248-682-4617
Keeping Your Pet Healthy
Laboratory Tests: We have a full in-house laboratory that allows us to quickly obtain results for diagnosis of disease,
monitoring, and wellness care.  These tests include bloodwork, urinalysis, heartworm testing, fecal exams, feline leukemia
virus and feline immunodeficiency virus testing, Giardia testing, and analyzing aspirates from masses.  Our Licensed
Veterinary Technicians are highly trained  in the performance of these tests.
Wellness Care: We emphasize preventive health care for Dogs, Cats Rabbits and Pocket Pets through annual wellness
exams, vaccines, and laboratory tests.  We believe that the best way to care for your pet is to detect health problems early
through routine testing.  We also place
Home Again  Microchips to help pets be reunited with their owners if they get lost or
separated from one another.
X-Ray Service: Our hospital is capable of doing most diagnostic radiography procedures using digital x-ray with results
available in minutes.  X-rays are important for orthopedic disease including limping and for a variety of other problems.   
Chest x-rays are important for visualizing changes to the lungs or heart when a pet is coughing or has a heart murmur.  
Abdominal x-rays help in diagnosing causes for vomiting, diarrhea, and urinary tract problems.
Pharmacy: Our pharmacy is stocked with a complete array of veterinary medications, which can be dispensed at the time
of your pet's visit.  Prescriptions will be written for items not available at our office.  When refilling a prescription, please
call our office in advance to prevent unnecessary waiting.
Surgical Capability: Surgeries are performed Monday through Friday in our fully-equipped operating room.  We
routinely perform spays, neuters, cat declaws, and growth removals.  We also commonly remove bladder stones,  foreign
bodies from the digestive tract, and perform exploratory surgery.  Our doctors do not perform orthopedic surgeries, but do
refer to surgical specialists for those procedures.
Anesthesia: Prior to anesthesia, bloodwork is required for all of our patients to detect any underlying problems.  Our
doctors tailor their anesthetic protocols to each patient's needs to keep your pet as safe and comfortable as possible.  All
anesthetized patients are monitored by a licensed veterinary technician using EKG and pulse oximetry.  We also require
intravenous fluids throughout the day of the procedure for our patients to ensure that they stay well hydrated and maintain
normal blood pressure while under anesthesia.  
Dentistry: During your pet's annual exam, the doctor may recommend a dental cleaning.  Since pets are anesthetized for
dentistry, we require bloodwork prior to the cleaning to make sure they are good candidates for anesthesia.  We also provide
intravenous fluids throughout the day of the procedure for all of our patients.  While anesthetized, tarter is removed with an
ultrasonic scaler, the teeth are polished, and the health of the individual teeth and gums are evaluated.  Dentistry is
important to remove the plaque and tarter accumulation on the teeth that contains large numbers of bacteria.  These
bacteria create bad breath, cause
periodontal disease, and can also spread through the body and produce a variety of health
problems.  

If the teeth and gums are healthy, then the cleaning is all that is necessary to prevent gum disease and keep the mouth
healthy.  However, if there is severe dental disease present, the doctor may need to extract that tooth or teeth.  Pets who
have had teeth extracted do very well at home and do not tend to have any problems eating.  They typically feel better once
their disease is addressed, since dental disease is a painful condition.  The best way to prevent future extractions is to have
routine dental cleanings performed and take care of your pet's teeth at home.  

For home care, we recommend brushing your pet's teeth daily with a pet toothpaste.  The brushing removes plaque from the
teeth and prevents it from forming tarter.  The teeth need to be brushed daily to every-other day to prevent tarter
formation.  
Hill's t/d prescription diet works like brushing since the kibbles are specially formulated to scrub the teeth while
your pet chews.  Oral care products such as
C.E.T. Chews can also help extend the interval between dental cleanings.  We
carry all of the products you need to help your pet maintain a healthy mouth.  
Prescription Pet Foods: We carry a full line of prescription diets that may be recommended by your veterinarian for
your pet's specific needs.  We commonly use these diets for kidney disease, urinary tract disease, obesity, dental disease,
and intestinal problems.  These diets are an important part of both managing disease and preventing future health problems.  
Please call prior to picking up food to ensure that we have it in stock and ready for you.  If we do not carry a specific
product, it can be ordered for your pet.
Heartworm Prevention:  All dogs should be on year-round monthly heartworm prevention and have a yearly
heartworm test.  Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes, so all dogs are at risk.  The worms live in the large blood
vessels of the heart and can be fatal if left untreated.  Heartworm prevention also protects your pet from getting  
many types of internal parasites.  Our office carries
Heartgard Plus,  Advantage Multi, and Sentinel.  Our doctors
can help you decide which product is right for your pet.  
Cats who go outside should also be on monthly heartworm prevention.  Heartworm disease is increasingly
becoming recognized in cats, but once monthly application of
Advantage Multi will prevent heartworms and fleas.
Annual Exams:  All cats and dogs should have a complete physical exam yearly, and more frequently as they
age.  Annual exams are the best way to catch health problems early, when they are the easiest to treat.  Problems
that are frequently detected include weight loss, weight gain, dental disease, eye problems, heart murmurs,
growths, ear infections, and skin conditions.  Many pets show no signs at home of having a problem, and these
issues become more difficult to treat the longer they go unrecognized.  Our focus on preventative medicine helps
our patients live longer, healthier lives.
Flea Prevention:  All dogs should be on monthly flea prevention throughout the summer months.  Flea
preventive should be started when the temperatures remain at least 70 and should continue until the ground is
frozen.  It is much easier to prevent a problem than to treat a flea infestation.  Your pet can get fleas from other
pets or from being outdoors where there are wildlife.  We recommend
K9 Advantix II or Frontline Plus to prevent
fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and biting flies.  We also carry
Advantage Multi, which is a topical combination heartworm
and flea control, and
NexGard, an oral flea and tick prevention.  Talk to your veterinarian about which product is
right for your pet.

Cats who go outdoors should also be on flea prevention during the summer months.   We recommend applying
Advantage Multi monthly for easy, reliable prevention.  
Vaccines:  Keeping your pets up to date on their vaccinations is one important component to ensure they stay
healthy and to prevent contagious diseases.  

Cats: All cats should receive a combination vaccine and yearly rabies vaccine.   The feline combination vaccine
(FVRCP) contains Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (Feline Herpes Virus), Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia.  Feline
Rhinotracheitis and Caliciviruses cause upper respiratory infections, eye inflammation, and mouth sores.  These
infections can progress to bacterial infections and cause life-long health problems.  Feline Panleukopenia causes
diarrhea and decreased immune response and can be fatal.  All of these viruses are easily spread between cats and
on materials or people that have contacted an infected cat.  
Rabies vaccination is not required by law for cats, but
we recommend it for all cats since rabies is always fatal to animals and people.  Cats can contract Rabies by being
bitten by or eating an infected animal.

Outdoor cats should also be vaccinated for Feline Leukemia Virus.  
 Feline Leukemia Virus causes cancer in cats.  It
is spread from cat to cat through saliva such as from bite wounds, so we recommend vaccination for all outdoor
cats.   

Dogs: All dogs should be vaccinated with the Distemper combo vaccine, rabies, and usually Bordatella.  The
DHPP combination vaccine contains
Canine Distemper, Hepatitis (Adenovirus), Parainfluenza, and  Parvovirus,
and the DHLPP combination vaccine contains
Leptospirosis as well.  These diseases create a variety of different
health problems, some of which can be fatal.  
Rabies vaccination is required by law for licencing of dogs in
Michigan.  The disease is fatal to pets and humans if contracted.  Skunks and bats are the primary rabies carriers in
Michigan.

Bordatella is bacteria that is one component of
kennel cough.  Infection typically causes a cough, but it can
progress to pneumonia.  It is easily spread between dogs, so we recommend it for any dog that is in contact with
other dogs through boarding, grooming, daycare or dogs that go to the dog park or pet stores. A vaccine for
Lyme
Disease is also available and recommended for dogs that spend time in the woods or other tick infested
environments.
Pet Health Screens:  We recommend starting regular blood screening tests at 5 years 0f age for dogs and 7 years
of age for cats.  For dogs, the Pet Health Screen includes heartworm test, complete blood count, and full chemistry
panel.  Feline Pet Health Screens include complete blood count, full chemistry panel, and thyroid hormone level.  

The complete blood count evaluates the red and white blood cells for anemia, infection, or other abnormalities,
while the chemistry panel evaluates the liver, kidneys, pancreas, protein levels, blood sugar, and electrolytes.  
These tests serve as a valuable normal baseline for your pet and help us detect abnormalities before your pet is
showing any signs of illness to allow early treatment and prevent progression.  Common abnormalities detected on
the blood tests include kidney disease, liver disease, anemia, low protein levels, and electrolyte abnormalities.
Fecal Tests:  All cats and dogs need yearly fecal tests to detect intestinal parasites.  Cats and dogs can get
intestinal parasites outside from other pets, from wildlife, or from hunting behavior.  We routinely find parasites
in otherwise healthy pets that have not yet shown any signs of disease.  It's important to discover and treat these
infections to keep your pet healthy, limit environmental contamination, and prevent human exposure.
248-682-4617
Abdominal Ultrasound: We now offer abdominal ultrasound as an additional diagnostic tool. Our doctors and
technicians are certified scanners and all ultrasound findings are reviewed by a board certified radiologist. Ultrasound is
used to detect changes in appearance or size of organs, tissues, and vessels. It is also helpful in detecting and determining
the location of abnormal masses, such as tumors.