In order to help our clients afford vaccines in these difficult economic times, we at Kelly’s Animal Hospital will begin offering multi-pet discounts on vaccines to clients with 3 or more pets. All pets have to be patients on record and in good standing with our hospital and have a yearly physical exam to qualify. This offer will begin September 1, 2010.
We all know that our beloved, 4 legged children age much more rapidly than we do. The standard 1 year is equivalent to 7 years is a rough estimate of the age differential between humans and our canine companions. This rapid aging presents us with challenges in dealing with health issues that might arise, and not be clinically apparent. Animals are hard wired in their DNA to mask illness and disease because in the wild the “survival of the fittest”, applies and those that show weakness are preyed upon. This is why it is vital that our pets see their veterinarians more frequently than once a year when their vaccines become due. We at Kelly’s Animal Hospital recommend at least twice a year visits. The first could be for a physical exam and vaccines and heartworm check. The second visit, approximately 6 months later, can be for routine bloodwork, urinalysis, blood pressure, an EKG if indicated, and chest radiographs. These tests we are all too familiar with because they are the same procedures we undergo when we go to our family physicians for our regular annual physical exams.
We have detected many problems such as hypertension, diabetes, early kidney disease, early heart disease, that were not clinically apparent. Successful management of these conditions is often directly proportional to when these disease processes are diagnosed. I am often asked by clients as to the life expectancy of a particular species, or breed. There are many variables that we have no control over, but most diseases are progressive and our goal is to diagnose and treat them in the early stages when they are most amenable to treatment and slow down the progression of the disease. A thorough physical exam is the most important part of a wellness program, but these ancillary tests provide us information that we would not otherwise have known. In the last 6 months, we have had 7 cats present for acute onset blindness. In each case the cause was hypertensive retinopathy. In lay terms, this means that hypertension or high blood pressure caused the pressure in the eye to get so high, that the retina detached and the cat lost it’s sight. All but one regained it’s sight after we diagnosed hypertension and corrected it with appropriate medication. This is a very tough way to diagnose hypertension! Routine blood pressure monitoring is something we take for granted as standard of care for us, yet it is not routinely done for our pets.
We at Kelly’s Animal Hospital are actively promoting wellness visits and bi annual exams. We have 4 packages that have diagnostic tests in affordable and a more cost efficient pricing for the client than if purchased separately when the pet is sick. The packages are the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum packages.
The packages include:
Bronze:
Physical Exam, major blood profile, and comprehensive urinalysis
Silver:
Physical Exam, major blood profile, blood pressure, and comprehensive urinalysis
Gold:
Physical Exam, major blood profile, EKG, blood pressure, and comprehensive urinalysis
Platinum:
Physical Exam, major blood profile, thyroid profile, 2 chest radiographs (x-rays), EKG, blood pressure, and comprehensive urinalysis
Budgeting these visits can be challenging in these difficult economic times, but it is much cheaper and better to prevent than it is to treat. My favorite analogy is ” If you don’t change the oil in your car, you will have to replace your engine, and guess which is going to be more expensive!”
We at Kelly’s Animal Hospital would like to address the growing popularity of vaccine clinics and online pharmacies. Vaccination clinics are sprouting up everywhere and cost conscious pet owners are flocking to them in search of a cheaper way to take care of their beloved pets. This is a troubling trend because the MOST IMPORTANT part of a pet’s annual visit is the physical exam. Vaccine clinics do not provide this service. We must recognize that animals age a lot faster than humans. When Fido comes in for an annual exam, it is like us going to our own family physicians every 7 years. Much can change between yearly visits. Vaccines are convenient because it gives the client a reason and schedule to bring in their pets to the veterinarian for a physical exam. When pet owners go to vaccine clinics, they short change their pets and in the long run add to future health costs.
I have had 2 cases in the last 2 weeks where I have had clients bring their relatively young pets for their vaccinations, and in the course of the physical exam, I detected a murmur in the cat, and a tumor in the dog. The owners had no inkling that anything was wrong with their pets because they were not showing any outward clinical signs. We addressed both issues and both pets are doing well. Had they gone to a vaccination clinic, these serious health issues would have gone undetected until it was too late to treat.
Online pet pharmacies pretend to have the best interests of the pet owners and their pets. In reality, they are only interested in making a profit, often at the pets’ expense. Many online pharmacies have and will sell prescription products without a prescription which is illegal. Oftentimes they get away with it, occasionally they get caught and are fined. As multimillion dollar companies, this amounts to slaps on the wrist and the small cost of doing business. Online pharmacies often will sell expired products from overseas. We had a client that purchased a product from one of these pharmacies and came to us to try to translate the Chinese directions. Most pet owners do not realize that most pharmaceuticals come with some form of warranty. This warranty is voided if the product is purchased from an online pharmacy. I had two clients that had 2 dogs that came back heartworm positive, in spite of faithfully being on heartworm prevention. The owners called the manufacturers of the products and informed them that their dogs had contracted heartworm disease while taking their products. The companies said they would honor the warranty and pay for the heartworm treatment costs. The dog owners were asked, where did they purchase the heartworm prevention from. When they replied that they had purchased the heartworm prevention online, the were told by the companies that by doing so they had voided the warranty and were responsible for the heartworm treatment costs.
The manufacturers of the heartworm prevention will warranty their products when they know they are stored, shipped, and sold in accordance with regulations. They cannot vouch for product bought and sold from second and third parties. These two clients learned an expensive lesson.
We at Kelly’s Animal Hospital can usually match, and oftentimes beat the prices from our online competitors. More importantly, if something goes wrong, there is recourse to rectify the situation . The other issue is these pharmacies take a profit center away from veterinarians. Clients have no idea the high overhead costs involved in maintaining an animal hospital. When clients take a profit center to an outside source, the veterinarians have to raise prices on other services such as office exams, diagnostic testing and surgeries. In the end everyone loses except the online pharmacies!
We at Kelly’s Animal Hospital want to recognize our senior clients and thank them for their loyalty. In this difficult economy, we realize that providing the best quality health care for our pets can be a strain on our limited budgets. Seniors especially bear the brunt of this economy with their fixed incomes.
Beginning Wednesday August 18, 2010, Kelly’s Animal Hospital will offer seniors (60 and over) a 10% discount on services. This includes all services, ie: vaccines, office exams, vaccinations, surgeries. This discount will not apply to food, medications, flea and tick products, or retail products such as leashes, collars, etc. Call our office at (772) 336-8111 and ask our receptionist for details.
We are excited to announce that we have purchased a state of the art therapeutic K-Laser System. It will be the standard of practice in a few years and everyone will have one, but as of now, we are proud to be pioneers in this treatment modality and Kelly’s Animal Hospital is the only veterinary practice in St. Lucie County to have one. It is indicated for pain associated with osteoarthritis and back pain, wound healing, fractures, feline asthma, and even urinary incontinence. Laser therapy promotes healing and alleviates pain.
Dr. Kelly attended the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinarian Appreciation Day last month. The neurology seminar presented evidence that dogs that were paralyzed and had herniated disc surgery and received laser treatment post op, walked and recovered in half the time as those that did not receive the laser treatment.
No pet owner wants to see their furry family member suffer from muscle and joint pain. Ask Dr. Kelly and staff how K-Laser therapy might help alleviate your pet’s pain.
As your dog ages the probability of arthritic pain increases greatly; at ages 8-10, 27% of dogs suffer from arthritis. The numbers increase to 37% for dogs 11-13 years old. If you’ve seen signs of your dog slowing down, this may be due to joint and muscle pains common in arthritis.
It is difficult to diagnose arthritic pain in cats. This is due to the stoic nature of cats. If you’ve noticed your feline friend slowing down, having problems reaching the litter box or isolating themselves from the family, pain may be the issue.
Kelly’s Animal Hospital now has an alternative to drugs for your pet’s pain. Our non-invasive K-Laser Therapy could provide your pet with an alternative to daily, weekly, or monthly pills.
We, the staff at Kelly’s Animal Hospital, hate to see your pet suffer from joint and muscle pain. We’ve invested in the latest laser therapy to provide an alternate solution to pain management. Ask us if K-Laser Therapy is right for your pet.
Kelly’s Animal Hospital-Port St. Lucie Hospital is a well-established, and complete veterinary hospital that caters all the medical needs of your pets.
The animal hospital is equipped with the state of the art testing equipments and the use of external laboratories. The facility includes a complete pharmacy, in-hospital surgery suite, in-house digital x-ray capabilities, a closely supervised hospitalization area, and indoor boarding kennels with a fenced in turn out area.
At Kelly’s Animal Hospital , the staff and medical personnels strive to offer not only sound advice, but also maximum veterinary care, thus allowing you the enjoyment of your companion for a maximum number of years. Kelly’s Animal Hospital’s job is not only to treat your pet when he or she isn’t feeling healthy, but also to help you learn how to keep your best friend happy, healthy, and comfortable.
We have well-trained professionals whose primary focus is to provide the best, most courteous, and friendly service possible for our clients and their beloved pets. We want you to get to know us and what we enjoy doing in our leisure time, so please follow the links below to explore our hospital. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us!
Kelly’s Animal Hospital-Port St. Lucie Veterinarian
150 Northwest Central Park Plaza,
Port St Lucie, FL - (772) 336-8111
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