Our Services

Hospital Services

• Immunization and Wellness Care

  A regular physical examination is just as important for your pet as it is for you. Our veterinarians recommend a complete physical examination for your pet at least once a year, though more frequent exams are encouraged. During a physical examination, we perform a "nose-to-tail" examination of your pet. We examine your pet's nose, eyes, ears, check your pet's teeth and oral cavity, listen to your pet's heart and lungs, carefully examine the skin and coat, look for any unusual lumps or swelling, palpate the abdomen and muscles and perform an orthopedic evaluation of the bones, joints and back. We strive to prevent illness whenever possible. The time and effort invested in wellness programs has rewards for both pets and owners. Our wellness programs are designed specifically for your pet and include a comprehensive physical exam, internal parasite testing, heartworm and flea control, vaccination program and specialized blood tests for all life stages. Vaccinating your pet is a simple procedure that is safe, effective and well worth the financial commitment. Many diseases that were once considered fatal to pets are now under control due to the use of modern vaccines. At LVCC we realize that not every pet requires the same vaccinations. We tailor a unique vaccination schedule for your pet based on his/her individual needs and unique lifestyle.

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• Internal Medicine

  Today, more than ever, pets have become important members of our family. When our pets are sick or injured, we want the best possible care for them. The team at LVCC provides compassionate, high-quality care for pets seven days a week. Our hospital is staffed by skilled doctors and technicians, capable of handling the most complicated and demanding medical and surgical cases. Quality patient care and client satisfaction are our top priorities. Our commitment to providing you and your pet with the most advanced veterinary medical diagnostics and treatment in a caring, compassionate atmosphere is second to none. Our goal at LVCC is to provide your pet with the best medical care and make this experience as easy for you as possible. Since all of the hospital team members are pet owners themselves, we understand the love you have for your pet. Each pet seen at our hospital receives the utmost veterinary care and attention from the time he or she comes into the hospital until the time he or she leaves. Additionally, we encourage you to visit your pet during his or her stay, as the positive results of a reunited pet and owner often help speed up the recovery process. LVCC is a full-service animal hospital and wellness center. Whether your pet is a playful puppy or a cat entering the golden years, he or she receives world-class care. In order to help diagnose your pet's medical condition, we have invested heavily in the most up-to-date medical instruments. We use the latest technology, including ultrasound, CO2 Laser unit, and digital radiology to provide your pet with the highest level of care possible. We cover all areas of internal medicine including cardiology, ophthalmology, neurology, dermatology, gastroenterology and endocrinology.

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• Pharmacy

  LVCC offers a full array of the most up-to-date veterinary medicines, including those for treating heart disease, intestinal problems, skin disorders and arthritis. We carry a variety of flea control products, heartworm preventatives, shampoos and ear cleansers. We also stock a wide variety of prescription foods that are designed to support good health and treat numerous medical conditions such as kidney failure, heart disease, and food allergies.

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• Behavioral Counseling

  Illness doesn't always have a physical cause. Our veterinarians are trained in animal behavior and can help determine the cause of disorders such as separation anxiety and obsessive behavior, and then develop a treatment plan for the pet owner. Some pets require special food, and all pets benefit from a balanced diet. Our trained and certified staff is available to help you choose the right diet for your pet in order to keep him or her happy, healthy and active. We carry a full line of Purina Prescription veterinary diets.

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• Nutritional Counseling

  Some pets require special food, and all pets benefit from a balanced diet. Our trained and certified staff is available to help you choose the right diet for your pet to keep him or her happy, healthy and active.

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• Microchipping

  Each year, millions of pets go missing, and many never make it back to their homes. Implanting a microchip in your pet is a simple, painless way to avoid this tragedy. A microchip is a tiny electronic device, about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is implanted beneath a pet's skin between the shoulder blades, and stays there for the pet's entire life. This procedure is as easy and as painless as a vaccination. Each microchip has a unique number. This number, along with information about the owner and pet, are added to a national pet registry. Most veterinary hospitals and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If a lost pet is found and a microchip is scanned, the registry is called and the owner can be contacted. LVCC uses the Home Again microchip system.

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• House Calls

  Occasionally it may be difficult to bring your pet to our office so we do offer house calls if necessary.

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Surgical Services

• Surgery

  LVCC is well-equipped to perform most minor and major surgical procedures, from spays and neuters to more complicated emergency, orthopedic and soft-tissue surgeries. Prior to surgery, your pet receives a thorough physical examination to assess his/her current health status. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, we strongly recommend pre-anesthetic blood and urine testing. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet's health, but also allow us to tailor an anesthetic regimen that is specifically designed for your pet. We offer a wide variety of anesthetic protocols tailored to your pet's individual needs. We use state-of-the-art anesthetic machines and utilize a variety of anesthetic monitoring devices including pulse oximeter and other cardiac monitoring equipment. To provide your pet with a continuous heat source during and after surgery, he/she is wrapped with warm water blankets. All surgeries are closely monitored by our surgical technicians. Our hospital is equipped with a laser surgery unit. Laser surgery is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgery. In many procedures, lasers replace scalpels and are useful for a wide range of conditions such as cyst, tumor and wart removal, and are particularly benificial in declaw procedures. Laser procedures result in less pain, less bleeding and less swelling. They reduce risk of infection and result in less post-operative discomfort. LVCC is fully equipped to perform most soft-tissue and common orthopedic procedures. Our doctors have years of experience performing routine as well as complex procedures. Pain management is an important part of our pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. All surgical patients, including those undergoing routine procedures such as ovariohysterectomy or castrations, receive pain control medication. We urge you to discuss operative pain management options with a member of our team.

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• Pain Management

  Veterinary patients feel pain and discomfort under the same circumstances as people do. We know that recognizing and alleviating pain in animals is the essence of good patient care.  Our staff is trained to recognize and score pain levels and assist the doctor in keeping your pet pain-free both in our hospital and after discharge, at home.

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• Emergency & Critical Care

  In any emergency, seconds count. Our experienced staff is backed up by our mobile resuscitation unit, stocked and equipped to administer the ABCs of basic life support – Airway, Breathing, Circulation/Cardiac compressions. Emergency care is offered during regular business hours. In addition, we use the services of a local, fully staffed emergency center.

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• Hospice / Euthanasia

  Saying goodbye to a long-time friend is painful. We work with clients to ensure their pet's comfort and dignity. Services include taking care of the remains as directed by the client.

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• Blood Transfusion

  We maintain a list of healthy pets available for blood collection in the event of an emergency. Once collected, that blood is available immediately for transfusion into the critical patient.

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Diagnostic Procedures

• Laboratory Testing

  Since your sick pet cannot tell us what is wrong, veterinarians must sometimes supplement physical exams with sophisticated diagnostic testing. Our hospital is equipped with a complete diagnostic laboratory that allows us to measure more than 50 laboratory values, with results often available in a few minutes. In addition, we work with several outside referral labs if your pet requires specialized testing. Along with heartworm testing, other common tests performed at the hospital include complete blood count, blood-chemistry panel, urinalysis and fecal examination.

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• Radiographs (X-rays)

  Radiographs (x-rays) are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical conditions. X-rays are useful in examining your pet's bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity and other areas of the body. An x-ray can spot a fractured bone, detect cancerous tumors, diagnose heartworm disease and locate an obstruction or foreign body in your pet's stomach or intestine. When used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures like ultrasound, x-rays can accurately diagnose problems, making your pet's surgery less traumatic and complicated. Radiography is the only method used for accurately diagnosing canine hip dysplasia. Presently, there are two radiographic techniques for evaluating canine hip dysplasia - OFA radiographs and the PennHIP technique. We provide radiographs that meet the standards for both techniques. We have recently purchased a new, state-of-the-art, digital dental radiology machine. Compared to x-rays produced by traditional equipment, the quality of digital radiographs is much better. The time spent taking your pets' radiographs is significantly shortened and fewer x-rays are needed to achieve diagnostic-quality results. If your pet's radiographs need to be sent to a radiology specialist, digitally produced x-rays can be sent immediately via email.

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• Ultrasound

  Ultrasound is a valuable, non-invasive imaging procedure that complements x-rays and allows our veterinarians to better visualize internal organs in the chest and abdomen. During an ultrasound, high-frequency sound-waves are directed into the body and bounce off the organs, creating a computer image of the inside of the body. This painless diagnostic technique is usually done without sedation of your pet. Ultrasound is invaluable for making treatment decisions for various types of heart disease. It also allows us to biopsy organs such as the liver and kidney through a tiny "keyhole" incision. Using the ultrasound image as a guide, surgical biopsies can be obtained without major surgery and your pet can often go home the same day.

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Dentistry

• Dentistry

  Dental hygiene is an important part of your pet's health and can often be the cause of serious illness. Dental problems, if left untreated, can often lead to larger systemic problems in your pet due to oral bacteria entering the blood stream and damaging the kidneys, heart and liver. Pets have dental disease just like we do. Many of these problems can be avoided by bringing your pet to your veterinarian for regular dental check-ups and dental cleanings. Bad breath and/or reddened gums are usually signs of dental problems. Some signs of dental problems include: Bad breath - one of the first signs of dental disease A yellowish-brown crust of plaque on the teeth near the gum line Red and swollen gums Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or when the mouth or gums are touched Decreased appetite or difficulty eating Loose or missing teeth Veterinary dentistry is quite different from the equivalent process in people. For most of us, caring for our teeth and gums has been part of our daily routine for as long as we can remember. Consequently, a person's visit to the dentist is relatively brief and does not require sedation. In contrast, veterinary dentistry is considerably more involved, time-consuming and complex. Cleaning a pet's teeth requires general anesthesia, and consequently a day's hospitalization. The skills of several people, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians and animal attendants, are required for each procedure. After the physical exam and pre-dental workup, your pet is given an anesthesia for a safe and painless sleep during the dental cleaning. The first part of dental cleaning requires the removal of tartar and plaque from all the teeth. This is done with a hand scaler and an ultrasonic (mechanical) scaler. Next, a periodontal probe checks for pockets under the gumline where periodontal disease and bad breath starts. At this point, the doctor is able to give your pet a thorough oral examination looking for loose, broken or missing teeth as well as oral tumors or lesions. We often do not know if or how many extractions are necessary until your pet is anesthetized and the teeth cleaned, exposing defects in the teeth.  Our doctors have undergone extensive training in dental procedures allowing them to perform vital pulpotomy and root canal therapy when necessary.  We are proud to care for our local police dogs where preserving a healthy mouth allows them to have a long career of service to our community. Your pet's teeth are polished, creating a smooth surface. The gums are washed with an anti-bacterial solution to help delay tartar build-up both under the gumline and on the crown of the tooth.  Finally, the doctor also administers a fluoride treatment to strengthen your pet's teeth, to desensitize exposed roots, and to reduce the chances of infection.

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