How do I know if my pet needs to see a doctor?

If your pet has experienced a significant decrease in appetite or activity level, is vomiting, having diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, limping, itching or losing hair, or his eyes look abnormal, he probably should be seen. Trouble breathing, trauma, bleeding, stumbling, seizuring, difficulty delivering puppies or kittens, and many eye problems are emergencies. Sometimes it’s hard to tell at home, but don’t hesitate to call and talk to one of our assistants or Dr. Wolfe if you aren’t sure.

Why can’t I just pick up the same medicine that worked last time? It seems like my pet has the same problem he had before.

In many cases, problems that seem the same may not be caused by the same disease. For example, Rover might have an ear infection again, but last time it was caused by bacteria, and this time by yeast, and different medications are indicated. Also, it is illegal for a veterinarian to prescribe medication without seeing the patient to formulate a working diagnosis, and the old medication might by outdated.

Why does the hospital recommend blood testing before procedures requiring anesthesia?

Preanesthetic blood testing allows us to evaluate your pet’s basic physiologic condition and will let us know if we need to take extra precautions with your pet. It may indicate that we should avoid a procedure altogether until a discovered problem can be corrected.

Why do we not recommend purchasing from Internet pharmacies?

Bennett Rd. Animal Clinic, Inc. does not recommend prescriptions be filled from Pet Med Express. Hopefully this letter will clarify our opinion.

There are three major differences between purchasing products from Bennett Rd. Animal Clinic, Inc and Internet Pharmacies:

Quality of Product

·Products sold over the internet may have been warehoused in unregulated storage facilities for extended periods of time at temperatures not recommended by the manufacturer.

·Some internet pharmacies purchase drugs illegally from foreign countries. These drugs may not meet FDA or EPA standard regulations. Novartis Animal Health and several other drug manufacturers have filed lawsuits against internet pharmacies for illegally selling unapproved versions of their products. For additional information check this link to the news magazine of veterinary medicine: dvm

·Attorney Generals from numerous states are investigating and/or have filed suits against Pet Med Express. These allegations are based on frequent improprieties in filling prescriptions. We don’t recommend prescriptions be filled from Pet Med Express based on their alleged unethical and illegal practices.

Product Guarantees

·Drug manufacturers guarantee 100% product satisfaction only on products purchased exclusively through veterinary clinics. In addition, manufacturers’ rebates are honored only on purchases made at veterinary clinics.

Record Keeping

·Bennett Rd. Animal Clinic, Inc always provides appropriate information to you on administering medication. Medicines sometimes require pre-testing or laboratory monitoring of your pet to prevent an adverse reaction. All prescriptions filled by us are documented in your pet’s health history records for future references.

Bennett Rd. Animal Clinic, Inc offers competitive pricing on our products. We offer free shipping on the purchase of a twelve-month supply of heartworm preventive and charge minimal postage on all other purchases/mailings. At this time we will honor prescription requests from other internet pharmacies provided they give us proper documentation. A written copy of your pet’s prescription is always available upon request.

The veterinary medical team of Bennett Rd. Animal Clinic, Inc is committed to the health and well being of your pets. Thank you for your confidence in us and we look forward to a long relationship with you and your pets.

What are some of the reasons for your surgery prices?

SURGICAL COMPARISONS

As with every procedure at Bennett Road Animal Clinic, Inc., your pet’s comfort and safety is our primary concern. Anesthesia and surgery can be the most stressful time for your pet. We do everything we can to minimize stress and discomfort while employing the safest procedures possible. We understand that cost is definitely a factor in choosing your pet’s health care, and want to be sure that you understand some of the reasons for our prices.

Proper Pain Control: We now know that pets experience pain in much the way that we do. Proper pain control involves not only anesthesia, but also a variety of additional medications given for the sole purpose of relieving operative pain. In addition, we send home pain medication for an average of 3 days after some surgery.

Temperature Control: We use a pad and a Forced Air Animal Warmer to maintain the body temperature of your pet while under anesthesia. This allows us to keep our patient’s temperature regulated during the surgery, providing safer, smoother recoveries. We also use warmed blankets in the kennel after surgical and dental procedures.

Precision Instruments: Our instruments are top of the line surgical instruments. This means there is less chance of an instrument slipping and causing unnecessary blood loss during surgery.

Precision Suture Material: We carry a varied supply of different materials in different sizes that are suitable for different procedures and different size pets.

IV Catheters: High risk patients receiving deep general anesthesia have an IV Catheter placed prior to anesthesia. This allows us to administer medications more comfortably to your pet, and provides us access to a vein should an emergency arise during anesthesia. During anesthesia, they will receive IV fluids. These fluids will be administered to help maintain blood pressure, provide internal organ support, and to help keep the pets from becoming dehydrated.

Emergency Drugs: We keep a supply of the most advanced emergency drugs available. These are very expensive to keep on hand, but allow us to be more prepared in case a blood loss emergency arises.

Proper Monitoring: In addition to external monitors, we have a surgical assistant monitoring anesthesia. While under anesthesia, we use sophisticated monitors to measure tissue oxygen concentration, pulse rate, ECG, respiration and temperature. These have preset alarms to alert us the moment any minor problem arises.

Proper Anesthetics: We use Isoflurane or Sevoflurane gas anesthesia most of the time. These are the newest generation anesthetic agents available. Your pet will have a secured airway with use of an endotracheal tube, another very important safety measure.

Follow Up Care: Detailed discharge instructions are given at discharge and either the doctor or technician will review these with you. Most surgical patients are seen 7-10 days after discharge. This allows for an examination of the surgical site and a medical progress exam. Of course, we are always available should any complications arise after discharge.

Do not hesitate to ask questions of your veterinary health care provider. You have the right and responsibility to your pet to know what you are paying for. Ask them if they use proper pain control and have blood products such as Oxyglobin on hand. Ask if they use proper surgery attire. Ask if they have a surgical assistant monitoring their pet during surgery. Ask if your pet will have an IV catheter, and will have pain medications sent home. All of these are expensive; some of the materials we use are 10 times more expensive than the cheaper ones. These things may or may not be important to you, but they are important to your pet and to our standard of care.

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