Services

Like your physician does for you, we recommend, a routine annual wellness exam for our patients but, keep in mind … your pet’s lifespan is much shorter than yours and thus, they age faster than we do.

​​​​​​​In general, cats and dogs age an average of seven years for every one of ours (the ratio is close to ten to one for the first year and five to one for the geriatric years.) So having an annual physical exam for your pet equates to your seeing your doctor once every seven years. Of course, when we think of it this way, we realize that much can change in seven years. We recommend an annual physical exam for all our patients with the goal of preventing disease above all, and early diagnosis of illness and proper treatment to restore your pet to health. During the yearly wellness examination our veterinarians will discuss the patient’s diet and will print for you, if you wish, a graph of his or her weight from previous visits. We will then evaluate your pet’s individual risk assessment including such factors as your pet’s exercise level, contact with or exposure to other pets and wildlife, your home environment, emerging diseases in your area, possible travel plans and any other lifestyle situations.

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PUPPY VACCINE PROTOCOL AND SURGERY
We tailor our vaccine protocol to each patient’s life style and risk factors with the ultimate goal of giving as few vaccines as possible. Ideally, your puppy should come for the first visit between 6 to 8 weeks of age. At this time, he/she will get a complete examination by one of our veterinarians and will receive the first in a series of three immunizations against distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, and parainfluenza (fortunately, these vaccines are combined into one injection.) We will then decide with you whether your pup will also receive a bordetella vaccination (against kennel cough—required by some grooming and boarding facilities.) We recommend that you bring in a fresh stool sample at this time so that we can determine if your pup has intestinal parasites and treat him/her if necessary. This is particularly important if you have toddlers in your family, since roundworms and hookworms can be transmitted to humans and cause serious health problems. A “puppy talk” is then given by our staff if you feel the need for some pointers on basic training.
The next visit, at 10 weeks of age, is for the second distemper vaccine. The third is at 12 weeks, at which time we vaccinate your pup against rabies (required by law, for licensing, and for interstate travel in many areas.) We will then offer you the choice of immunizing against lyme disease at this visit, and discuss with you whether your pup may be at risk for contracting this disease, which is carried by the deer tick in the northeast and is particularly prevalent in suburban or wooded areas. The fourth and final puppy visit is at 16 weeks of age: the patient will receive the third distemper vaccine and possibly second lyme booster. At this point, we consider your pup to be properly immunized against the most serious canine diseases, so he/she can socialize with a more extensive circle of canine friends.
The final visit in your pup’s first year is for the surgical procedures of ovarioectomy (spaying) for females and neutering for males if not already performed. We highly recommend that you have your pet spayed or neutered since these procedures help to prevent many illnesses and complications as your pet ages. They also help to make your pet less likely to develop undesirable behaviors which will be harder to eliminate if the neutering is done once they are adult. We recommend spaying females before their first heat, at 5-6 months of age, and neutering males between 6-8 months of age. At this time, your pup will receive his or her first blood test for exposure to heartworm disease and to the three tick-born diseases prevalent in our area.

KITTEN VACCINE PROTOCOL AND SURGERY
Your kitten should come for his or her first visit between 6 to 8 weeks of age. At this time, he/she will get a complete examination by one of our veterinarians and will receive the first in a series of three immunizations against feline distemper, calicivirus, and rhinotracheitis (these vaccines are combined into one injection.) We will also recommend that your kitten be tested via blood sample at this time for exposure to 2 lethal viruses, Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. A highly informative “kitten talk” is given by our staff if you feel the need for some pointers on basic training. The next visit is at 12 weeks, at which time we boost the distemper combination and also vaccinate your kitten against rabies (required by law, for licensing, and for interstate travel in many areas.) The last visit is at 16 weeks or more, at which time your kitten receives the final kitten distemper booster. We will discuss with you the risk of leukemia only if your kitten is going to be outside. If your kitten will be an “indoor-outdoor” pet, then we do recommend giving the leukemia vaccine in a series of 2 injections between 12 to 16 weeks of age.
The final visit of the first year is for the surgical procedures of ovarioectomy (spaying) for females and neutering for males if not already performed. We recommend spaying the females between 5 and 6 months of age and neutering the males between 5 and 8 months of age. We may recommend retesting the blood for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Viruses, if the kitten’s history warrants it.
At all puppy and kitten visits, we encourage you to ask any questions about physical or behavioral problems you may be having. Behavioral issues in particular should be addressed as soon as problems arise in order to correct them before they become entrenched.

Aging actually begins at birth, but its signs are not noticeable to us or our pets for several years. The aging process varies with body size for dogs and cats. Small breed dogs are considered seniors when they are 10 years old, medium breed dogs at 9 and giant breed dogs, sadly at 7 years. Thin, fit cats are considered seniors at 10 but overweight cats at 7-8 years. The first sign of aging is a general decrease in activity level, including a tendency to sleep longer and more soundly, a waning of enthusiasm for play time, and a general loss of interest in the activities around them. As aging advances, the heart, liver, and kidneys lose their functional efficiency, and the immune system is less able to fight off attacks by bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Bladder control may be affected, and all of the muscles decrease in size and strength although this aspect is reversible at any age with the addition of exercise. In general our pets experience the same issues with age that we do, including hearing loss, decreased night vision, arthritic pain, and even dementia.

To help keep your pet as healthy and comfortable as possible during his or her senior years, we provide a comprehensive geriatric wellness program that includes complete physical exams, periodic blood tests, nutritional counseling, monitoring and discussion of behavioral changes and evaluation of cognitive functions. Early detection and diagnosis of abnormal changes are critical in maintaining and optimizing your pet’s overall health as she/he ages.

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We offer two very effective methods to identify your pet.

The rabies tags that we attach to the patients collar after a vaccination are excellent ID tags. We register the unique tag number in the patients medical record. These tags are color- and shape-coordinated nationally so that anyone in law enforcement or animal control can see from a distance if and when a pet has been vaccinated. (Grace in the picture at right has a red heart-shaped tag; thus she was vaccinated in 2008.) The tag also has our contact information and 24-hour phone number so that, should your pet get lost and found, we can quickly access our laptop computer medical records, day or night, and look up the owner and pet corresponding to the tag number.

Microchip implantation is another more permanent means of identifying your pet. The chips are approximately the size and shape of a grain of rice. We implant them by giving an injection under the skin between the shoulder blades on the upper back. You then must register the chip’s unique identification number with a national database with both your and our contact information. REMEMBER TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION EVERY TIME YOU MOVE! Virtually every shelter in the nation now has universal scanners, and routinely checks all strays brought into them. Thousands of lost dogs and cats are returned home every year because they are identified with a microchip or rabies tag.
There are three major microchip suppliers in the US. We use ResQ by Bayer because, as the chart below shows, it is the only one that is standardized world-wide, meaning that their scanners will detect and read all other companies chips. In addition, they are the only company that does not charge a yearly fee to register with the database. The picture at left is an enlargement of the microchip compared to a grain of rice.

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Most of us know someone who has undergone a laparoscopic procedure. It is the standard in human medicine and is well documented to have a much smaller incision, less pain and a greater margin of safety. We use the exact same instrumentation in our patients. This system allows us to view abdominal organs magnified on a flat screen color high definition monitor. Applications are as numerous in veterinary medicine as in human medicine, the most recent being the use of laparoscopy for performing an ovarectomy / ovariohysterectomy (spay) or retained testicle neuter. A procedure that is often performed in conjunction with or, independently, is a gastropexy. This is widely recommended in all deep chested or large breed dogs to prevent the possibility of gastic dilatation or torsion which is a life threatening emergency. The most common indication for diagnostic laparoscopy is to visually inspect and biopsy abdominal organs or masses. The liver, pancreas, spleen, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, kidneys and abdominal masses are all amenable to laparoscopic biopsy. Because we are actually visualizing the organs, we can evaluate neoplastic processes (cancer) more accurately so that appropriate treatment plans can be implemented.

Our dental cleanings are performed with an ultrasonic cleaning system such as is used by your dental hygienist to clean and polish your teeth. Because we cannot ask our patients to “open wide”, this procedure requires light anesthesia to be performed. We use the anesthesia Life Window pictured on the left of the photo to monitor each patient’s vital signs.

There is mounting evidence that excess tartar build up with age can lead to gingivitis and periodontal disease. If this infection goes untreated, the bacteria in the oral cavity can enter the bloodstream and possibly harm the heart or other organs. The picture at right shows our specifically designed veterinary dental station where all dental cleaning is performed by our licensed veterinary technicians.

Our veterinarians also use this station to perform dental surgery such as tooth repair or extractions.

Our surgical suite is fully equipped to perform most common orthopedic procedures including bone fracture and ligament repairs, joint surgery, and bone biopsies. Our doctors have collectively over 40 years of orthopedic surgery experience. In addition to our staff, we offer the services of Tom Bowersox, (pictured at right) a board certified veterinary surgeon who will come to our facility and perform more advanced surgical procedures on our patients.

Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger his or her health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, all surgery patients undergo pre-anesthetic blood testing. These tests give us a more complete picture of your pet’s health and allow us to tailor an anesthetic regimen that is specific for each patient.

All patients receive an intravenous catheter to allow us to give iv fluids if necessary as well as pain medication.
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During surgery, your pet’s vital signs are monitored through a state-of-the-art surgical monitoring systems called Life Window and Cardell; additionally, he or she will also be observed closely by one of our licensed veterinary technicians. Life Window is a computer that minute to minute tracks blood pressure, oxygen content of the blood, core temperature, EKG heart tracings, and carbon dioxide levels in the exhaled air. After surgery, this information is added electronically to the patients computer records.

​​​​​​​Our surgical suite is fully equipped for most common soft tissue procedures such as ovarohysterectomies, neuters, hernia repairs, laceration repairs, tumor removal, exploratory surgery, intestinal anastomosis, intestinal foreign body removal, bladder stone removal and organ biopsies. We do not perform “cosmetic” surgery such as canine ear crops and tail docking as we feel these procedures have questionable ethics.

Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger his or her health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, all surgery patients undergo pre-anesthetic blood testing. These tests give us a more complete picture of your pet’s health and allow us to tailor an anesthetic regimen that is specific for each patient.
All patients receive an intravenous catheter to allow us to give iv fluids if necessary, as well as pain medication.

During surgery, your pet’s vital signs are monitored through a state-of-the-art surgical monitoring system called Life Window and he or she will also be observed closely by one of our registered veterinary technicians. Life Window is a computer that tracks blood pressure, oxygen content of the blood, core temperature, EKG heart tracings, and carbon dioxide levels in the exhaled air. After surgery, this information is added electronically to the patient’s medical records.

​​​​​​​An electrocardiogram or EKG (ECG), is a noninvasive painless diagnostic test used for recording the heart’s electrical activity. This is useful in diagnosing many cardiac diseases such as arrhythmias, valvular heart disease and heart block as well as changes in the shape and rotational axis of the heart. Our electrocardiograph is networked allowing us to seamlessly incorporate these data into your pets permanent electronic medical record. If your pet proves to be a difficult or unusual case, we will, with your permission, send the history, and all pertinent laboratory test results including digital radiographs via the internet to a board certified veterinary cardiologist for a second opinion. We often obtain a report back within hours or by the next day.

​​​​​​​We are proud of our True Direct Digital Radiography system by Sound/Eklin of California. Over 80% of all US Veterinary Colleges have this same system, confirming it’s quality and unsurpassed performance.

This noninvasive diagnostic procedure produces images in 4 seconds often without the need for tranquilization , sedation or anesthesia. This equates to less time on the xray table and therefore less stress for the patient. Occasionally when complete muscle relaxation is required (hip x-rays) or when the patient is uncomfortable (traumatic injury such as a bone fracture), short-acting general anesthesia may be required. In addition to standard views, we perform many specialized procedures such as GI series and contrast studies of the kidneys and urinary bladder. All these images can then be instantly reviewed on any of our 26 workstations throughout the hospital.

These digital images are then seamlessly stored as part of your pet’s permanent medical record. In the event that we suggest a second opinion by a board certified veterinary specialist, we can send the file electronically over a secure internet connection and often have results back in hours.

There are three sample radiographs below: the left one shows a dog with two round bladder stones, the middle is a turtle with a radio transmitter implant, and right is a fractured tibia leg bone. Can you identify each?

At The Animal Hospital, we utilize digital dental X-rays to get a view below the gumline to fully evaluate the tooth roots and surrounding bone structure. X-rays help us find disease such as broken roots, periodontal disease, bone loss, resorptive lesions, and tooth root abscesses. Dental X-rays lead to a better diagnosis of pathology(disease), which leads to a healthier mouth and a happier patient!

Abdominal ultrasound is an invaluable tool that allows us to visualize the structures and organs in the abdomen. Dr. Ryan, a Board Certified Radiologist comes into our office to perform ultrasound examinations. This non-invasive technique uses sound waves to produce images that allow us to visualize the structure of the organs.

We also have a GE Logiq Book XP Enhanced Instrument Ultrasound on site as well. This allows our doctors to do brief ultrasounds during appointments which provide very valuable information. This safe, painless diagnostic procedure is performed in a few minutes, generally without anesthesia or sedation.

We all know how easy it is to take our blood pressure with a cuff. It is not so simple when you add fur and a moving patient. The instrument you see at right is especially designed for veterinary use. It uses a doppler sound technique to measure arterial blood flow, enabling us to accurately measure the patients systolic and diastolic pressures.

There is a powerful instinct in all animals to “act normal” even in the face of serous illness. Thus a complete physical exam is often not enough to diagnose the problem. In addition to imaging modalities, our hospital is equipped with an extensive in-house laboratory that permits us to find abnormalities in your pet’s organ functions or blood cells that were not evident from the physical evaluation. We utilize our in-house laboratory when time is of the essence in the case of a serious illness. For an ill patient, hours or even minutes can make the difference of life and death. When time is not a factor such as for routine follow-up bloodwork to check up on existing illness or senior screening tests, we currier your pet’s blood work to a national laboratory which is a much more cost effective option for our clients.

Our Complete in-house diagnostic laboratory provides:

• Complete Blood Counts with computerized LaserCyte

• Blood chemistry, electrolytes, thyroid and adrenal screening with Idexx Laboratory Equipment

• Heartworm, Lyme disease, Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis testing

• Giardia, Parvo virus and CPL Pancreas SNAP testing

• Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids testing

• Urinalysis

• Urine cortisol/creatinine with Idexx Catalyst

• Fecal ova exam

• Various microscopic cytology evaluations

• Bacterial Culture and Sensitivity

• Fungal culture

We also send out samples for more comprehensive analysis when required such as a comprehensive thyroid hormone assay, and anaerobic bacterial sensitivity testing

Dogs, cats, and most other species can develop glaucoma, a serious and painful condition in which the pressure inside the eye is elevated. The aqueous humor or fluid inside the eye normally maintains its proper pressure but when glaucoma occurs, there is too much fluid and therefore too much pressure inside the eye. This can occur gradually over time with age or acutely due to trauma or injury. It is important to diagnose this condition very quickly, because increased intraocular pressure can lead to permanent blindness. We use a hand-held electronic instrument, called a Tonopen, to determine the pressure inside the eye. It is similar to the instrument your ophthalmologist uses to test your eyes. This is a painless procedure that we often perform in an exam room after applying a few drops of a topical anesthetic.

In case of after-hours emergencies, we refer our clients to the CDVRH (Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital) or UVS (Upstate Veterinary Specialties). Both emergency facilities are level one trauma centers staffed by experienced veterinarians who have post doctoral training in emergency medicine.

The Animal Hospital will receive a detailed report regarding your pet’s visit upon discharge. This will be imported into your pet’s electronic medical record.

Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital

Phone: (518)785-1094

CDVRH is located at 222 Rt. 2 in Latham, NY.

CDVRH Directions and Hours.

Upstate Veterinary Specialities

Phone: (518)783-3198

UVS is located at 152 Sparrowbush Road in Latham, NY.

UVS Directions and Hours.

Your pet, our patient, is never more than a phone call away from help when needed in an emergency.

​​​​​We are available for emergencies during regular business hours. Please always call first so we can assess the situation and be prepared if an emergency exists. The Animal Hospital has two intensive care/oxygen units, one for dogs and cats and one for birds and “pocket” pets. These specialized systems maintain oxygen levels, humidity and temperature for the critical patient. Our professional staff is trained and practiced to function as a team and to act swiftly and decisively in an emergency. We utilize a “crash cart” that has all the medications, catheters, syringes and instruments that are needed at our fingertips in an emergency.

After hours when we are closed, you will be directed to the Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital or Upstate Veterinary Specialties.

Our pets have become increasingly regarded as members of the family at the same time that our lifestyles have changed to include more 2-career families; therefore, pets spend more time indoors and more time alone, receiving less exercise and attention than previously when one family member was available to supervise and interact with them. The result has been an increase in negative behaviors on the part of our cats and dogs. In fact, whereas the animal shelters across the country used to struggle to find spaces for the young cats and dogs resulting from overpopulation, nowadays they find that their cages are full of older, healthy animals who have been relinquished by once-doting owners due to negative behavior traits that developed over time. For that reason, the number of veterinarians specializing in behavior has increased exponentially.

We recognize that negative behaviors—incessant barking, house soiling, separation anxiety, and aggression for dogs; destroying furniture and avoiding the litter box for cats,–can rupture the human-animal bond and lead quickly to frustration and finally to anger, and perhaps to the ultimate sad fate of relinquishment. We do not want to see this happen to our patients! Therefore, our wellness examinations include inquiries into your pet’s behavior in order to determine if there are any developing problems, with the aim to eliminate the causes and find remedies as early as possible before negative behaviors become entrenched. We stress the use of positive training philosophies rather than the use of punishment. We find that if we are notified of these problems early, we can help the frustrated client reduce or eliminate the negative behaviors. If there is an issue that, by its nature, requires more aggressive remediation, we have a list of experienced trainers as well as access by referral to veterinary behaviorists and to Cornell Veterinary School’s Animal Behavior Clinic for the more challenging cases.

In addition to this, Tufts Veterinary College has a new behavior referral service where you fill out an extensive online questionnaire and we provide them with your pets complete electronic medical records. This less expensive option has been very successful.
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The basis for overall health, whether for a two- or four-footed animal, is a proper diet with additional supplementation to provide each individual animal with the elements to promote his or her health. Veterinary Nutritional Counseling For that reason, at each wellness examination we will discuss pet food brands, sources, and supplements with you, starting with the “pediatric” visits and tailoring your pet’s diet to his or her lifestyle changes, activity, and age. We recommend that you favor diets that are as unprocessed and chemical-free as possible and are tailored to your pet’s metabolic needs.

We will keep a close eye on your pet’s body condition score to make sure that we can help you to prevent the diseases and physical breakdown that occur with obesity. If individual assessment warrants it, we will also recommend “nutraceutical” supplements that are not “medicine,” but rather nutritional elements added to the diet to prevent cartilage deterioration, dull coats and seborrhea, and premature weakening of the immune system. Please feel free to contact us if you wish to discuss your pet’s diet.

We are proud to state that Dr. Ed Becker (holding a mature female bald eagle) has been the consulting veterinarian for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Endangered Species Unit for over 25 years. In addition to a veterinary license, he is also a licensed NYS wildlife rehabilitator and holds a federal Migratory Bird rehabilitation license. He participated, with Peter Nye, who directed the Endangered Species Unit in the Bald Eagle Re-introduction Program. Baby bald eagles were transported here from Alaska and “hacked” or raised in high towers with limited or no exposure to humans, unless they required veterinary care, and that is where we came in. This eight-year program was extremely successful and accounts for the many bald eagle sightings that occur today around our state. In addition to two outdoor rehabilitation habitats, The Animal Hospital has one of the largest state of the art “flight cages” in New York. This is where a recovering eagle, hawk, owl, or peregrine falcon exercises and strengthens his or her flight muscles, acclimates to climate change with the seasons and even learns to hunt for food.

Many years ago when our veterinary practice was just a few months old, a kind person found an injured Red Tail hawk on the road and brought her to us for help. She had a fractured wing that we were able to operate on and after months of rehabilitation, the patient flew back into the wild! This positive, powerful experience galvanized our entire staff to become involved during the infancy of a group, that years later, became the New York State Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. It is difficult to describe the feeling one gets when a bird of prey looks into your eyes…it is as if he or she is looking into your very soul.
In the early days, we were the only animal hospital that would treat injured or orphaned wildlife free of charge. We saw many different species of patients and our expertise grew with each difficult case. We expanded our knowledge to include Endangered Species and for years have treated 300- 500 individual wildlife patients per year.

Every aspect of our practice relies on our superb veterinary specific computer software byClienTrax. This is a premier, fully integrated Veterinary Practice Management program that is known for its sophisticated features that help us provide the best possible care for your pet. It has automatic reminder and automated recall tracking, electronic medical records, and a comprehensive, live-online appointment scheduler. We do not use the term “permanent” lightly. All of our medical records are kept on our hot swappable server in triplicate, backed up to an off-site hard drive daily. The Animal Hospital is thoroughly networked with 26 computer workstations. There is one computer in every location where your pet’s information needs to be gathered, created or entered into the system. Because we rely so heavily on our computer network and sophisticated electronic diagnostic equipment, we are equipped with a full service automatic generator system.

​​​​​​​This hospital is a member of VIN, the Veterinary Information Network, because we choose to provide the best current health care available for your pet.
We live in a rapidly changing world: Like all health care professionals, we face rapid change – new diseases, new technologies, new drugs, and new treatments emerge every month. Remaining up-to-date with these changes is important, so we can offer the best care for your pets and best serve you. We also face new challenges such as monitoring emerging and exotic diseases — like avian flu and West Nile virus — and the threat of bioterrorism.
The knowledge and experience of thousands of veterinarians: As a member of VIN, we have constant access to a vast veterinary medical “library” and access to an online worldwide community of over 24,000 veterinarians, including hundreds of specialists

Private Cremation: Return of remains in urn of your choice.

Group Cremation: No return of remains.

• Can still add on memorial products through TAH & Final Gift.
  
  

Release Remains: Go home with remains (or can hold until spring if ground is frozen) for proper burial.

• Coffins available for all sized pets at no additional cost.

• Can only add memorial products through The Animal Hospital.
  
  

Complimentary memorial products: ink paw prints, fur clippings.

Additional memorial products and urns available for additional cost on Finalgift.com under “memorial products”.

• If there is a product you would like to purchase, please locate the item number so we can correctly add it to your existing order through Final Gift.

• Cedar Memorial and Serenity urns can have name plates added for an additional cost through Final Gift.

• Serenity urn can be personalized with a picture of your pet after purchase.

• Trail to Heaven and the decorative metal urns can all be engraved for an additional cost through Final Gift.

• All urns can be opened.

• Scattering tube is not ideal for display- only for actually scattering ashes.

Additional memorial products available through Final Gift (finalgift.com)

• Most popular add- on is the Clay paw print through Final Gift.

Made with love at The Animal Hospital (complimentary)

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