DIGITAL DENTAL RADIOLOGY 

South Putnam Animal Hospital now offers digital dental radiology! Our new digital dental machine allows us to enhance our care of your pet’s teeth.

While problems in the crown or biting surface of the tooth are often easy to see, problems below the gum line are not so obvious. Dental radiographs or “x-rays” help us to determine if the roots of the teeth are diseased and guide us in their treatment.

How important is this for your cat or dog? Periodontal disease has become the most common diagnosis in dogs and cats and can affect not only their teeth (causing pain and a reluctance to eat) but other body organs, such as the kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs as well. Identifying tooth root decay through dental radiology is a big step toward making sure that your pet stays happy and healthy. Dental radiology also allows us to evaluate and diagnose other conditions of the mouth such as missing or discolored teeth, jaw fractures and tumors.

By using a digital imaging unit, we can use significantly less radiation and get better images faster than with conventional x-ray units. This means even greater patient safety, quicker diagnoses and reduced anesthesia time for your pet. Ask us today about our recommendations for digital dental radiology for your pet!

VETERINARY  SPECIALISTS

Pet Health Care has come a long way in the past few years.  One area that we are seeing a big change in is the availability of veterinary specialists.  In the past, if we referred you to a specialist it required a trip to Manhattan or a two-hour drive over the bridge into New Jersey.  These days, we are lucky to have quite a few specialists within a 40 minute car ride and even have specialists who will come to our hospital to perform their services. 

 A veterinary specialist, in addition to graduating from veterinary school, has completed several additional years in an internship and residency program and passed rigorous training and testing in a specific area of veterinary medicine.  We often refer to specialists in the following fields; Behavior, Cardiology, Dermatology, Dentistry, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, and Surgery.

Our doctors will suggest referral to a specialist when your pet needs specialized procedures, treatments, or tests not available at our hospital.  The relationship between your pet's regular veterinarian and a specialist is one of cooperation and trust.  We will forward your pet's medicalwill keep us updated with reports throughout diagnosis and treatment. 

 For pets with chronic illness, some follow up testing or treatment may be ordered by your specialist that can be performed by one of our doctors.  Throughout treatment of an illness, it is important for our doctors to continue to examine your pet and assess all your pet's health care needs rather than focus on one specialized aspect.  This ongoing communication between everyone involved creates a foundation for effective pet care.

 From a medical standpoint,  seeking the services of a specialist can be the best route for managing many health care issues and is sometimes the most economic choice, too, if specialized testing or treatment help us reach a diagnosis or manage a problem more quickly.  We are aware that cost is a concern for most people these days and would be happy to discuss alternate treatment options, if you feel that seeing a specialist is not in your budget.

KIBBLE COUNTERS IS HERE!

Is your pooch pudgy or your tabby tubby? 

Overweight pets are at a higher risk of developing a variety of health problems including heart problems, diabetes, kidney problems, arthritis and other joint problems.   Behavior, exercise and patience are all part of getting your pet back into shape.  Let us help!  

We are happy to announce our Kibble Counters Program.  This program will help you through all the phases of a healthy weight loss plan. 

One of our staff will be assigned as your pet’s weight counselor.  They will assess his or her body condition score and set up a program specifically for your pet.  You will meet with your pet’s counselor periodically to monitor his or her success.  We have found that pets can achieve greater weight loss success with a little support from us humans.  Have your pet join Kibble Counters today!

  ECONOMIC  WOES

Recession. Foreclosures. Unemployment.  Words we have all heard too much about this year.  We realize that this has been a difficult year for many and discretionary money has all but disappeared.  So how do you decide what health care is necessary for your pet?   

Let us help.  Preventative care is the key to avoiding serious health problems and is usually less costly than the treatment for an illness.  We base our recommendations on your pet's lifestyle and his or her individual risk factors so we can help determine the best use of your veterinary dollars.    

We are always happy to provide an estimate of cost prior to performing any treatments or testing for your pet.  Know that we understand if you need to explore alternative options if you are unable to authorize recommended treatment due to financial constraints. 

We are not here to judge your decisions, and understand how difficult it is to make decisions that pertain to our loved ones.    Our goal is to educate you, the pet owner, to be comfortable in making informed decisions for your pet’s health care while providing the best health care possible for your family pets