Annual Wellness Exams
The most important thing you can do for your pet’s health is to establish a relationship with a veterinarian.
The exam is the best way for you and your pet to become acquainted with the doctor and hospital staff before your pet may be showing signs of illness. A complete physical exam and consultation will help you learn how to maintain your pet’s health throughout his/her life.
The annual wellness visit can also be an opportunity to identify and address health problems before they become more serious or more costly to treat.
Parasite Control
Southwest Florida’s climate is perfect for parasites! Fleas, heartworms (which are spread by mosquitoes), and hookworms (an intestinal parasite) are some examples of parasites that thrive in our area. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your pet (and you, too!) from these potentially dangerous pests. Let us advise you on the best products for your pet.
Vaccines
Vaccines and questions about them have become interesting topics of discussion for both veterinarians and pet owners in recent years. At Sabal Palm Animal Hospital, we believe appropriate vaccination is an important part of any pet’s health plan — and vaccine programs are not necessarily “one size fits all.” We will consider your pet’s lifestyle and medical history when we make any vaccine recommendations.
Digital Radiography
Radiographs, or X-rays, can be an essential part of a complete evaluation for your pet.
It’s easy to understand that radiographs can show broken bones or an arthritic hip joint, but they can also reveal changes in other organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, stomach/intestines, kidneys and urinary bladder.
At Sabal Palm Animal Hospital, we use digital radiography, which allows us to process radiographs faster than traditional film. The images produced by a digital system can also show more detail, and are easily transmitted to a board certified veterinary radiologist if needed.
General Surgery
Almost every pet will have at least one surgery during his/her lifetime — an ovariohysterectomy (spay) or castration (neuter) surgery. Other examples of general surgery are growth removals, wound/laceration repair, and bladder stone surgery. No matter what procedure is planned for your pet, we take several precautions to minimize risk and optimize post-operative healing:
Pre-anesthetic blood testing helps evaluate your pet’s health status before surgery.
During surgery, intravenous fluids and careful monitoring are used to manage the anesthetized patient.
Each pet’s pain is evaluated and treated — and often a combination of pain medicines are used to provide better pain control than one single medicine.
Dentistry
Keeping your pet healthy includes keeping your pet’s mouth healthy. Sabal Palm Animal Hospital is committed to helping you maintain your pet’s oral health through a combination of home dental care techniques and professional dental care at our hospital.
On-site laboratory
Has your physician ever ordered blood tests for you? You probably had to schedule an appointment with a laboratory service, make a separate trip to have your blood sample drawn, and then schedule another appointment with your doctor to learn about your results.
When your pet needs blood tests, we can draw a blood sample, run the tests, and give you the results — all during the same appointment! This saves you time and inconvenience, and also helps your pet receive the appropriate treatment faster. At Sabal Palm Animal Hospital, we can use our on-site laboratory to check red and white blood cell counts, liver and kidney values, pancreatic enzyme levels, heartworm tests, feline leukemia tests, complete urinalysis and fecal parasite exams.
Off-site laboratory
Although our on-site laboratory can run most commonly used tests quickly and accurately, we occasionally need to send samples to an outside laboratory.
Thyroid and cortisol levels, tissue biopsy samples, bladder stone analysis, and cardiac enzyme levels are all examples of tests that can be done by our outside lab service. Results of many outside lab tests are usually available within 24 hours.