Primary Care

  Allergy injections are especially effective against airborne pollens, dust and mold allergies. Allergic reactions can be reversed with antihistamines, and such treatments can often help in preventing allergy attacks and rash breakouts. Itchy skin caused by allergies is treated with fatty acid supplements. While these methods can be effective in the short term, the long term solution is to try to avoid the things that cause your pet’s allergies. Keep your pet away from foods that contain known allergy ingredients. Make sure to read the label on all food products you give your pet. Environmental factors such as pollen, dust and mold are harder to eliminate, but limiting known allergy triggers is the best way to prevent health problems.  

 Maintaining your pet’s oral health is an important part of your pet’s veterinary and home care. We offer comprehensive dental check ups and cleanings to identify and correct problems as well as offer for sale a variety of products that will help you maintain your pet’s oral health at home. 

 It’s important that your pet’s ears remain clean and healthy. Ear mites are common parasites that are highly contagious among pets. Signs include excessive itching of the ears and debris that resembles coffee grounds. Ear infections are usually caused by bacteria, yeast or foreign debris caught in the ear canal. Treatment should be sought immediately as ear infections can cause considerable discomfort and may indicate allergies, hormonal abnormalities or hereditary disease. Blood blisters (hematoma) are the result of blood accumulation in the ear flap. They’re often caused by infection, ear mites, fleas or trapped debris that cause your pet to scratch their ears or shake their head excessively. 

 Blood work is usually a combination of a complete blood count (CBC) and a blood chemistry analysis (CHEM) along with other needed diagnostics, such as thyroid testing. Pets should have wellness blood screening checked at every annual examination, since changes on blood work are often detectable before the pet shows symptoms of disease. This is especially important in senior pets. We recommend having a pre-surgical blood screening performed before any surgery, even in young animals, to check for underlying abnormalities that could complicate anesthesia. In addition, blood work allows our veterinarians to monitor organ function when a pet is on medication as well as the progression of a pet’s disease after diagnosis. 

  Anesthesia is used for a wider range of circumstances in animals than in people, due to animals’ natural reluctance to cooperate with certain diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Anesthesia is utilized for many surgical procedures that require the patient to be immobile, unaware, and without pain. In addition, certain diagnostic procedures require anesthesia, notably stomach or airway endoscopy, bone marrow sampling, and occasionally ultrasound. Aggressive animals may require anesthesia in order to be handled for a physical exam to be performed, or to obtain blood for testing.  

 Spaying or neutering your dog or cat is an important part of being a pet owner. By having the procedure done, you create a positive environment for your pet and the community.