Surgery

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The most common surgeries are the ovariohysterectomy and castration. The advantages of spay and neuter procedures are evident, but methods of these procedures are not often public knowledge. We take great care to provide the safest anesthetic protocol and recovery period for all of our different surgical procedures. Every patient must receive a complete physical exam. If everything is as expected, a pre-operative blood panel is run to determine if any abnormalities are evident. We run a brief screen for liver and kidney functions, blood glucose levels and other age related screens.

Again, if everything is within normal limits we proceed to place an intravenous catheter and administer intravenous fluids.

We take great care to provide the safest anesthetic protocol and recovery for all of our surgical procedures.

We feel this is one of the most important items that keep our patients stable. The appropriate intravenous fluids keep the patient’s blood pressure higher which maintains better organ function. Intravenous fluids also allow quicker elimination of the anesthetic when the procedure is finished so that a more alert patient goes home. Also the placement of the intravenous catheter allows a gateway for emergency drugs if needed during the procedure. Even though these situations are rare, they still occur and this helps minimize complications. Many hospitals elect not to use these procedures.

Next we administer the appropriate intravenous anesthetic and entubate the patient. Entubation allows the patient to breathe the gas anesthetic which is then raised or lowered to the anesthetic level desired for the type of surgery. The anesthetic gas is very safe and if any complications arise it allows us to wake the patient immediately. Periodically we must alter our anesthetic protocol for individuals. If a patient is fractious we will sedate with intramuscular sedative to allow us to then place intravenous equipment and the balance of anesthetic induction. The only surgery that deviates from the above is the feline declaw.

We dispense pain relief to ALL surgical patients. Medicines and doses differ by patient and level of pain expected. Studies have shown that patients heal quicker and respond better to pain relief given after surgery. Though “feeling better” can cause an increase in activity, we feel it is better to restrict activity of a patient than to wonder if they are painful or sick.

All of our elective surgeries (altering) are closed with an absorbable suture material. This is an attempt to minimize irritation caused by skin sutures which causes licking, possible infection or opening of the incision. Absorbable stitches also save the owner a trip back to the hospital for suture removal. We, many times, use non-absorbable sutures for surgeries. These must be removed at a determined future date.

Surgical procedures are performed Monday-Friday by a scheduled appointment. If questions still exist please call the hospital or drop by for an appointment.

Emergency + Pharmacy

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We offer after hours, weekend and holiday emergency services. This unique service is available ONLY to active patients that have been examined at our facility in the past year. If your pet has an emergency, contact the office at 755-9999 and the phone prompts will direct you to reach one of our doctors directly. We do ask that these phone calls be limited to emergencies and not informative correspondence. While most emergency cases can be managed at our hospital, there are a few instances where we may refer you to MedVet of Cincinnati on Red Bank Rd.

You can save time refilling your pet's medication by calling our prescription refill line at 755-9999, option 5.

We also offer pharmacy services for your pet. To refill your pet's medication call our prescription refill line at 755-9999, option 5. This line is checked every hour and a staff member will call you back when your medication is ready for pick up. For liability reasons, please remember we must examine your pet once a year to refill most medications.

In order to keep your pet's medications safe we have established an online pet pharmacy policy of not faxing prescriptions. If you would like to pick up a written prescription to mail to an online pharmacy please contact our office.

Laboratory

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We are excited to have the most up to date Idexx laboratory and diagnostic tools available. Our laboratory has the ability to run chemistry and cbc’s in 15-20 minutes. We encourage our clients to remain “on site” to discuss treatment options as soon as these values are obtained. Gone are the days of waiting 1-2 days to get results thus delaying the appropriate therapy.

Also, our digital radiology allows quick results and the ability to consult with any internist around the world. This feature allows us the share the images with you and your family members.

Our digital radiology allows quick results allowing us the share the images with you and your family

The “Old Way” of discussing the images in the exam room and having the owner then attempt to inform the family at home is now made easier. One can now show their family the images and review the discussion they had with the doctor.

Other equipment we are blessed to have:

Ultrasound (imaging of soft tissue organs usually in the abdomen or chest), Endoscopic equipment ( Gastrointestinal imaging of esophagus, stomach and intestines), Tono Pen (measuring pressures in eye), Blood pressure monitors, and a single and six lead EKG.

Grooming

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We are partial, but feel we have two of the best groomers in greater Cincinnati! Elizabeth and Jessica are seen by appointment only and while we can accommodate most schedules, we encourage you to plan ahead especially during major holidays. Our groomers prefer to admit pets in the morning and follow a schedule that allows all clients to pick up their pet around the same time of day. They feel this type of schedule avoids rushed appointments or inconsistent pick up times. We offer grooming appointments Monday through Saturday.

We offer grooming appointments Monday through Saturday.

Pets are required to be current on vaccines to be in the grooming area. If you are a client please confirm your pet’s vaccines are current when you call to schedule your grooming appointment. Clients of other hospitals must submit their pet’s vaccine records at the time an appointment is made, either in person, by fax or email. We cannot hold grooming appointments without confirmation of current vaccine status (Visit our forms section to see the required vaccines). We encourage you to schedule an appointment at our hospital if your pet’s vaccines are not current prior to a grooming appointment.

Grooming fee schedules are determined by Elizabeth and Jessica. Their fees include a bath, nail trim, exterior anal gland expression if needed and ear cleaning before the final groom procedure. While most appointments are a standard fee, additional fees may be added if your pet requires more involved care (matting, shaving, brushing, etc). Please ask our groomers for an estimate when you arrive for the appointment.

Elizabeth has been grooming dogs and cats at Pfister Animal Hospital since 2005. She is available for grooming by appointment Monday through Thursday.

Jessica is available by appointment Friday and Saturday. She has been grooming pets professionally for over 5 years.