anesthesia (liver and kidneys), as well as blood sugar and protein. With a Complete Blood Count (CBC) we may detect the presence of anemia, dehydration or infection. If your pet's blood screening results are abnormal, we may adjust the anesthetic protocol or even postpone the procedure until a medical problem is resolved.
Q: Are internet or catalog pharmacies really bad?
A: We do not recommend the use of Internet or catalog pharmacies for many reasons. First, medication cannot be prescribed or
dispensed for any pet that has not been examined by a licensed veterinarian. Since most of these companies do not have
veterinarians on staff, they are not able to prescribe these medications directly. They are required by law to fax or call us for
authorization before a prescription can be filled.
Secondly, some of these companies are facing legal charges for selling drugs that have not been FDA approved in the United States. Because of this, the manufacturers of many pet medications also do not support online or catalog pet pharmacies.
For these reasons, we prefer to dispense any medications directly through our clinic by one of our licensed veterinarians.
Q: Flea Control for Hospitalized or Boarding Animals
A: Flea control can be a challenging problem due to fleas’ rapid reproduction and ability to thrive in many different
environments. Just one flea can produce 2,000 eggs in their lifetime, so once a flea finds its way onto your pet, aggressive
treatment is necessary to control and stop them from spreading.
Because our patients are often confined in small areas such as exam rooms and cages when hospitalized, it is imperative we do everything we can to prevent fleas from entering our clinic. While we do not require every pet entering the clinic be medicated with a flea preventative, we do have strict guidelines for pets being boarding or hospitalized.
If we find any fleas or flea dirt on your pet while they are being boarding or hospitalized, we will immediately treat your pet. Because we need to ensure the health and well being of other patients being treated in the clinic, we will medicate your pet with the necessary treatment to prevent the spread of fleas to other animals and the clinic environment itself.
Clients will be contacted if such a situation should arise, but you will be required to pay for the flea treatment provided. For more information on fleas and ticks, and how to prevent them from infecting your pet, check out http://frontline.us.merial.com/fleas/index.asp or http://www.comfortis4dogs.com.
Q: Why is an annual physical exam important?
A: It is important to have an annual exam in order to detect preventable and/or treatable conditions before they become
problematic as well as to update vaccinations when needed.
Q: Should I get insurance for my pet?
A: As medical care for pets becomes more and more expensive it is a good idea to carry medical coverage for your pets. It is
most helpful for catastrophic injuries or diseases which can easily run into the thousands of dollars for treatment.
Q: Why is it important to have my pet's teeth cleaned regularly?
A: Like people, pets need regular dental cleaning to remove plaque and tartar buildup. If not removed, this buildup can lead to
gingival and periodontal disease and more serious health problems relating to the spread of infection from the mouth to other parts
of the body.
Q: I feed my pet a dental diet. Isn't that enough to keep the teeth
clean?
A: Dental diets can scrape off plaque above the gum line to varying degrees, but do little to remove plaque located under the
gum line.
Q: Does my pet need a multi-vitamin?
A: If your pet is being fed a good quality pet food, vitamins are not necessary. However, vitamins can be given once daily as
treats. Animals with certain medical conditions may benefit from various vitamins/supplements.
Q: When should I have my dog or cat altered? Will this change
my pet's personality?
A: Spaying or neutering for cats and dogs is recommended at six months of age. This seems to be the best time to prevent future
reproductive organ related health problems such as uterine, ovarian, and mammary infections and cancers, prostatic disease and
testicular disease and cancer.
Neutering will help prevent a pet's desire to roam (looking for a mate) and may also decrease aggressive tendencies, but will not change your pet in any other way.
Q: How long is a normal gestation period?
A: For both cats and dogs it is 63 - 66 days or about 9 weeks.
Q: Why does my neutered dog still mount?
A: Mounting is considered to be a display of dominance. Many times dogs will still mount objects, people and/or other animals
even after neutering.
Q: What is reverse sneezing?
A: It is the act of trying to suck an irritant backwards through the muzzle, rather than out the nostrils (as in a regular
sneeze). Both dogs and cats can do this.
The first time you may witness this, it may seem scary to you - the pet will extend its neck and repeatedly suck air in through the nostrils and out through the mouth with the chest and/or abdomen heaving in and out. It is usually a short episode or "fit" lasting 5 - 10 seconds. As bad as it may look - in general these reverse sneezes are harmless.
Q: Can I give my dog or cat a cold?
A: No. Influenza viruses are highly species specific and do not pass from humans to pets or vice versa.
Q: What common food items should I avoid feeding my pet?
A: Some common toxic foods are grapes, onions, chocolate, macadamia nuts, raisins, mushrooms.
Q: Does my new diabetic pet require insulin injections?
A: On rare instances, cats can have their diabetes managed using diet and hypoglycemic pills but most need injectable insulin.
Q: What do I do if my pet should get sprayed by a skunk?
A: First, rinse your pet's eyes with copious amounts of sterile eyewash or warm water. To treat your pet's coat here is our
home remedy:
use 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide; 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. Mix all ingredients together and use immediately. Comb through the pet's coat. Rinse thoroughly.
There are commercial products on the market such as SkunkOff that you can use as well.
Q: Is it ok to give my dog a couple of treats while on a hypoallergenic diet trial?
A: No. You must feed ONLY the prescribed diet for at least 8-16 weeks; you can use pieces of the dry hypoallergenic diet
kibble as a treat.
Q: Can Lyme disease be very serious?
A: Lyme disease can cause many problems including joint swelling, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, lameness, and the most
serious - kidney failure.
Q: What are anal glands? Do all dogs need their anal glands
expressed?
A: Anal glands are two fluid filled sacs located in the anus of a dog or cat. They are a normal part of an animal's anatomy
and are usually emptied through defecation. Some animals have difficulty with impactions or swelling in or around the glands
and need manual expression.
Signs of an anal sac problem are "scooting" or excessive licking of the anal area.
Q: Can I give my cat a bath?
A: Yes, but typically this is not necessary. Cats are very good at grooming themselves, and usually resent baths. If they
should happen to get particularly dirty, they can be bathed with an approved pet shampoo.
Q: I cannot give my cat a pill and he hates liquid medication, what
else can I do?
A: Some medications may be available in a transdermal form where you can apply a cream or ointment to the inside of the cat's
ear. You can also crush the pill and mix the powder with a little hairball paste and wipe it on the foreleg; they will usually
lick it off.
Q: My cat has chronic renal failure, is this curable?
A: In most cases, the diseases resulting in renal failure cannot be cured but many cats respond well to medical therapy for a
long time.