Our hospital is open Monday and Wednesday 7:30am – 8:00pm, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 7:30am-5:30pm, and Saturday 8:00am-1:00pm. We start answering phones at 8am. The clinic is closed on Sunday.

We prefer appointments during the weekdays, however, we will work to accommodate you and your pet for emergencies as needed. We also can accommodate drop-offs on weekdays if that better fits your schedule. We also offer prompt care appointments each day for sick pets.

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For first time clients, payment in full is due at time of services. For established clients payment can be broken down, if necessary, with approval from our Practice Manager, Dani Treadway, ahead of time. You can contact her by email at [email protected]

Spaying or neutering can be done as early as 12 weeks old (on or after 2nd vaccine, which is when immune protection is started) and for females we recommend no later then 6 months of age to ensure that the females do not get mammary tumors. We will, however, spay or neuter your pet at any age after 6 months. Your pet is given an exam prior to surgery to help determine whether your pet is healthy enough to undergo the surgical procedure, and pre-anesthetic bloodscreens are run to make sure organ function and blood counts are in the normal range.

Procedures involving sutures require them to be removed in 10 – 14 days following the surgery. If uncertain, best to contact your veterinarian’s office for advice.

You can feed dinner to them the night before and take up by 8pm. You may leave water down until morning and then pull up. Also give your pet’s regular medication(s) the morning of the procedure, unless instructed to do otherwise by your veterinarian.

No, there is no advantage to letting your pet have one litter. However, there are plenty of advantages to having your pet spayed or neutered. These advantages include decreasing the chances of mammary tumors, cystic ovaries, uterine cancer, and prostate cancer later in life. It also decreases the desire to roam the neighborhood, helps prevent spraying and marking, and decreases the surplus of unwanted puppies and kittens.

We no longer offer boarding services.

Once flea and tick products are applied to the skin, the medication is absorbed by the skin. From there, only Revolution enters the bloodstream. Some, like antibiotic creams and ointments, are intended to work primarily at the site of injury, although a small amount does get absorbed into the system. The medication needs to be placed in an area that the dog and cat cannot lick. If the medication is intended to treat a wound, your pet may need an Elizabethan collar to prevent licking the wound and medication. For flea and tick treatments, the best recommendation is to place the medication on the skin between shoulder blades for dog and at base of head for cats. Cats can sometimes still lick at their shoulder blades.

Try the following method :

• Hold the applicator upright and snap off the tip to allow the medication to flow out of the applicator.

• Hold your dog or cat still. Your dog or cat can be standing, lying down or even sitting. Just make sure you have access to the necessary area.

• For flea and tick products, read the instructions on the medication to determine if the manufacturers recommend applying in one area or multiple areas.

• For wound treatment, follow your veterinarian’s recommendation on the frequency of medicating the wound.

• Part the hair and place directly against the skin or against the wound.

• Squeeze the applicator until all of the medication has flowed out of the applicator. Try to avoid application of the medication on the hair.

• Follow medication time with a treat or extra praise to make it a positive experience for him or her

Periodically, your veterinarian prescribes medication after an ear examination. Some dogs and cats, especially if their ears are painful, are resistant to the administration of medication. Here are some tips that may make the application easier for you and your pet.

• Have the medication container ready and the cap off.

• Hold your dog or cat’s head still with one hand, while the other hand is used to administer the medication. Many people hold the tip of the affected ear to help hold the dog or cat still. Be very careful to not hold the ear too firmly so that it causes pain. Be prepared for your dog or cat to flinch once the medication touches the ear.

• Place the medication container just inside the opening to the ear. Do not push the container into the canal.

• Administer the prescribed amount of medication into the ear opening.

• Remove the container from the ear opening and gently rub the base of the ear to distribute the medication deeper inside the ear.

• Follow medication time with a treat or extra praise to make it a positive experience for him or her.

METHOD 1

• Have someone restrain your dog or cat by holding the front legs and chest, or if the dog or cat is small, wrap him or her firmly in a blanket or towel.

• Place the medication in your dominant hand with the lid off. If you are right-handed and the right eye needs medication, rest your right hand on top of the head in order to stabilize your hand. Your hand should be near he inner side of the eye closest to the nose. With your left hand, place the thumb near the lower eyelid and the forefinger near the upper eyelid. This also works if you are left-handed and the dog or cat needs medication in his left eye.

• If you are right-handed and the left eye needs medication, stand on the right side of the dog or cats, facing the same direction as the dog or cat. With the medication in your right hand, rest this hand on top of the head to stabilize. Reach across the dog or cat and place the index finger of your left hand near the lower eyelid and your left thumb near the upper eyelid. This also works if you are left-handed and the right eye needs medication.

• Spread the eyelids apart using your thumb and forefinger.

• Apply the medication directly on the surface of the eye or into the small gap between the lower eyelid and the surface of the eye. Take care not to touch the surface of the eye with the tip of the medication container.

• Once the medication has been administered, open and close the eyelid one or two times with your thumb and forefinger in order to spread the medication over the entire surface of the eye.

METHOD 2

• If the eye medication is ointment, gently squeeze about 1/8″ out the end of the tube.

• Hold the dogs or cats head with your free hand, and with the other hand, touch the crease in the eyelids closest to the nose with the tube of medication. The spot to aim for is the point where the two eyelids meet. The dog will blink the exposed ointment off the tip of the tube.

• The third eyelid sits in this same area and will move upward when the corner of the eyelids is touched and will prevent the tube from touching the cornea.

• The same method can be used at the outside corner of the eyelids, but there is no third eyelid in this area, so you must be careful not to touch the cornea with the tube.

• After administering the ointment, wipe the tip of the tube with a fresh Kleenex or piece of cotton and replace the cap.

METHOD 3

• If the eye medication is a solution, and if your dog objects to having the medication dropped directly onto the surface of the eye or objects to having the eyelids opened, then simply hold the dog’s head in an upward position and make him look towards the ceiling.

• Approach the eye with the bottle of medication, from either the front of the head or over the top of the back of the head. As the bottle gets closer to the eye, the dog often closes its eyes. Drop a single drop of medication onto the crease where the eyelids touch and come together.

• Continue to hold the head in an upward position for a full minute after the drop is applied to the crease. Gravity will cause the solution to ooze slowly downward through the small gap in the eyelids.

• With this method, some of the solution may be lost onto the skin around the eye, but the dog may tolerate this method better.

• Follow medication time with a treat or extra praise to make it a positive experience for him or her

Some medications can be hidden in a small amount of food such as a pill pocket, peanut butter, wet food, or cheese, but you must make sure that the medication can be taken with food, and your dog or cat actually swallows the medication. Some animals will eat the food and spit out the pill.

If hiding the pill in food is not working, try the following:

Gently grasp your dogs or cats head using your non-dominant hand. If you are right-handed use your left hand.

Place your hand on top of the muzzle with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Avoid holding the lower jaw, and do not hold it so tight that it is uncomfortable or the dog or cat cannot swallow. You may need someone to help hold the front legs and chest of the dog or cat to hold him/her still. Wrapping the dog in a towel or blanket is a good restraint technique.

Once his head is held in place, raise his nose to point toward the ceiling and firmly squeeze in just behind the upper canine teeth. The mouth should then open. Use your other hand to administer the pill. Place the pill between your thumb and forefinger. Use your little finger, ring finger or middle finger to lower the jaw by applying pressure to the teeth between the lower canine teeth.

After the mouth is fully open, place the pill as far back in the mouth as possible. Avoid placing your hand too far into your dog’s mouth. You may stimulate the “gag reflex” and this will make the experience unpleasant and make future medication administration attempts more difficult.

Close your dogs or cats mouth and hold it closed. Gently and briefly rub your dogs or cats nose or blow lightly on the nose. This should stimulate him to swallow. The quicker you perform this procedure, the more cooperative your dog or cat will be. Follow medication time with a treat or extra praise to make it a positive experience for him or her

You should take the cat to the vet immediately. This is an emergency.

Not a good idea. Aspirin tends to be extremely hard on the animal’s GI tract. We have safer options that are specifically made for pets.

No, it is FATAL to cats! Please bring in for an exam and safer treatment options.

There are many possible causes for pruritis, or itchiness, in the rear. These causes range from anal gland problems to tapeworms to allergic skin disease. A visit to your vet is the best way to diagnose and treat the problem.

10 – 14 days

Indoor kitties are at risk for getting intestinal parasites like our outdoor kitties. Cats are very meticulous groomers, and more often than not, can even have a small flea infestation without their owner knowing. They can also come in contact with other intestinal parasites such as hookworms and roundworms that can be carried in on the soles of your shoes, found in potting soil and if you have another dog or cat in the house that does go outside, they can bring them in on the pads of their feet and shed them in their stool. If your cat is an avid hunter and keeps your mouse population to a minimum, they can also be exposed to tapeworms. Mice can be infested with fleas, which are the intermediate host for tapeworms. We recommend keeping indoor cats on a monthly heartworm, intestinal parasite and flea preventative, as well as deworming them once a year for intestinal parasites.

Yes, heartworm prevention is needed and recommended year round according to the American Heartworm Society. Heartworm disease is a serious, and potentially fatal disease, that affects the heart, lungs and other organs in the body. The disease is caused by a parasitic worm called dirofilaria immitis, which is carried and transmitted by mosquitoes only. Dogs, ferrets and cats are not the only carriers of the disease. Wolves and coyotes are also carriers. In our area, our climate allows for mosquitoes to persist throughout the year. To keep your pet protected, keep them on a monthly heartworm preventative tha talso protects against a host of other parasites that are commonly found through the year. If you have any more questions or concerns regarding heartworms and your pet’s risk, please give us a call.

A question we hear frequently is whether or not dogs are color blind? Dogs can see colors, but not in the same way humans do. Their colors are limited and less vibrant than what we see. Humans have rods and cones, as do dogs. Rods determine the black and white part of vision and cones determine the color part of vision. Humans have 3 cones and dogs only have 2. Another name used for cones is color receptors. Dogs only see the basic colors of yellow, blue and shades of grey. Humans can see yellow, violet, green.

One of the most frequent questions asked about the health of a dog is: Does a dry nose mean a sick dog? The answer is: no, there are no major concerns if the only sign of illness is a dry nose.

One of the most common reasons for a dry nose is that your dog has become overheated. This may occur from lying in the sun or next to an artificial heat source, or in a room with poor air circulation.

You should consult with your veterinarian if you are seeing any of the following signs: red, flaky skin around the nose, colored discharge coming from your dog’s nose (clear discharge is okay) or if there are scabs or sores around or on the nose. This could indicate a more involved problem and you need to check with your veterinarian.