Anesthesia For Pets

We care about your pet and implement all safety measures in inducing and monitoring anesthesia. Inhalant anesthesia in dogs and cats is very similar to what is used in human hospitals. Pre-anesthetic blood work is performed prior to putting pets under anesthesia. We do this to make sure the pet is healthy enough to get through the anesthetic procedure safely. Your pet will have an intravenous (IV) catheter placed and will be maintained on IV fluids throughout the procedure. Monitoring equipment is used to make sure things like blood pressure, heart function, Pulse Oximetry, CO2 levels, respirations and temperature are within normal limits. Certified Veterinary Technicians who have been trained and certified to induce and monitor anesthesia watch over your pet during the entire procedure. This means that they have completed a two year program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association and have then passed a National Board exam that demonstrations a national competency. The equipment used in delivering inhalant anesthetic to patients undergoes daily, quarterly and annual maintenance. We tailor your pets anesthesia and pain protocols on an individual basis as every pet is unique.

Surgery

Sunnyside Veterinary Hospital has a dedicated surgical suite that was designed for achieving the highest level of cleanliness and sterility and natural light for our surgical patients. We utilize all of the latest in monitoring equipment, have trained and certified veterinary technicians monitoring your pet during surgery, and provide the most updated surgical techniques. All patients go into surgery with an intravenous catheter placed typically in a front leg. Intravenous fluids are administered through this route during the entire surgical procedure as well as during recovery. Post-op care for surgical patients includes pain management, instructions on how to care for the surgical site, and recommendations for keeping your pet as quiet as possible after surgery. Your pet will always have a trained veterinary technician close by throughout the procedure and into recovery. All vitals on your pet are watched closely and any potential problems are reported immediately to the veterinary surgeon. Warming blankets are used to keep your pet warm intra and post operatively. Surgical patients arrive at the hospital in the morning and are discharged at the end of the day. Your doctor will determine or support the need for any kind of surgery whether it be a routine surgical procedure like a spay or neuter, lump removals, laceration repairs, etc., or more involved surgeries that may need to be referred to a surgical specialty service.

Pet Dental Care

Imagine if you never brushed your teeth. You would have bad breath, unsightly teeth, tooth pain, teeth that fall out and even worse, heart and kidney disease from the bacteria that infect the bloodstream from decayed teeth. Getting your pet on teeth brushing regimen is an excellent preventative; one that sometimes takes training and patience to accomplish. If you smell bad breath in your pet it is often a sign of gum and/or tooth disease. All the brushing you can possibly do though cannot be done effectively in a mouth that already has dental tartar and disease.

Because decayed teeth or those teeth with cavities can cause pain when probed and examined and because diseased teeth may need to be extracted; cleaning teeth in dogs and cats is an anesthetic procedure. While under anesthesia, the gums are examined and careful removal of tartar that lives under the gumline is removed. Teeth are evaluated for plaque and tartar, hard dental tartar is removed and full mouth radiographs are taken so that the doctor can evaluate the health of the teeth above and beneath the surface of the gumline. All of these things can sometimes be uncomfortable in your pet; hence the need for anesthesia. Statistics show that 70% of cats and dogs over the age of 3 have dental disease that needs treatment. Our goal is to catch dental disease early before extractions may be needed. We use high-tech dental cleaning equipment specific for pets as well as digital radiography where images of your pet's teeth become a part of your pet's permanent medical record. Keeping your pet's teeth clean promotes longevity and helps your pet live longer.

Often diseased teeth or gums can cause pain and discomfort in our pets mouths. The tartar and plaque that was removed in this patient identified areas of the mouth that needed intervention. Once the areas were cleaned up the doctor was able to further evaluate the entire mouth. The end result is that this patient will have better smelling breath, will not have large amounts of bacteria that come from excessive tartar circulating through the body systems like heart and kidneys and may enjoy a longer life because of this.

Microchips For Pets

Many pets, even indoor cats, may become lost, injured, or stolen at some point in their lives, if even for a short time. And, many of these pets will lose their collars while lost leaving them with no way to get home or no way for someone to help them get back home. Lost pets may be found and then rehomed, taken to a local shelter, or left to become a stray.

Microchipping is a permanent form of identification that ensures a safe return should your pet ever become lost or stolen. This identification system requires a single injection under the skin of a microchip about the size of a grain of rice. The procedure takes just a few minutes to do with minimal discomfort to the pet. We highly recommend microchipping your pet.

Veterinary Drop Off Services

Sunnyside Veterinary hospital accommodates patients on a drop-off basis. If you are not able to make an appointment during business hours when your pet needs veterinary care due to your daily schedule, we can help. You can make an appointment for your pet where the pet stays for the day to be seen by one of our doctors. One of our certified veterinary technicians will gather some information when you drop off your pet so that care and/or treatment can start as quickly as possible. At a specified time during the day, your veterinarian will examine your pet and then contact you regarding their findings and what diagnostic procedures are in order. A discharge time will be set up for you to pick up your pet later in the day at which time you will meet with the doctor who was in charge of your pet's care. Diagnoses, instructions, medications, etc. will be reviewed with you at the time of discharge.

While your pet is in the hospital, qualified and professional care will be provided as well as a designated staff person available to attend to your pet's basic needs.

Pain Management

We offer comprehensive pain management services that help to alleviate pain and to address the type of pain your pet may be experiencing. We are able to manage acute pain that may arise from injuries, sudden illness, or surgeries that result in post-operative pain. We also help manage the chronic pain associated with various medical conditions, such as arthritis and hip dysplasia and general older age. We like to tailor our approach to pain management specific to your pet's needs.

We like to make sure that you understand the pain your pet may be experiencing and take all measures to educate you on the ways you can help to manage your pet's pain at home. We want to help your pet have a comfortable pain free life so we like to share options we have for treating pain in your pet. We may provide you with information about various therapies that are designed to reduce or eliminate pain, and, we can help you determine what you may need to help you with the day to day care of your pet who is experiencing pain. This may involve the use of certain medications or the application of various therapies that are designed to reduce or eliminate pain. Our goal is to help you help your pet!

If your pet is experiencing pain, please schedule a consultation with our office today.

Diagnostics

We utilize a broad range of veterinary diagnostic tools and equipment to help us manage the ongoing health of our patients. Some of our diagnostic services include, blood work, urinalysis, fecal testing, cytology, parasite testing, digital radiography, ultrasound imaging, and more.

Puppy & Kitten Care

Adding a new companion to your family is an exciting time, and we are happy to offer our guidance and support. We recommend scheduling your new pet’s first veterinary exam as soon as possible - typically between 8-10 weeks of age. During this visit, we will complete a thorough examination including:

• Listening to your pet’s heart and lungs to make sure they are no abnormalities
• Examining eyes and ears to make sure that all is normal
• Examining lymph nodes, abdomen, and skin and coat condition
• Examining joints and muscles to identify normal growth
• Perform an oral examination to ensure teeth are coming in normally and to check the mouth overall
• Administer first vaccinations and create an ongoing schedule
• Conduct screening for parasites and begin parasite and heartworm prevention
• Perform routine diagnostic testing and lab work, as needed
• Discuss nutritional needs
• Assess your pet’s behavior
• Develop a healthcare plan tailored to your pet’s lifestyle
• Address your concerns and questions
• Give your puppy or kitten lots of love and snuggles so that he/she can have a fun and good experience.

Spay & Neuter For Pets

Both spaying and neutering are surgical procedures that prevent an animal from reproducing. Spaying and neutering are typically recommended for pets that are at least 6 months old and are not going to be used for breeding. Spaying is performed on female animals and involves surgically removing the uterus and ovaries to prevent pregnancy. Neutering is implemented on male animals and encompasses removing the testicles to eliminate fertility. While each of these surgeries sounds involved, they can usually be completed within a few hours and do not require an overnight hospital stay. Upon discharge from the hospital, owners will speak with a Veterinary Technician to learn how to provide quality and careful post-surgical care.

Technical Procedures

Anal Glands:

The most common way that anal glands become a problem is when they get impacted (the secretions stored within them aren’t able to be expressed) and when they become infected. Impaction is uncomfortable and increases the chance of infection.

Impacted and infected anal glands will become abscessed if not treated. Once the pressure within the abscessed anal gland builds to a high enough level, the abscess is likely to rupture through the dog’s skin, since the impacted material can’t be normally expressed through the anal gland duct. Abscesses may require surgical repair and drain placement, and these infections typically require antibiotics and pain medications, as well.

The symptoms are pretty easy to spot to know if it’s time for anal gland expression.

• scooting his or her hind end on the ground
• excessively biting or licking the area
• releasing the contents of his anal glands indoors (foul odor)
• red skin around his anus bleeding or pus draining from around his anus

Toe Nail trims:

Whether you have a dog that can easily tolerate having his nails clipped, or you have one that is absolutely petrified of the process, keeping your dog’s claws a sensible length is very important to their health and well-being. Feline patients also often require toenail trimming. We make every attempt to make the process of trimming toenails as easy as possible. If we feel the dog or cat is becoming too upset and anxious we will recommend that we try a different day to do the procedure. The last thing we want to do is have your pet become fearful of routine procedures and/or have bad experiences in our hospital. At times, we may recommend medications that will calm your dog or cat so that the procedure is not so terrifying to them. Regular trimming can prevent snagging nails on carpets and other flooring, scratching and damaging hardwood flooring, help dog or cat assume normal body position, decrease the discomfort associated with long toenails, stop the nails from curling round and ingrowing, and more.

For trimming dog and cats toenails, we use either the toenail trimmer or the Dremel method. Most dogs and cats have a special tolerance and that helps us to choose which option we might use. One should keep in mind that when a dog or cats nails become overgrown it can alter the way they move about. The altered position causes the bones in his or her feet to sit at a different angle, which in turn puts pressure on the joints. Over time, this can cause significant joint pain and may lead to arthritis. Also, Toenails can grow so long that they start to curl around and begin to embed into the skin of the pads next to the toenails.

A good rule of thumb is that you should trim your dog's nails, or have them trimmed, as often as it takes to prevent their nails from touching the ground when they're standing.

Laser Therapy:

Laser therapy stimulates the body to heal from within. Non-thermal photons of light are administered to the body for about 3 to 8 minutes and absorbed by the injured cells. The cells are then stimulated and respond with a higher rate of metabolism. This results in relief from pain, increased circulation, reduced inflammation, and an acceleration of the healing process.

The laser light is delivered through a noninvasive handpiece to treat the affected area
Your pet may feel a gentle and soothing warmth.

Most treatments take a matter of minutes

Fear Free

We realize that not every pet has a positive outlook towards coming in for a checkup. And when pets have anxiety about their visit, that can often make their families anxious too. Although we know that some procedures animals will experience at the veterinary hospital will be uncomfortable, we make every effort to reduce any fear, anxiety, and stress-related to examinations and procedures.

Many of our staff are currently fear free certified. This means they have gone through specialized training and testing that has been proven to comfort animal patients. Things like using soft towels to envelop and caress cats and small dogs, using treats and love to distract a worried patient, using less and more specialized handling so the animal doesn't feel threatened, and much more.

When an animal is not stressed the following will occur:

• More accurate blood tests
• Accurate temperature, pulse, and respiration
• More informative physical exams
• Reduce the need sedation
• Less immune system suppression

If needed, we will prescribe anti-anxiety or other calming medications or supplements to help make the car ride and the visit more enjoyable and less frightening for your pet.
Our veterinary team members will note your pet’s emotional response to the visit and what treats and techniques worked best to reduce any anxiety that may have been expressed. This will help to make future visits even better!

Other Services

Call us with any questions or concerns!