We believe that preventing problems is always better than treating them. Because pets age much faster than humans, regular routine physical exams are important steps in keeping your pet healthy. During a wellness exam, your pet’s weight will be checked; the doctor will listen to your pet’s heart and lungs and examine your pet’s eyes, teeth and gums; his abdomen will be checked for any unusual growths or signs of discomfort; your pet’s ears, nose and skin will be examined for signs of parasites, infections or allergies; and his limbs and skeletal frame will be examined for signs of pain, stiffness or neurologic problems.
In addition to a physical exam, the doctor will discuss what vaccines and preventive medications, such as heartworm, flea and tick preventions, are appropriate for your pet’s lifestyle. The doctor also may recommend medications or dietary and lifestyle changes, particularly for aging pets or those with chronic conditions.
An annual exam also gives you an opportunity to discuss concerns with the doctor, such as behavior issues or the best way to introduce new family members such as a new baby. During wellness exams, our staff may discuss topics such as preventing disease transmission from pets to humans or plants and foods that are harmful or poisonous to pets. Our goal is to make sure that when you leave an appointment, your pet is living his most happy and healthy life possible as a part of your family.
Adding a new pet to the family is an exciting and fun experience for everyone. During a new puppy or kitten exam, your pet will be given a complete physical exam to determine his general health and check for birth defects. Your pet will receive an internal and external parasite check to identify any parasite problems, which can be fatal to these young patients as well as harmful to your family and other pets. We will discuss a vaccine schedule to give your new addition the best protection from infectious diseases. We also will start your new puppy or kitten on safe and effective heartworm, flea, and tick prevention. We strongly urge you to contact our office prior to giving puppies or kittens any over-the-counter medications, including flea and tick treatments (including collars), as many of these medications are not safe for small, young pets.
Our internal medicine practice uses advanced medical technology equipment to diagnose and treat patients suffering from internal diseases. Our in-house equipment includes a digital x-ray machine and an ultrasound machine to allow us to closely examine internal organs for disease. Our practice diagnoses and treats patients suffering from a wide range of internal diseases, including cardiology (heart), gastroenterology (digestion), infectious diseases, oncology (cancer), urology, pulmonary (lungs) and hematology (blood). When we believe it is in a patient’s best interest, we refer cases to outside specialists, some of whom come to our office to see your pet and others of whom are located elsewhere in Columbia and Charlotte.
Dental health is very important to your pet’s overall health. Most people think of dental health as simply having bright white teeth and non-stinky breath, but that is only the cosmetic side of dental health. Dental disease puts your pet at risk for serious heart, liver, and kidney diseases. Bacteria often enter the blood stream from dental infections and can cause permanent damage to these organs. Pets are now living much longer and healthier lives thanks to advances in veterinary dentistry. We offer full service dental care, including digital dental x-rays, cleanings, and extractions.
Our state-of-the art surgical suite is equipped to handle routine surgeries, such as spays and neuters, as well as complex soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries. A thorough physical exam will be done prior to all surgical procedures. In addition, we highly recommend pre-anesthesia blood work to indicate if certain anesthesia drugs or pain medications would be unsafe for your pet and to help identify if your pet has problems forming blood clots needed to control bleeding. During surgery, your pet will be monitored by our highly trained staff using top-quality anesthesia monitoring equipment. An IV catheter will be place in your pet to administer IV fluids to help maintain blood pressure and administration of emergency medications if needed. After the surgery is complete, your pet will recover in our treatment recovery area, where our staff will keep a watchful eye on him and will administer pain medications as needed. Prior to discharge, a staff member will give you detailed information on how to care for your pet at home while he continues to recover.
We have an in-house laboratory for immediate test results as well as the ability to send out more complex tests to our referral laboratory. Laboratory tests can be an important step in identifying your pet’s medical condition and determining the proper treatment. Common laboratory tests include blood, heartworm, urine, and fecal tests.
Our in-house pharmacy carries the most commonly prescribed medications and medical supplies to allow you to conveniently purchase what your pet needs at the time of your visit. Our medications are purchased only from drug manufacturers with the highest reputations. In addition, we carry the brands of flea, tick and heartworm prevention that we feel are the safest and most effective for your pet. We also carry specialty prescription brands of dog and cat food, geared toward treating or preventing specific medical conditions. We offer an online pharmacy for home delivery that is backed by legitimate manufacturers and suppliers, unlike a lot of other online options (see the Pharmacy tab at the top of our Home page to be directed to our online store).