Guilford Veterinary Hospital

Roundworms are one of the most common parasites of dogs and cats and are also most likely to be transmitted to humans. The eggs can be ingested from the environment causing serious infections. This is particularly a concern in very young children who are crawling on floors and then putting their hands in their mouths. This is one reason to test your pet’s stool at least once a year. Fleas and ticks are also common parasites that can cause potential health problems in people.

If a worm is visibly present, you can bring it into the hospital for identification and an appropriate medication will be dispensed. We recommend that a stool sample also be submitted to the laboratory to screen for other parasites, as multiple infections are very common.

Dogs and cats are typically infected when they ingest worm eggs that have been passed through the feces of an infected dog or cat. These eggs can be found in the grass or soil where another animal has previously passed stool. Some parasites can be transmitted to puppies and kittens through their mother’s placenta or milk. Tapeworms are transmitted by ingesting fleas or other hosts that carry tapeworm larvae. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes that feed on the blood of an infected dog and then transmit the disease when they bite another dog. Monthly prevention is the best way to protect your pet from heartworm disease and other intestinal parasites. Yearly testing of blood and stool is important for early detection and successful treatment of these infections.

Due to the large number of internal and external parasites present in the environment, controlling parasites year round is the most reliable way to ensure protection of your pet and well-being of your family. Year-round prevention is the most effective way to control cat and dog parasites and the diseases they can carry.

Foul odor coming from the mouth is a sign that something is not healthy. Often it is caused by dental tartar and periodontal (gum) disease. Your pet should have an office visit scheduled with a doctor for an examination that includes evaluating the oral cavity. The doctor may recommend a dental cleaning if the odor is due to periodontal disease. Dental cleanings allow us to do a thorough inspection of the mouth to check for other problems as well. Once the teeth are clean and the gums are healthy, the bad odor disappears. Regular home care, such as teeth brushing, is essential to maintaining good oral health..

The Animal Poison Control Center plays a vital role in assisting our veterinarians in possible toxicity cases. Their toxicologists have access to a national database of toxic side effects of thousands of substances and how best to treat them. They can analyze your pet’s history, what they ate, how much, and then give our veterinarians guidelines on how to treat your pet.

Chocolate, rat poison, grapes or raisins, and certain plants are only a few of the things your pet could eat that may be toxic. If you know your pet has ingested something other than its regular food or treats, and you are unsure if it could cause harm, please call us! In most cases, we direct you to call the National Animal Poison Control hotline (888-426-4435). Through their guidance, we can assess what kind of medical care your pet will need. If your pet has eaten a foreign object such as a ball, toy, or ribbon, please call the hospital as well, as these things can cause a dangerous intestinal blockage.

Since it takes time for immunity to build up, waiting too long between booster shots can lead to previous vaccines becoming ineffective. We recommend starting the series over.

Even though your indoor pet is at a lower risk of disease, there is always a chance of infection. This can happen if other animals have access to your house, whether it’s your neighbor’s dog or wild animals. It is actually quite common to have bats enter a home and expose the pet to the rabies virus. Rabies vaccination of pet dogs and cats is required by CT state law, since it is a fatal disease contagious to humans as well as other animals. We recommend vaccinating every pet with at least the core vaccines for rabies and distemper. Other vaccines, for diseases such as canine Lyme disease, leptospirosis, influenza and bordetella and feline leukemia, are given depending on the lifestyle of your pet.

Just like children, your puppy or kitten needs to lose all of its baby teeth. These teeth, known as deciduous teeth, usually fall out between 4 and 6 months of age. In some cases, baby teeth don’t fall out and the adult teeth come in anyway. If these retained teeth are not removed, your pet may experience problems with food and debris building up in the narrow space between the two teeth. This will result in decay and potential loss of the permanent tooth. If we notice that there are retained baby teeth present when your pet arrives for its spay/neuter surgery, we recommend extracting the baby teeth at that time to prevent these complications.

If indicated, each patient will go home with pain medication that should keep your pet comfortable after the procedure. Like people, pets are all different and will respond to pain in different ways. If you feel that your pet does not have adequate pain control, please feel free to call the hospital and we will do everything we can to ensure your pet’s comport.

Sutures typically stay in for 10-14 days. We have an information sheet that goes home with each patient with specific post-op instructions, including when sutures (if any) need to be removed. Our doctors like to personally examine their post-op patients, so office visits are required for suture removal. There is no additional charge for the suture removal appointment. We can help you make this appointment when you pick your pet up after surgery.

Pets that have had major surgeries, as well as routine procedures including spays and neuters, stay in the hospital overnight. We do this so pets can recover in the safety of the hospital, while our veterinary team monitors them for any post-anesthetic complications. We can also provide injectable pain control when needed. Other surgical procedures and dentals may go home the same day or may stay in the hospital overnight, depending on how involved the procedures are.

We take every measure necessary to ensure the anesthetic safety of our patients. Fasting prior to anesthesia is a precautionary measure. General anesthesia can cause nausea and vomiting. If a patient were to vomit while under anesthesia, the vomit could potentially be aspirated into the lungs, causing serious breathing problems or pneumonia. This is why we ask owners not to feed their pets after 8pm. Water is okay, even on the morning of the anesthetic procedure. If you or a family member accidentally feed your pet the morning of surgery, it is best to call the hospital and discuss it with a technician.

Spaying and neutering is usually done at approximately six months of age, but can be performed at any age after six months. Exams are performed on each patient prior to anesthesia to determine if they are healthy enough to undergo the procedure. We do require that vaccinations are current at the time of surgery. We recommend that a pre-anesthetic blood screen is done prior to the procedure. A microchip can be implanted at the time of the procedure if desired.

No, we do not do any regular boarding. Under certain circumstances, we do provide hospital care for patients with serious medical conditions requiring complex medications or close monitoring. All hospital care must be approved by our doctors prior to scheduling.

Care Credit is a GE “medical use” credit card. Through Care Credit, we can offer a 6 month 0% finance plan, as well as extended plans with competitive rates. You can apply at www.carecredit.com or inquire at our front desk.

We accept cash, checks, VISA, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Care Credit.

It is hospital policy that full payment is required at the time that services or products are provided.

Whether or not your pet can eat depends on the region of the body that is being evaluated with ultrasound, and whether or not sedation will be used. Ultrasound examinations of the abdomen must be done on an empty stomach. Ultrasound involves the use of sound waves which cannot penetrate through food that is sitting in the stomach. Thus, organs around the stomach cannot be visualized if the pet has eaten that morning. Check with your doctor before you feed your pet the morning of an ultrasound. If there is any doubt, it is best not to feed your pet, but you may request that we feed your pet after the procedure is done.

We are always ready to help if your pet has an emergency during our regular business hours. If possible, we ask you to call is so we know your pet is coming down. This way we can prepare the necessary supplies and equipment needed for the nature of the emergency. After hours, we refer our emergency patients to: Central Hospital for Veterinary Medicine Pieper Veterinary Center

If you are able to, this can be very helpful for everyone. When you arrive at the front desk, there is a check-in process that takes a few minutes. It is best if that occurs before the actual start of your appointment, so the doctor has the maximum amount of time to spend with your pet. Your appointment is time that the doctor has set aside just for you and your pet.

Yes, we are best able to provide timely service to you and your pets if you schedule an appointment first. If you have an emergency, please call us before coming so that we know to expect you. If it is after hours, you should also call the hospital and our answering service will direct you to the nearest emergency facility.