Archive for the ‘Services’ Category

Why spay or neuter? By Dr Jessica Cooper

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Neutering is a sterile surgical procedure that involves removing both testicles from a male pet. Spaying refers to the operation where the ovaries and uterine horns are surgically removed from a female pet. It is recommended to spay and neuter your pets between 5 and 8 months of age, before they reach sexual maturity. This is for both medical and behavioral reasons. The only reason not to spay or neuter is if you are going to breed or show your pet.

For male pets, there are several medical reasons for neutering. The first is to eliminate the risk for testicular cancer, which is the 2nd most common cancer in unneutered male dogs. If the testicles are removed, they can’t get cancer there. Neutering reduces the risk for prostate cancer and prostatitis, and reduces the risks of diseases associated with hormones such as testosterone. As for behavior- there will be a decrease in the need for roaming as your dog will not have the urge to reproduce, as well as decreased aggression. It also decreases the urge to “mark” their territory, so inappropriate urination is less likely to be an issue.

There are medical and behavioral advantages to spaying your female pets as well. Medical reasons include the eliminating the possibility of false pregnancy, uterine infections known as pyometras, decreasing the risk of breast cancer and eliminating the chances of uterine and ovarian cancer. As with males, behavioral benefits include reduced aggression and other undesirable behaviors such as inappropriate elimination.

There are serious medical complications and behavioral issues that can arise from not spaying and neutering your pets, as outlined above. In addition to these, you will be preventing the risk of unplanned pregnancies. If you take away the urge to reproduce, they will be much more suitable as pets because they will no longer have to answer the “call of the wild.”

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Posted in About, Pet Adoption, Pet Education, Pet Health, Services, Uncategorized | No Comments »

What is Integrative Medicine? by Dr. Kimberly Fanning

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Living in modernAmerica, we are all very accustomed and were brought up relying on conventional or western medicine.  Our modern medicine has made enormous advances in diagnostics, pharmacology & surgery.  But despite all our advances, there are still diseases, conditions, and problems that even our modern medicine can’t fix.  This holds true for our pets and veterinary medicine as well.

Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine, (CAVM) refers to the use of alternative medical therapies.  These therapies include whole food diets, herbal therapy, nutraceuticals, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic/manipulative techniques, flower essences & homeopathy. These alternative therapies may be used instead of conventional medicine therapies or together with (aka complement) conventional therapies. This type of medical practice is called “Integrative Medicine”. This term implies that both types of therapies are “integrated” into a single medical practice. Another term used commonly for this type of practice is holistic medicine.

Thus, Integrative Veterinary Medicine blends the best of conventional medicine with the a specific selection of alternative therapies to provide the best whole health & healing approach needed for that specific pet patient.  Call today to schedule an appointment to see if Integrative Veterinary Medicine is right for your pet.

Posted in About, How To ....., Pet Education, Pet Health, Services, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Spaying & Neutering

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

So your puppy or kitten is getting older…what is next in providing the best care for them? When your pet is about 5-6 months old, we recommend having them spayed or neutered. This is an important decision for pet owners. There are several reasons for this recommendation:

Good for Your Pet

  • Spaying and neutering helps pets live longer, healthier lives.
  • It can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
  • For your female pet, spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
  • Neutering your male pet eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.

Good for You

  • Makes pets better, more affectionate companions.  
  • Spaying your pet eliminates her heat cycle.
  • Unsterilized animals often exhibit more behavior and temperament problems than do those who have been spayed or neutered.
  • Can make pets less likely to bite.
  • Neutering makes pets less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, or get into fights.

Good for the Community

  • Communities spend millions of dollars to control unwanted animals. 
  • Animal shelters are overburdened with surplus animals.
  • Stray pets and homeless animals get into trash containers, defecate in public areas or on private lawns, and frighten or anger people who have no understanding of their misery or needs.
  • Some stray animals also scare away or kill birds and wildlife. 

Posted in Pet Education, Pet Health, Services, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Our first YouTube video!

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

This is the first in a series of videos we’ll be creating and posting to the Animal Medical Hospital YouTube channel.
Let us know what you think!

Posted in Pet Education, Services, Video | No Comments »