Veterinary Holistic Care offers dental cleanings with and without sedation.
Since anesthesia is an unnecessary risk for most routine dental cleanings, the HOUNDSTOOTH Veterinary Dental Service visits our clinic approximately every 6 months to provide specialty dental cleanings without anesthesia. Instead, Houndstooth performs gentle drug-free plaque and tartar removal with plenty of kindness.
Once a month, Dr. Maniet also performs dental cleanings, treatment for advanced stages of periodontal disease, and minor dental procedures under minimal sedation.
We also provide dental surgery.
HOUNDSTOOTH Veterinary Dental Service
CLICK HERE for the non-VHC Client Release Form
Heartworm is a potentially deadly parasite that is carried by the mosquito. The adult heartworm is up to 14 inches long, prefers to live in the pulmonary arteries where it generates strong inflammation and often blood clots, and gives birth to baby worms called microfilariae.
Once your pet is infected, Heartworm treatment can be dangerous and costly. Thus, if your dog spends any time outdoors, heartworm testing and prevention should be considered. Prevention is safe and fairly inexpensive.
At Veterinary Holistic Care, we test your pet yearly to ensure they don't have Heartworm. We then follow a schedule of prevention with the regular Heartguard tablet which, unlike other Heartworm preventatives, only treats Heartworm without targeting intestinal worms. We recommend that prevention be administered only during the warm/hot months (above 60 degrees F).
In addition to spaying and neutering, Veterinary Holistic Care offers a number of minor skin surgeries including: removals of benign and malignant tumors, abscesses, and warts skin; biopsies; and tooth extraction.
Prior to surgery, a pre-anesthesia blood screen will be performed to make sure your pet’s liver, kidneys, total protein, and glucose are within normal limits. If there is a history of heart disease in your pet’s family or breed, we may also do an electro-cardiogram screening at this time. If the exam and blood work look good, we will proceed with the surgery, but if something is amiss, we will discuss our findings with you.
At Veterinary Holistic Care, we administer the lowest possible dose of the safest possible anesthetics, keep your pet warm and comfortable, and administer a homeopathic or herbal medication after surgery to reduce pain and inflammation. Throughout the surgery, your pet will receive Reiki to ensure maximum possible comfort and to encourage proper healing.The ovario-hysterectomy, also called a spay, and the orchidectomy, also called a neuter, is the removal of an animal's reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part of it.
Advantages: In addition to being a birth control method, neutering has health benefits. Hormone-associated diseases are prevented. Female cats and dogs are seven times more likely to develop mammary tumors if they are not spayed before their first heat cycle. A dangerous common uterine infection known as pyometra is also prevented. Uterine, ovarian, and testicular cancer are also prevented.
The procedure may end or curb such behaviors as roaming in search of a mate and sexual mounting.
Disadvantages: Routine spaying and neutering does carry a low risk of anesthetic and surgical complications such as bleeding and infection. Neutered dogs and cats of both genders have an increased risk of obesity. Other associated risks include: Stump pyometra, urinary incontinence, prostate cancer, hormone-responsive alopecia, osteosarcoma, geriatric cognitive impairment, feline lower urinary tract disease, and urethral blockage from the presence of stones or a plug in the urethra.
Most animals lose their libido due to hormonal changes and females no longer experience heat cycles which can be a major nuisance factor, especially in female cats. Minor personality changes may occur in the animal.Virtually every puppy or kitten that enters a veterinary hospital receives an initial series of vaccinations that continue, in the form of "boosters", for the duration of the pet's life. Although vaccination is an important weapon in preventing infectious disease, immunization does have limitations and can cause negative reactions.
In our opinion, the practice of annual re-vaccination should be considered questionable unless it is required by law (e. g. certain states require rabies re-vaccinations). After initial immunizations, immunity to disease often persists for years or for the life of the animal. Only healthy animals should be vaccinated.
At Veterinary Holistic Care, after initial young animal immunizations we check titers for antibody levels instead of relying on annual re-vaccinations. Titers are blood tests that test for antibody immunity to specific diseases, offering an alternative to vaccination. If the animal is still protected, there is no need to revaccinate.
For more information on Vaccinations click here.
