Services
Annual Wellness Exams
In the days of ever changing vaccine protocols and much improved vaccines, our doctors are finding the necessity for yearly vaccines on the decline. Despite an ever decreasing frequency for individual pets to be vaccinated, the need for yearly wellness exams still exists as much as ever. We recommend a yearly exam for every pet, no matter what their individual vaccine requirements may be. At Cascade Pet Hospital, we believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: yearly exams can help us stop trouble for you and your pet before it has a chance to start!
Dentistry
At Cascade Pet Hospital, we feel that regular dental health care for pets is the number one over-looked aspect of a great wellness regimen. Try to imagine what your mouth would feel like if you never brushed or cleaned your teeth in any way? Many pets go years without any dental care at all. Home care of your pet's teeth along with regular dental examinations and cleanings will keep your pet's mouth healthy and breath fresh.
The number one disease that affects our pet's mouth after the age of two is periodontal disease. Just as in humans, the accumulation of plaque (a mixture of food debris, saliva and bacteria) on the teeth leads to the gums becoming swollen and inflamed(gingivitis). Bad breath and bleeding red gums are the most consistent signs that the pet owner notices. Bad pet breath or halitosis is not normal. There is a reason for that odor and that reason needs to be addressed and treated as soon as possible.
Periodontitis is inflammation and damage to the supporting structures of the teeth. With time, pockets of bacteria and pus begin to accumulate below the gum line and result in damage to the structures(ligaments) that keep the tooth in place. The bacteria can get into the bone of the jaw and cause weakening of the jaw. These bone infections can ultimately cause the jaw to fracture. Bacteria and their toxins also get into the blood circulation and result in kidney, liver and heart infections. Over time or with enough bacteria, the organ damage can be permanent. This can lead to illness resulting ultimately in an early death.
A very common myth that most owners believe is "if my dog or cat is still eating, it must not be in pain and their mouth must be OK." Not true. Animals never show weakness by instinct. In the wild, if they don't eat or they loose weight, that is noticed by other animals and renders them vulnurable to attack by the stronger animals. Most of the time, you never know that your pet has bad teeth and is in pain because they do such a great job at coping with their discomfort.
Fortunately the doctors at Cascade Pet Hospital can help to reverse early damage with a proper dental cleaning or "prophy." We do the very same type of x-rays, cleaning and polishing that is done when you go get your teeth cleaned. Most owners are accustomed to their pet's bad breath and they think that nasty smelling "doggy or kitty breath" is normal. They don't realize that, during early stages of gum inflammation, the disease can be stopped and their pet's oral health returned to normal.
When was the last time your pet's teeth were examined? We offer routine dental cleaning, dental x-rays, periodontal care, dental surgery and access to Board Certified Veterinary Dentists for more complicated dental/oral problems. Home dental care is important to keep the teeth,mouth, and body healthy as well as fresh breath in between professional cleanings. Imagine if you never brushed your teeth!! Give us a call and set up an appointment today!
Senior Wellness Care
Pets are living longer, just like humans, except pets age much faster than we do. It is estimated that one year in a pet's life is equal to 6-15 human years depending on the breed and species. Twice yearly wellness exams are important for patients over 7 years of age to identify any potential problems early so we can care for them sooner rather than later. Senior Wellness Screenings offer proactive routine labratory testing to help detect diseases and conditions early when treatment and prevention are most effective. Thorough regular checkups and blood tests can help your pet live a longer, healthier, happier and more comfortable life.
Customized Vaccine Protocols
Our vaccine protocols incorporate a 3 year vaccine schedule for core canine and feline viral diseases as defined by the American Animal Hospital Association(AAHA). We also use the one year rabies vaccine specially designed for higher safety in cats as reccommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners(AAFP) and AAHA . Additionally, we tailor vaccine needs to each patent's level of risk and offer vaccine titers. Even if your pet isn't due for vaccines each year, it is important to have annual exams to ensure your pet's health.
Surgery
We have state of the art anesthetic equipment, drugs and computerized patient monitors. In fact, we use many of the same drugs that would be used on a person undergoing an anesthetic procedure. We use the safest most recently available anesthetics and we offer cutting edge multimodal pain control for all of our surgery patients.
We offer surgical services for soft tissue procedures such as ovariohysterectomy (spay), orchidectomy (neuter), mass/growth excisions, abscess/wound debridement, urolithiasis (bladder stone removal), and exploratory surgeries (such as foreign body blockage, intestinal surgery, and abdominal mass removal).
During surgery and procedures requiring anesthesia, your pet's heart rate, ECG(Electrocardiogram), pulse, respiration, temperature, blood pressure and oxygen levels are monitored closely by a state of the art monitors which notify us immediately of anything unusual as well as having nurses who have recieved education from a Board Certified Veterinary Anesthesiologist on managing and monitoring the anesthetized patient. Additionally all patients undergoing general anesthesia have an intravenous(IV) catheter placed so that we can administer drugs as needed IV before, during, and after surgery. All of our patients also recieve IV fluids while under anesthesia to maximize heart output and blood flow to all organ systems while under anesthesia.
It's our job to ensure that your pet can properly process and then eliminate the anesthetic he or she is given. Before we perform any procedure requiring anesthesia, we run tests to confirm that your pet's organs are functioning properly and to reveal any hidden health conditions that could put your pet at risk. If we find any problems that will conflict with anesthesia or surgery, we will address those first and postpone the procedure.
Individualized Nutritional Counseling
Every pet has different nutritional needs. Although dental disease is the most common malady we see amongst our patients, obesity runs a close second. Is your pet a little on the chubby side? Maybe he prefers long naps to a round of fetch at the park? That's okay; everybody is free to spend their time as they choose and your pets are no exception. But today, most pets get too little exercise and too much to eat, which leads to obesity. Studies have shown that obesity does lead to earlier deaths than animals kept at appropriate body weights. A study by Purina researchers, lasting nearly 20 years, demonstrated that dogs fed 25% less than dogs that were free fed lived on average 2 years longer just from restricting their food intake. Imagine having an extra 2 healthy, happy years with your beloved pet just by preventing them from being overweight.
Obesity leads to and exacerbates arthritis in dogs and cats , diabetes in cats and other endocrine diseases.We would be happy to help you decide which foods would be best for your pet, how much to feed, how often and what snacks are better choices than others.
Remember, we want to help your pets live happy, healthy long lives!
