All Creatures Pet Hospital Springfield - Our Veterinary Services

Because of the shorter lifespan of our pets, All Creatures Pet Hospital Springfield stresses the importance of an annual physical examination. Thorough check-ups and preventive care can help alleviate serious health problems. We offer a wide range of veterinary services to keep your companions feeling their best:

Surgery

Pet Surgery

Our state-of-the-art surgical suite provides for the performance of a wide variety of surgical procedures including routine surgeries such as spays and neuters as well as more advanced procedures such as tumor removal, bladder stone surgery, biopsies, abdominal exploratory and limited orthopedics.

What You Need to Know Before Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery:                                                                                                                                                     

At All Creatures Pet Hospital we understand people have questions about various aspects of their pet's surgery, and we hope this information will help make the process easier. It also explains the decisions you will need to make before your pet's upcoming surgery.

Is the anesthetic safe?

Modern anesthetic monitors have dramatically increased safety of anesthesia. Dr. Blackburn considers improved monitoring to be one of the greatest advances in recent years. Being able to monitor multiple parameters alerts us to each pet's individual reaction to anesthesia and allows constant adjustment to insure safe, reliable anesthesia. Here at All Creatures Pet Hospital, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics. We tailor each anesthetic protocol to the specific needs of your pet. We want to ensure that fever or other illness won't interfere with safety. We know it is hard to be separated from your pet when they are undergoing these procedures, and we want to select appropriate medications to have a rapid recovery and insure a prompt return to their home.

Please see the Surgical Standards page for additional information.

Will my pet need blood testing before surgery?

Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Every pet needs blood testing before surgery to ensure that the liver and kidneys can handle the anesthetic. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that cannot be detected without blood testing. If there is a problem, it is much better to find it before it causes anesthetic or surgical complications. Animals that have minor dysfunction will handle the anesthetic better if they receive IV fluids during surgery. If serious problems are detected, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected.

We offer several options for blood screening. You may elect to make only one trip and we can perform a chemistry panel the morning of surgery or you can come in a few days early and we can do a more comprehensive panel that would also serve as an annual blood screen.

It is important that surgery be done on an empty stomach to reduce the risk of vomiting during and after anesthesia. You will need to withhold food after 7 PM the night prior to surgery.

 Will my pet have stitches?

For many surgeries, we use absorbable sutures underneath the skin. These will dissolve naturally, and do not need to be removed later. Some surgeries, especially tumor removals, do require skin stitches. With either type of suture, you will need to keep an eye on the incision for swelling or discharge. Most dogs and cats do not lick excessively or chew at the incision, but this is an occasional problem you will also need to watch for. If there are skin sutures, these will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. You will also need to limit your pet's activity level for a time and no baths are allowed for the first 10 days after surgery.

 Will my pet be in pain?

Anything that causes pain in people can be expected to cause pain in animals. Pets may not show the same symptoms of pain as people do; they usually don't whine or cry, but you can be sure they feel it. Any pain medications required will depend on the surgery performed. Major procedures require more pain relief than things like minor lacerations.

 For dogs, we typically dispense an oral anti-inflammatory for several days after surgery to lessen the risk of discomfort and swelling. Your dog will also receive an injection of pain medication at the time of surgery and a pre-anesthetic medication that includes an additional medication.

Because cats do not tolerate standard anti-inflammatory pain medications, we are limited in what we can give them. Recent advances in pain medications have allowed for better pain control in cats than ever before. We administer a pain injection at the time of surgery as well as sending home a liquid pain medication that is absorbed through the oral mucosa.

Other minor procedures

While your pet is under anesthesia, it is the ideal time to perform other minor procedures, such as anal gland infusion, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip. If you would like an estimate for these extra services, please call ahead of time. This is especially important if the person dropping the pet off for surgery is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.

Paperwork

When you bring your pet in for surgery, we will need to 5 to 10 minutes of time to fill out paperwork and make decisions on the blood testing and other options available. When you pick up your pet after surgery you can also plan to spend about 10 minutes to go over your pet's home care needs.

We will call you the night before your scheduled surgery appointment to confirm the time you will be dropping your pet off and to answer any questions you might have at that time. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to call us with any questions about your pet's health or surgery.

Anesthesia

We utilize the safest available anesthetics to provide an extra margin of safety, especially for our older or high-risk patients. Our anesthesia options include two human grade gas anesthetics which allow for quick recovery and easy adjustments in anesthetics depth. Using the most modern technology, the patient's vital signs are monitored during all anesthetic procedures.

Our equipment allows us to monitor heart rate, E.K.G., respiratory rate, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure, and temperature on all our patients. With this level of monitoring we can make anesthesia as safe as possible and also guard against long term anesthetic related problems.

Dentistry

Our dental services include teeth cleaning and polishing, dental X-rays, tooth extractions and oral surgery. All of our dental cleanings include cleaning above and below the gum line, charting pocket depth and proving a treatment plan for any periodontal disease. Advanced dental procedures offered include the availability of bone graft material, antibiotic packing of periodontal pockets, root canals, and interceptive orthodontics.

Pet Boarding:

We provide pet boarding as a service to our clients. All boarders receive personal attention from our caring staff. Pets may be dropped off and picked up during regular business hours Monday through Saturday. Pets are walked three times daily and are fed Science Diet foods. You may bring your own food to feed at no additional cost.

Why board at All Creatures Pet Hospital?

• We offer a one-stop-shopping approach to pet care including:

  • Update vaccinations

  • Refill medications

  • Pick up food

  • Pet groomed

  • Nails trimmed

  • Lots of love & playtime

• No need to transfer records from place to place when you board with your vet.

• No time to pick up food before boarding, yet want to know your boarding guest is eating a high quality diet? We feed all boarding guests Science Diet; it's included in the price, and adjusted to meet the needs of each boarding guest.

• Concerned about medical emergencies with your pet while you're away—no need with All Creatures Pet Hospital; a fully trained veterinary staff is always at hand.

• Does your pet require special medications, perhaps insulin, or thyroid medication? At All Creatures, a full staff that understands the special needs for medications and the complications that can come with them are the very people taking care of your pet.

• Is safety your biggest concern? We are dedicated to having a safe environment for all of our boarding friends. All guests must be up-to-date on vaccinations and pest free when they come to stay.

• Boarding guests have their own space and are not physically with other guest.

• We are located right on Kearney Street. So why drive clear across town?

• There is one-on-one, inside and outside time with every boarding guest.

• We allow unlimited comfort items to be brought from home.

• Upon request two boarding guests can stay together.

• We offer price competitive rates based on the size of your pet; single price includes the stay, food, and exercise, with no additional surprise charges. The love and attention are always free!