Compassionate care and a family atmosphere.

During wellness exams, we perform a complete physical and recommend a heartworm test and fecal flotation test for intestinal parasites. We may recommend additional tests that can indicate the presence of underlying diseases. To keep your pet parasite-free, we recommend preventive medication for heartworms, fleas, and ticks.

Regular examinations are our chance to assess your pet’s overall health, discuss any changes we see, educate and update you on advancements in medical care, and discuss any concerns or questions you may have. Wellness exams are essential for senior pets and animals over seven years of age.

At your pet’s annual wellness exam, expect us to:

• Examine teeth, throat, and oral cavity
• Check vision and examine the eyes
• Examine the respiratory system
• Palpate lymph nodes and abdomen
• Assess your pet’s heart
• Inspect the skin
• Examine the ears for infection, ear mites, allergic reactions, and other related health issues
• Palpate joints and muscles for arthritis and other orthopedic conditions
• Test to evaluate the function of internal organs, blood, and other systems

Deworming and fecal (stool) check

Dangerous parasites are always present in the environment. If brought into your home, these parasites can be passed from your pet to you and your family. Regular fecal checks and deworming are the best way to prevent parasitic disease and the transmission of intestinal parasites.

Regular blood work

A complete physical includes a heartworm test, parasite screening, and may include a blood test. A chemistry panel and complete blood count (CBC) can identify underlying disease and help create a baseline should your pet become ill. Blood work may also be necessary before a dental cleaning, removal of a skin mass, or any other procedure that requires anesthesia.

Pet vaccines

We tailor vaccine protocols to your individual pet, taking into account benefits and risks, environment, and health status. Vaccinations are safe, effective, and a fundamental part of preventive care. Vaccinating your pet against rabies is a legal requirement and helps protect you and your family.

Behavioral and lifestyle counseling

We provide guidance on training and socialization, strategies for stress management and anxiety, and personalized recommendations for exercise and enrichment. At home, watch for subtle changes in body weight, appetite, water intake, urination, bowel habits, and general attitude or activity level — they may be signs of medical problems.

Puppy and kitten care

Bringing home a new puppy or kitten is a great reason to schedule an appointment. These initial visits are where you, our veterinarians, and your pet first meet and begin a relationship that lasts your companion’s entire lifetime.

Topics discussed during first visits include:

• Diet and nutrition
• Housetraining
• Behavior issues
• Spaying and neutering
• Formulation of an individualized vaccine protocol
• Pet health insurance
• Microchipping
• Parasite prevention

A complete physical exam includes detection of potential congenital problems and covers any topic you’d like to discuss.

Geriatric / senior care

We offer senior and geriatric care for pets 7 years of age and older. Regular screening tests include blood work, urinalysis, blood pressure measurement, chest X-rays, and abdominal ultrasounds. Proper medical care can slow and manage the aging process, giving your pet extended vitality and good health.

Care for pocket pets

Our veterinarians see rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and pet rats and can treat many of their common medical problems, including spays and neuters for rabbits. For more complicated issues, we work with trusted specialists in the area. Because it is often difficult to tell if an exotic pet is ill, we recommend physical exams twice a year.

Internal medicine

All of our veterinarians have expertise in diagnosing and treating complex internal medicine cases such as kidney, heart, respiratory, immune-mediated, and endocrine diseases.

Pet allergies

Watch for the first signs of allergies and dermatological conditions:

• Inflamed ears
• Lesions on the skin
• Hair loss
• Flaking
• Red itchy bumps on the skin
• Hotspots, especially those that recur
• Scratching or rubbing the eyes or mouth area
• Asthma-like wheezing or respiratory issues

Pet ultrasound

Ultrasound is a pain-free, non-invasive procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce a real-time moving image of your pet’s internal organs. It does not require anesthesia or sedation in most cases and typically takes 30 to 60 minutes. We offer cardiac, thoracic, and abdominal ultrasounds.

Pet radiology

X-rays help assess your pet’s bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity, and more. An X-ray can spot a fractured bone, detect bladder stones, help diagnose heartworm disease, locate an obstruction or foreign body, determine the size, shape, and location of a mass, and evaluate hip and elbow dysplasia in dogs. In some cases, we send X-rays out to a specialist for further analysis.

When diagnostics are needed

Changes in appetite, lethargy, unexplained weight loss, or unusual behavior warrant diagnostic testing. Tests also benefit regular check-ups by detecting underlying conditions that may not be apparent during a physical exam. Early detection often prevents minor issues from becoming severe.

Perhaps the most important pre-surgical step is to discuss why we believe a particular procedure is necessary and what it entails. Our veterinarians provide information on postoperative care and answer any questions you may have. Surgical technicians constantly monitor your pet’s vital signs during surgery. The vast majority of surgeries do not require an overnight stay — we strive to return your pet home that same evening.

We regularly perform:

• Spays and neuters
• Hernia repairs
• Bladder surgery
• Tumor removal
• Gastrointestinal surgeries
• Cancer surgeries
• Skin surgery

Pet pain management

Proper pain management is essential for recovery. Pain slows healing, decreases activity, and causes behavioral changes. We practice up-to-date protocols for acute and chronic conditions, including NSAIDs and oral and injectable analgesics, to ensure your pet’s complete comfort.

What to expect

Once your pet is checked in, our technician and veterinarian administer a sedative and place a tube in the trachea to maintain anesthesia. Your veterinarian examines the mouth, and the dental technician uses an ultrasonic scaler to remove tartar. After scaling, we reassess to find any dental issues hidden beneath the tartar and decide whether each diseased tooth can be saved. Loose or severely diseased teeth are removed. The last step is thorough polishing, which creates a smooth surface so less tartar accumulates.

Extractions help prevent dental disease from worsening, improve breath odor, prevent infection from reaching the jawbone or other organs, and prevent abscess and decay. Please note we will not be able to call you during the procedure to discuss extractions, so be prepared ahead of time that they may be needed. If extractions are done, pain medication is given before your pet recovers from anesthesia.

Two dental options

Both clean above and below the gumline with an ultrasonic scaler and polish the teeth.

Traditional basic dentistry — extractions are based on visual examination of the teeth. Deeper parts of the teeth hidden from view cannot be evaluated with this method.

Dentistry with dental X-rays — X-rays are taken of all teeth to detect signs of disease under the gumline, and root fragments remaining after extraction are more likely to be found. Due to the additional time and technology, this option is more expensive.

A referral to a veterinary dental specialist may occasionally be advised; specialists in our area have long wait times (many months) and higher expense (typically $2,000–$4,000).

What is a cold laser?

A beam of special wavelengths of light applied to the surface of the skin. It is not a thermal or “hot” laser and does not cut tissue.

How does it work?

The light interacts with cells, energizing them and leading to faster healing, reduced inflammation, less scar tissue formation, increased oxygen to blood cells, nerve stimulation, and greater metabolic activity.

How is it given?

Sessions average 15 minutes at our clinic, where a trained and certified staff member applies a light probe to the body part that needs treatment. You can keep your pet company throughout the session. We’ll recommend how many initial sessions are needed to see a response.

When to consider it

Cold laser therapy is particularly effective for arthritis, joint pain, and muscle injuries, and promotes faster wound healing, making it an excellent option for post-surgical recovery, chronic pain management, and older pets who may have difficulty with more invasive treatments or medications.

Large dog breeds are typically considered senior at around age 5–6, smaller dog breeds around 10–12 years, and cats at around 11 years. Talk to our team to learn when your pet is considered a senior.

Nutrition is key — needs change with age, and annual check-ups help monitor diet and supplements. We can run diagnostic testing for vitamin deficiencies or health concerns, and may recommend more frequent visits for older pets and pets with chronic conditions.

Dental disease is one of the most common conditions in senior pets; teeth and gums should be checked annually because irregularities can point to an underlying condition.

Arthritis causes discomfort and joint pain that can be managed with physical therapy, treatment, and simple lifestyle recommendations to maintain a healthy activity level and weight.

Call us at (508) 226-8046 to schedule your senior pet’s next visit.

Pet behavioral counseling

Behavior problems are the number one reason owners give up a pet. We offer advice on inappropriate urination or defecation, aggression, separation anxiety, inappropriate chewing and barking, and introducing new pets to the household. Some behavior problems have a medical cause, and for others the plan may include medication. If needed, we can refer you to a board-certified animal behavior specialist or trainer. Ask any staff member for our handout on house-training a new puppy.

Nutrition counseling & prescription diets

During your pet’s wellness exam we evaluate body condition and make recommendations. We carry a large variety of prescription foods for conditions such as liver and intestinal disease, bladder and kidney stones, renal failure, food allergies, and diabetes — and can often order a diet we don’t carry.

Pet microchipping

We use AVID microchips, which can be scanned almost anywhere and are implanted in seconds. We scan for the chip at each visit to be sure it’s still readable. Lost pets are the number one cause of pet death in the country, so we advise you to consider microchipping.

Euthanasia

Talk to a veterinarian or staff member long before it becomes an issue. Find out about your options, make key decisions ahead of time, and ask us to add this to your pet’s record. Planning lessens the pain and discomfort for you and your pet.

If your pet’s situation requires a specialist, we’ll discuss that option with you and make the process as easy as possible. We inform the referral hospital of your pet’s condition, and our referral veterinarians keep us updated on your pet’s progress. If specialty care isn’t financially viable, we will do our very best to treat your pet here.

Bringing the specialist to you

We first try to bring specialists on-site, which saves you a trip, keeps your pet in familiar surroundings, and can lower your bill. A board-certified veterinary cardiologist visits our clinic regularly to perform ultrasounds for chest and abdominal issues.

Benefits

Referral gives your pet access to veterinarians with extensive training in cardiology, oncology, neurology, and orthopedics, and to advanced diagnostic tools and treatments.

Please note that we are not a 24/7 emergency hospital. While we will do our best to stabilize an emergency case that walks in, we strongly recommend that true emergencies go directly to a dedicated emergency facility. If your pet needs care outside our operating hours, please seek treatment at an emergency veterinary hospital.

See the emergency facilities and warning signs below.