Frequently Asked Questions
I am concerned my pet is becoming a senior. Does he/she have any special needs?
Depending on your pet’s breed it can be considered a geriatric between 4 and 7 years of age. As people age, diet, exercise, and routine medical care is very important for their health. These are also important for your pet’s health. Examinations twice a year are necessary because early disease detection is key to a long, healthy life.
I have been told my pet needs its teeth cleaned regularly. Is this really that important?
The tartar and staining on your pet’s teeth actually contains bacteria. Left untreated, it can cause premature periodontal disease, heart disease, liver disease and kidney failure. It is very important to provide your pet with proper dental care.
What are heartworms?
Heartworms are parasites that dogs and cats can get from mosquitoes. The mosquito bites them, depositing larvae that migrate to the heart where they become adults. Despite fur, mosquitoes can still bite dogs and cats and transmit the disease. To protect your pet it is important to have yearly heartworm testing and keep them on a monthly preventative at home.
My pet needs to have surgery, but I am concerned about anesthesia. Is it safe?
There is always a risk with anesthesia, however, that risk is minimal if appropriate steps are taken before and during surgery. A thorough physical examination will be done to make sure there are no apparent abnormalities. If there are any abnormalities, we will discuss what we believe may be a better treatment option for your pet.
Why is there a price difference between your surgery prices and low-cost spay and neuter clinics?
We agree we are not a high volume/low cost surgery clinic. We treat each surgery patient individually. We assess the age, overall health of the patient, as well as any risks of anesthesia we need to be aware of. All of our surgeries are carefully monitored, all of our procedures are done with the assistance of a surgical laser, and all of our surgeries are treated post operatively with a therapy laser. Post-operative care and treatment are individually tailored for each patient and client. We feel the value of our surgeries is reflected in the amount of attention and care our patients are clients receive.
What payment options does your clinic offer?
We understand your pet’s health needs can be expensive. Though we do not allow clients to charge for medicine or procedures, we do take any standard method of payment, and we do accept Care Credit. Care Credit allows you to spread your payments out over time, and the approval process is easy as filling out an online application. Care Credit is also accepted at various hospitals, dental clinics, and private medical practice firms. We also work with our clients to prioritize health care and spread procedures and treatments out over time such as allowing Heartworm preventatives, Flea and Tick medicines, and Vaccinations to be purchased monthly.
Do I need to make an appointment or do you take “walk-ins”?
Because of our busy medicine and surgery schedule, we would prefer that you call and schedule an appointment. We prefer this because it decreases your wait time and ensures we have enough time allotted to adequately diagnose and treat your pet. In most cases we do allow you to drop off your pet for the day. All surgeries are drop offs and most of our surgeries stay overnight except for those deemed out-patient procedures by the doctors.