At Billiar Animal Hospital we're committed to helping you keep your pet healthy by preventing disease. Regular, comprehensive, and wellness exams allow (Insert doctor name) to discuss any concerns you may have and catch potential problems before they become too advanced. Early detection gives us an opportunity to stop the advancement of many life-threatening conditions. We recommend bringing your pet in for an exam once a year, when any annual vaccinations are needed.

During the exam, Dr. Billiar will look for things like visible skin abnormalities, ingrown or split toenails, dental issues such as broken teeth, tartar, and gingivitis, eye infections or lens changes, ear infections, parasites, and more. Internal exams involve palpitation of the kidneys, spleen, liver, reproductive organs, and gastrointestinal tract. If your pet has reached his or her senior years, we may advise twice-yearly exams to keep up with age-related conditions. Visit our Senior Wellness page for more information on caring for a senior pet and our recommendations. Ask us about recommending a wellness program based on your pet's breed (some breeds are predisposed to certain health problems), age, lifestyle, and overall health. 

Additional resources:
Keeping your Pet Healthy and Happy - Veterinary Partner

Routine vaccinations are one of the best ways to keep your pet healthy and protected. At Billiar Animal Hospital we use only well-tested vaccine combinations for protection against the most serious diseases in our area. We'll perform an individualized assessment of your pet's risk factors, life stage, and lifestyle to determine which vaccines they need and how often. Following the routine puppy and kitten series of vaccinations and one-year booster shots, we recommend vaccinating dogs for the distemper virus and parvovirus. Cats should be vaccinated for panleukopenia and upper respiratory viruses every three years.

Alternatively, we can perform periodic vaccine titers (blood tests) to assess your pet’s immune status and their need for vaccine boosters. Many viral vaccines provide immunity for longer than 3 years, while bacterial vaccines such as Bordetella (kennel cough) and leptospirosis do not stimulate long-term immunity and need to be boostered every year. Vaccinations begin between the ages of six and eight weeks of age for puppies and kittens, the time when nursing pets begin to lose the immunity provided by their mother's milk. To lessen the severity of certain life-threatening diseases, vaccine boosters are needed. After four months of age, pets are protected for one year. Your pet's vaccinations are tailored to fit their lifestyle. If you visit grooming salons, boarding facilities, obedience classes, dog parks, and other places, they may be in more frequent contact with viruses.

They will need yearly protection against distemper, parvo, bronchitis, leukemia, influenza, and rabies. Depending on where you travel with your pet, they may need protection from other prevalent diseases such as Lyme disease and Leptospirosis. Senior, geriatric, and other pets may experience allergic reactions requiring different protocols. (Insert Doctor name) will examine your pet to determine the safest action to take to keep them protected. 

At Billiar Animal Hospital patient safety is a top priority. In our separate surgery room, we follow the strictest protocols to prevent contamination from pathogens and minimize the risk of infection.

Will my pet have stitches?
For many surgeries, we are able to use absorbable sutures below the skin, which dissolve on their own, but for others, such as tumor removals, skin stitches are required. Skin sutures will usually be removed 10 to 14 days after surgery. With both types, the incision will need to be monitored closely for swelling or discharge. Depending on the type of procedure, your pet's activity level should be limited for a week or two. It's extremely important to prevent your pet from licking excessively or chewing at the incision and to avoid bathing them for the first 10 days after surgery.

Will my pet be in pain?
Animals experience pain just like humans do, although they may not show the same symptoms. Whether or not your pet will need pain medication depends on the surgery performed, as major procedures will likely require more pain relief. For dogs, we may recommend an oral anti-inflammatory for several days after surgery to reduce discomfort and swelling. Newer medications are formulated to be less likely to cause stomach upset and can be given even on the morning of surgery. Narcotic patches are also an option for some canine surgeries, and the cost will depend on the size of the dog. Pain relief for cats is tricky, as they cannot have standard pain medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or Tylenol. Your cat will be given an injection 10 minutes before surgery to help relieve pain. After surgery, we will assess your cat's condition and give pain medication as needed. Injectable pain medications may also be used after surgery on both dogs and cats, and any animal that appears painful will receive additional pain medication.

Can you perform more than one procedure at a time?
While your pet is under anesthesia, we can perform other minor procedures, such as dentistry, ear cleaning, or implanting an identification microchip. Please inquire before the day of surgery if you would like an estimate for any extra services, especially if the person dropping the pet off is not the primary decision maker for the pet's care.

Should I arrive early on the day of the surgery?
On the day of the surgery, please arrive 5-10 minutes early to complete paperwork and make decisions about blood testing and other options. Plan to spend about 10 minutes going over your pet's home care needs when you pick your pet up. We will call you the night before your surgery appointment to confirm the drop-off time and answer any questions you have.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions about your pet's health or upcoming surgery. 

Additional resources:
Post Operative Care for Pets

A healthy mouth and clean teeth can lead to a longer, healthier life for your pet. Taking care of your pets' teeth at home helps avoid serious dental disease, but cats and dogs need periodic professional cleaning just like you do. At Billiar Animal Hospital, we take care to provide a safe, thorough, and professional cleaning similar to the one you get at your dentist’s office.

Periodontal disease is a progressive infection of the gums surrounding the teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to halitosis, oral infections, and bacterial infections that can enter the bloodstream and cause damage to many major organs. As part of your annual visit, Dr. Billiar will conduct an oral examination to ensure that your pet's teeth are healthy and disease-free. If a cleaning is needed, while your pet is under anesthesia, we will x-ray and evaluate each tooth to determine if any other dental work is needed.

Your pet relies on you to help maintain their dental health through regular teeth brushing, which will help fight plaque build-up. A sample with toothpaste and a finger brush is included in your take-home care package.

RADIOGRAPHY
X-rays can be extremely useful in diagnosing a variety of health problems. At (practice name) our technicians are trained in safe, proper techniques for taking radiographs using only the amount of exposure necessary to produce excellent diagnostic images. Your pet might need to be sedated in order to ensure the procedure is performed accurately without stress or further injury. For difficult diagnoses, we may need to consult a specialist or another veterinarian for a second opinion.

ENDOSCOPY
Dr. Billiar may recommend endoscopy if your pet is having symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, problems swallowing, unexplained weight loss, or has eaten something they shouldn't have. Endoscopy is a minimally invasive way to evaluate the inside of organs such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, urinary system, trachea, lungs, and nasal cavity. It can also be performed to evaluate the inside of body cavities, including the abdomen (laparoscopy) or chest (thoracoscopy). An endoscope is a flexible, tube-shaped device with a camera, microchip, and light source at the tip. It's inserted directly into an organ through a natural opening in the body or through one or more small incisions. The camera then sends a high-quality image to a computer so Dr.Billiar can view and interpret the condition of the area being examined. The endoscopy procedure must be performed by a veterinarian while your pet is sedated and intubated. If a foreign object is located, another instrument is inserted through the tube, and the object is extracted if possible. If the location, size, or texture of the object prevents extraction, surgery may be necessary. The quicker you get your pet to us when you suspect a foreign body, the better the chance of removing it without surgery.

OTOSCOPY
The endoscopy procedure can also be used to view and thoroughly cleanse ear canals, known as an otoscopy. Your pet will be sedated, and a small tube with a camera inserted into the ear canal, which can then be viewed on the monitor. The ear canal will be flushed and suctioned for a thorough cleaning, which is particularly helpful for chronic otitis infections that won't clear with regular ear cleaning or when the ear has become too inflamed to be successfully treated with medication.

Additional resources: 
Imaging Tests (Radiology Options) for Pets - Veterinary Partner
Blood Work is a Basic Evaluation Tool - Veterinary Partner
Histopathology in Pets - Veterinary Partner  

If your adult dog or cat is healthy, you may have chosen a pet food based simply on whether or not your pet will eat it. Cost may also play a factor in your decision. However, not all pet foods are equal. And feeding the right amount is not as simple as following the directions on the package (they’re just guidelines). Choosing an appropriate diet can set your pet on a path of lifelong good nutrition and help prevent many problems, including allergies, nutritional deficiencies, skin and coat disorders, and obesity.

Nutritional requirements for dogs and cats vary depending on a variety of factors, including age, breed, and health. For instance, senior pets have different requirements than puppies or kittens, and animals with diabetes, kidney disease, and other health conditions can benefit from specific diets. Our veterinarians can help you make informed decisions about your pet’s diet.

Obesity in pets can be a common issue. Overfeeding (how can you say no to that face?!) and under-exercising (so much to do, so little time!) is usually the cause. But being overweight is just as harmful to animals as it can be for humans, and can cause more health problems as they get older. With the proper diet and plenty of exercise, your pet can maintain a healthy weight range.

As your pet ages, their nutritional needs change. We'll evaluate your pet's current diet and daily routine to help determine the best way to make sure your pet’s nutritional and activity needs are being met. A proper diet is vital to the overall health of your pet. At Billiar Animal Hospital we evaluate your pet’s current diet to determine if there are any beneficial changes you can make. If your pet needs a prescription diet, we can help you find out how and where you can purchase or have it delivered to you.

Additional resources:
AAFCO Pet Food Labeling - Veterinary Partner - VIN

Our Billiar Animal Hospital offers a multitude of different tests and procedures, and radiology imaging technology is constantly improving and expanding. Our radiologists utilize a variety of state-of-the-art equipment to aid in the diagnosis of different animal health problems. Below is a list of procedures that our team may perform.

• X-rays: Mainly used to assess broken bones, this common test also allows veterinarians to see foreign objects in the body as well as some tumors.
  
  
• Ultrasounds: This type of test produces images of the internal organs and can also be used to check on the health of pregnant animals and their babies.

Our veterinary team would love to share the details of the radiographs with you and explain in simpler terms what signs are noticeable and what they mean. 

Hospice
When your pet is seriously ill and their quality of life has deteriorated, you may be faced with the difficult decision regarding whether to choose euthanasia. If you've decided to no longer pursue a cure, hospice care can give you and your family precious quality time and help you cope with your pet’s decline and/or approaching death.

Instead of focusing on stressful and invasive medical procedures, hospice is a service that's committed to maintaining the comfort and quality of life for terminally ill or senior pets until natural death occurs or you decide on euthanasia.

Our veterinary hospice service for pets is family-focused and medically supervised, providing education on:

• End-stage disease
• Managing symptoms
• Recognizing and treating pain
• Nutrition
• Managing incontinence
• Environmental recommendations
• Mobility support

Additional resources:
Assessing Quality of Life & Euthanasia in Companion Animals - Veterinary Partner - VIN
Veterinary Hospice | Lap of Love   
https://iaahpc.org/

Increased pressure within your pet’s eye can be extremely painful and could indicate a serious condition such as glaucoma or uveitis.

At Billiar Animal Hospital we use tonometry to measure the intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eyeball).

Call us today (352)352-2221for more information or to make an appointment to have your pet's eyes examined.

Additional resources:
Causes of Blindness in Dogs and Cats - Veterinary Partner  

Lost pets are one of the most frightening experiences you can have as a pet owner. Statistics show that one of every three pets will become lost at some point in their lifetime, and many of them will never find their way home because there is no way to identify the owner. Even scarier... a large number of those pets end up in animal shelters, where they could be euthanized if the owner is not found.

While collars and name tags are helpful, they are easily lost or removed. A microchip implanted in your pet is a way to permanently identify your ownership and greatly improve the chances of recovering them.

At Billiar Animal Hospital, your dogs and cats are part of the family — yours and ours — so we recommend this quick and non-invasive procedure for all pets. Microchips are inexpensive, about the size and shape of a grain of rice, and can be inserted during a brief office visit. Although very few pets experience them, possible side effects include migration of the microchip from its original implantation site, failure of the microchip, hair loss, mild infections, and swelling.

Each microchip has a unique number, which is added to a national registry along with your contact information. Most veterinarians and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If your pet becomes lost, anyone who finds them can have them scanned for the chip so you can be quickly located and contacted. It's vital that you keep the chip registry updated with your current contact information. 

Microchips are not GPS devices, and they don’t provide real-time tracking. But, they are still the best way to help a lost pet get back to you safely!

If you’d like to learn more or to schedule your furry friend to receive a microchip, give us a call. 

Additional Microchipping Resources: 

Microchipping Could Save Your Pet's Life - Veterinary Partner