Preventative Care:

INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO DIAGNOSIS AND MEDICAL TREATMENT:

    Just as our approach towards wellness is holistic and integrative, this same perspective is present in how we discuss, diagnose, treat and manage our patients healthcare on all levels.  It is fluidly integrated as an option into your experience in our hospital from the exam room to in-patient treatment and diagnostics.  Nutrition, nutraceuticals, homeopathy, acupuncture and herbs are all presented as options whether they are to be stand alone approaches or adjunctive to Western care.  Our doctors do provide Western care including radiology, surgery, laboratory, dentistry and hospitalization, and these are valuable tools, but patient assessment includes evaluation from a homeopathic and Eastern perspective which allows our doctors to diagnose from a different point of view and subsequently present a broader spectrum of treatment options.  Especially in acute situations where Western medicine is indicated and necessary, holistic supports to help the body heal and process drugs are always available as part of our overall care plan. 

a pet’s life as they progress from juvenile, to adolescent, to mature adult and finally into geriatric years.  The annual physical exam allows the doctor to observe subtle changes that you as an owner might not notice, thereby averting a potentially more serious health issue.  For purebred animals, it is a screening for specific health issues that a breed is predisposed towards.  It is also a time to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your pet as well as a time to be educated on the latest recommendations for preventative healthcare including nutritional updates, vaccination protocols, changes in parasite control, and the status of local infectious disease risks such as tick borne infections and heartworm.  This well visit is also an opportunity for your pet to meet and greet with the staff, and to visit our office in an enjoyable manner.  A well established relationship will have your pet wanting to come to the doctor’s office, and in times of illness it will be less stressful to be amongst familiar faces in a familiar setting.  We are so committed to

this owner-doctor-patient relationship that we dedicate a full hour appointment to the annual exam.

VACCINATIONS, TITERS & WAIVERS:

    Vaccination is an important part of preventative healthcare and immunizing pets against serious and prevalent potential infections is recommended by our doctors.  At the same time, we recognize the fact that immunization is not a benign treatment and there should be careful thought put into developing a vaccination protocol for each individual animal.  In general, for puppies and kittens, we stage vaccination to minimize the number of injections while maximizing immunity, being sure that core vaccines are given individually when possible and never too close together.  In adults we use titers to confirm immunity and only booster when necessary.  Not all vaccine brands are created equal and we select those that have been crafted with the intent to avoid adjuvant-related issues while maintaining excellent protective effect.  We also chose vaccines that contain only the antigens that are essential to immunize against.  We do not use 5-in-one or 7-in-one combination vaccines that immunize against diseases that are not prevalent and/or serious.  These do more to overwhelm the immune system than protect against disease.

IMPORTANCE OF AN ANNUAL VISIT:

    Holistic care is as much about how your pet is treated

while healthy as it is about managing illness.  Maintaining and promoting wellness is a far better approach to long term healthcare than addressing crises as they arise.  Annual wellness visits are an essential tool that allows you and your veterinarian to review your pet’s current physical condition and to determine what their individual healthcare focus should be.  This focus varies throughout

We do not recommend vaccination in the presence of acute or chronic illness, in individuals with known reactions to vaccines, in the very young or elderly, and in breeds with known predisposition to vaccination related illnesses.  In these instances a medical waiver may be an option that will allow us to postpone or avoid vaccination while allowing your pet to be legally licensed or kenneled.  If vaccination is determined to be unavoidable, post-vaccination homeopathic remedies can be specifically tailored to support your pet’s circumstances.

Click on Kiera, our hospital cat, to read about our digital x-ray system and to see her x-ray.