Services
Wellness and Preventive Medicine
A regular physical examination is just as important for your pet as it is for you. Our veterinarians recommend a complete physical examination for your pet at least once a year, though more frequent exams are even better. During a physical examination, among other procedures, your veterinarian listens to your pet's heart and lungs, evaluate your pet's vision, looks for any unusual lumps or swelling and check your pet's teeth and oral cavity. Routine examinations give your veterinarian an opportunity to develop a picture of your pet's overall health. Examinations are also essential in detecting problems before they become serious and expensive health issues.
Vaccinations
We vaccinate your pet based on American Animal Hospital Association recommendations, our assessment and each individual pet's lifestyle. Vaccines are a very important part of preventive care and are tailored to the pet's needs. Core vaccinations (rabies, DHPP, FVRP) are given every three years after the initial first-year booster. We are happy to provide vaccine protocols to clients.
Microchipping
Each year, millions of pets go missing and many are never found again. A microchip can help ensure your pet can be found more quickly should he or she go missing. A microchip is a tiny electronic device, about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is implanted beneath a pet's skin between the shoulder blades and stays there for the pet's entire life. This procedure is as easy and as painless as a vaccination.
Each microchip has a unique number. This number, along with information about the owner and pet, are added to a national pet registry. Most veterinarians and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If a lost pet is found, and the microchip is scanned, the registry is called and the owner is contacted.
Surgery
Our highly-skilled doctors can perform most surgical procedures, from spays and neuters to complicated intra-abdominal procedures. We take pride in our equipment and our modern patient monitoring systems. Our hospital features two fully equipped surgical suites and a complete in-house laboratory. Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital also offers specialized orthopedic surgeries including TPLO, TTA, patella luxation repair, and fracture repair procedures performed by the board-certified surgeons of Veterinary Surgical Specialists.
Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger your pet's health. Because not all problems can be detected on routine physical examination, we also recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet's health but also allow us to create an anesthetic protocol tailored specifically for your pet. Pain management is a part of our pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. All surgical patients, including those undergoing routine procedures, receive pain control medications. In addition, Inver Grove Heights provides surgical and other patients with a fully equipped intensive care unit or an isolation ward for recovery, should the need arise.
Reproductive management
Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital provides numerous reproductive management services for clients and their pets. Our hospital features an American Kennel Club-approved canine semen storage facility. We are also able to ship semen world-wide with same-day delivery. In addition, our veterinarians provide transcervical inseminations by rigid endoscopy, surgical inseminations, in-house progesterone testing, c-sections and other reproductive services.
Puppy socialization classes with Dr. Ann Valenti
Proper training is crucial to your puppy's development, especially during the first six months of his or his / her life. During this time, it's important to provide your puppy with positive experiences involving other people, animals and things outside his or her familiar environment. Our puppy training classes are an easy, fun way for you to bond with your new pet while teaching him or her how to be a well-behaved canine citizen. Please call the hospital for enrollment details.
Digital radiology
X-rays are useful in evaluating a number of areas of your pet's body including bones, lungs, the heart, abdomen and oral cavity. With the advent of digital radiography, our hospital is able to take high-quality, digital x-rays of your pet. Our hospital has a state-of-the-art digital radiograph that produces excellent quality digital x-rays. Digital radiographs are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical problems.
The advantage of digital radiology over traditional film-radiology is that the time spent taking your pets' radiographs is significantly shorter, and fewer radiographs need to be taken to achieve perfect results. This means much less stress for your pet, making their experience at IGHAH much more pleasant! Radiographs can then be e-mailed to veterinary radiology specialists, making interpretations easier and faster. Digital radiographs are also uploaded to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website and can be viewed online.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a non-invasive imaging procedure that complements x-rays and allows our clinicians to better visualize internal organs in the chest and abdomen. This painless diagnostic technique is normally done without sedation of your pet. Ultrasound is invaluable in making treatment decisions for various types of heart disease. It also allows us to biopsy organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen through a tiny "keyhole" incision. Using the ultrasound image as a guide, major surgery becomes minor surgery and your pet can often go home the same day.
Pharmacy and health care products
Our in-house pharmacy gives you the benefit of starting your pet's medication as soon as you get home. We are stocked with a broad spectrum of pharmaceuticals used commonly in veterinary medicine that can help your pet recovery from an illness or surgical procedure. Prescriptions are often ready at check-out. Our trained staff is knowledgeable about most medications and can provide instruction on appropriate administration techniques, as well as daily recommended doses. Refills are easy and can be called-in or requested online for quick and efficient pick-up.