Services

Comprehensive Medicine

Vestridge Animal Clinic is a full-service hospital for all domestic animals. This not only includes physician exam rooms and boarding facilities, but also x-ray equipment, surgical suites and a full pharmacy on-site. Radiography is the practice of using x-ray technology to gain information regarding injuries, organ function and tumor identification. Animals are unable to communicate exactly where they hurt so taking a picture of internal organs and structures helps guide Dr.England in treatment. Dr. England of Vestridge Animal Clinic is a highly trained and skilled surgeon, performing numerous procedures day in and day out. The care and treatment for surgery starts at the initial examination and lasts until the post-op visit to ensure proper healing and care for your pet. The many types of surgeries performed at Vestridge include:

• Spay & Neuter
• Orthopedic surgery
• Declawing
• Tumor removal
• Foreign object removal
• Laceration and small wound repair
• Eye Surgery
• Plastic Surgery Techniques

We are proud to have a full-service pharmacy offering cat friendly medications. Our pharmacy is on-site and this is beneficial to our clients in several ways. First, medicine is immediately available for you to take home to your pet. Second, our medicines are shipped directly from the manufacturers, therefore coming with a guarantee that they are effective and safe. Online discount pharmacies cannot offer these benefits to you and your pet, even at their lower costs.

Finally, Vestridge Animal Hospital provides heartworm testing and treatment to dogs and cats. Heartworms are transmitted from animal to animal through infected mosquitoes. The best way to treat heartworms is to prevent them. Preventatives come in several different forms including injectable medicine, pills and tasty treats. Heartworm treatment, if your pet tests positive, is lengthy and expensive with your animal receiving large doses of medicine and restrictive exercise for several months.

Vestridge Animal Hospital is also proud to offer the following services:

• Allergy and S.L.I.P. Testing
• Geriatric Medicine
• Dermatology
• Doppler Blood Pressure Testing
• ECG Testing
• Dentistry (non anesthetic dentistry offered on a case-by-case basis)

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy speeds healing, so veterinarians routinely treat injuries with the laser, as well as treating patients immediately after surgery so incisions heal more quickly. Studies indicate that laser-treated wounds heal in a third to a half faster than the time required in normal healing. A single laser treatment is usually all that is required for post-surgical patients to reduce swelling and to speed healing. Skin wounds, abrasions, bite injuries, dermatitis, and burns all respond well to laser therapy. Acute conditions may require more than a single treatment, but also respond well to laser therapy. Because laser therapy laser can be administered without touching the painful area, veterinarians are able to provide immediate pain relief and edema control to very sensitive tissues.

Laser therapy also reduces inflammation by increasing vasodilation, activating the lymphatic drainage system, and reducing pro-inflammatory mediators. As a result, inflammation, erythema, bruising, and edema are all reduced when treated with laser. This is especially important for conditions where anti-inflammatory medications are risky for the patient because of the patient's age, liver health, or species. Laser therapy is a drug-free treatment modality that can often replace or enhance other treatment plans recommended by your veterinarian.

A benefit of the more modern, higher-powered therapeutic lasers, like the Companion Therapy Laser, is that adequate dosages of laser energy, or photons, can be painlessly and efficiently delivered to deeper tissues. This is a huge benefit in treating chronic conditions such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, back disease or injury, and degenerative joint diseases. Geriatric patients often suffer from one or more of these painful problems, as well the aches and pains that come naturally with aging. There are thousands of reports of pets who were lame and inactive who return to normal, or almost normal function after laser therapy. More chronic and more severe cases may require multiple treatment sessions to fully benefit.

Vestridge Animal Clinic also offers laser acupuncture for your pet. This is acupuncture without the use of needles. Lasers are used at pressure points to provide stimulation for improved healing and pain relief. This is a practical option for many more pets due to the short term treatment process.

Boarding

Vestridge Animal Clinic is pleased to offer state-of-the-art boarding facilities and care. Our friendly and competent staff will provide your pet with the love and care they receive when they are at home with you. Our boarding services not only provide food and water on a regular feeding schedule, but we offer several other services during their stay. Your pet will be exercised on a regular basis and any medications that are needed can be administered by our knowledgeable staff.

Grooming can also be done for your pet during their stay at Vestridge Animal Clinic. Medical baths, hair cuts and nail trimming can all be done during their time with our clinic. To ensure the health of our other guests during your pet’s time at Vestridge Animal Clinic we need all pets to be current on vaccinations. If needed we will provide this at the time of boarding. In the instance your pet has internal or external parasites, please contact Vestridge Animal Clinic to discuss options for boarding.

Vestridge Animal Clinic separates canine and feline clients at our boarding facility. They are not in each other’s presence to avoid any conflict between the two species. Rest assured that if you have a “scaredy cat” they will not be around a dog during their time with our clinic. Space is limited so please call Vestridge Animal Clinic at (205) 822-0210 to reserve your pet’s spot in our facility.

Nutritional Counseling

At Vestridge Animal Clinic we make it very evident that keeping your pet as healthy as possible is our primary mission. Our pets very easily become a part of the family and in some instances are just like our “children.” Spoiling a beloved pet is not uncommon and is great in some situations. However, one of the ways we can negatively spoil our pets is by feeding them too much food or food that is not optimal for their bodies. Human food tastes so yummy to our dogs and cats, but they do not have the same digestive enzymes and systems as we do. Therefore some food such as grapes, chocolate, raw dough, and even onions can make them ill.

Another issue that we see in pets with suboptimal health is obesity. Remember that a 50 pound dog should not eat as much as a 150 pound human eats! Our doctors can recommend proper nutritious food as well as portion control for your pet. They will also map out an exercise program for your pet to help shed those unnecessary pounds as quickly as possible. If you suspect that your pet is suffering from obesity please call Vestridge Animal Clinic for an appointment with our doctors.

Pain Management

Perhaps the most complex area for any animal caregiver to practice is pain management. Animals have a natural instinct to hide any pain, due to the prey/predator relationship that stems from their wild heritage. Some signs of pain are very subtle, such as not wanting a treat, or eating their food slowly to even just sleeping more. In cases of severe pain, your pet may show unusual aggressiveness which includes barking, snarling and even snapping at you. Pain is categorized in two ways by Vestridge Animal Clinic: acute and chronic. Acute pain is almost always due to trauma or post surgical care. Our staff will treat your pet in the short term with a higher dose of pain medication in order to keep your pet comfortable while healing. Chronic pain is usually due to joint disease or displacement, arthritis, chronic skin conditions and even chronic internal issues. Our staff uses low dosage pain medications as well as proper food choices to help your pet stay healthy and active as long as possible.