Our Services

Our Life Stages Program & Individualized Vaccine Program | Laboratory Diagnostic Program | Dental Program | Surgical and Anesthesia Services | Anesthesia Services | Pain Management Program | Imaging Services | Nutrition Counseling | Behavior Counseling | Complementary Medicine |
Senior Care | Hospice

Our Life Stages Program & Individualized Vaccine Program

Our life stages approach to disease prevention and management will be discussed with you during each visit. Whether you are starting out with a new companion, or working to maintain the health of an aged one, we will design a program to meet your pet's individual needs. Your companion's annual check-up will include a discussion of a vaccine protocol that meets the needs of your individual pet. We feel that your companion's lifestyle as well as his or her age plays an important role in type and frequency of vaccines administered. We will also discuss the use of vaccine titers, which may be important in pets with underlying health concerns, or in older pets. After your visit with us, you will leave with your companion's health report card in hand, as well as clear directions as to what can be done to ensure your bond with your pet is strengthened and lengthened, our ultimate goal at Companions Animal Hospital.

Dental Program

Regular dental care has been shown to prevent periodontal disease and the possibility of more serious conditions of the liver, kidneys, and heart. We believe a short annual dental scaling and polishing is the best way to prevent the progression of dental disease, just as it is in people. Our dental equipment, advanced training, and the safest anesthesia and monitoring equipment, allows us to provide the best care for your companion.

The doctors are knowledgeable and experienced in surgical techniques and are prepared to handle your companion's needs. To ensure your companion's safety, we perform thorough pre-anesthetic testing. We use the safest anesthesia protocols and monitoring equipment and offer personalized recovery nursing with frequent progress reports. The best care for your pet is our top priority. If your pet will be best-served with the care of a surgical specialist, a smooth referral to the specialist will be arranged for you. We will keep in close contact with the specialist, so that the individualized care and communication that you are used to with us will be maintained, even when your pet is in the care of another doctor.

Anesthesia safety and comfort is our prime concern at Companions. Just like in human medicine, pre-anesthesia testing is completed, which is an important step in minimizing anesthesia risks. An anesthesia protocol is determined by your doctor based on test results and the individual needs of your pet. Pain relief is automatically incorporated into every surgical procedure that is done here. Each pet is assigned their own anesthesia nurse the morning of the procedure. Each patient has an IV catheter and receives IV fluids, which is important for anesthesia safety. We use state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, which monitors blood pressure, ECG, pulse oximetry and capnography. Companions uses Sevoflurane gas anesthesia, which is the gold standard in human and pediatric medicine, and is also the safest gas anesthesia for veterinary patients as well. A small minority of animal hospitals use sevoflurane. We are very proud to have this service in our hospital, and to offer this benefit to all of our anesthesia patients, no matter how young or aged they may be!

We believe the management of pain is a moral obligation, and prescribe the most effective forms of pain relief tailored specifically to your companion's needs. Excellence in pain management is also linked with quicker recovery times and less post-surgical complications. We address and treat surgery-associated pain, dental pain, orthopedic pain, and chronic pain. We use a multi-modal approach to pain management, and tailor a treatment plan to your pet’s individual needs. We use traditional protocols (medication), as well as complementary protocols (herbal, nutraceutical, acupuncture and, most recently, laser pain management, which has shown to be a gentle and effective modality for managing all forms of pain).

Our doctors are available to consult with you about any behavioral and obedience concerns you may have. This is especially important with new puppy companions. A good portion of your initial puppy visits with us will review basic training guidelines which have been proven to be most effective with veterinary behaviorists. We also commonly consult on other behavioral issues, such as separation anxiety, thunderstorm or noise phobia, fear of strangers, behavioral house-soiling, and many other issues that pet owners face on a regular basis.

If you are interested in alternative or complementary medicine options for your companion, we will counsel you in appropriate choices, based on your pet's health issues. Many labeled ‘alternative’ treatments have been clinically proven to help with certain medical conditions and will be discussed with you even if you are not actively seeking alternative treatment routes. You will be educated in how different supplements are given and how they work, as well as other alternative treatment modalities such as acupuncture and laser pain management. Therapeutic laser is also used to treat chronic inflammatory conditions such as gingivitis, stomatitis, lick granulomas, chronic skin conditions, and chronic ear conditions.