Preventive Care

• Dental Care
  There are several ways to keep your pet’s teeth healthy and clean at home. Inspecting their teeth on a regular basis, looking for broken, loose, missing, or discolored teeth, excessive tartar buildup, exceptionally bad breath, and bleeding and/or swelling in the gums allows you to spot problems early. Refusing to eat and abnormal chewing are also warning signs of dental issues. Although it takes a little time and patience to get them used to it, daily brushing will help to keep their teeth clean just like it does your own. Special treats and pet chews are readily available to help prevent tartar buildup, and your vet can advise you on dental diets that promote good pet dental health.
• Vaccination
  If you have any special requests or types of haircuts you’d like for your pet, be sure to ask the groomer when you arrive for your session. We also ask that pets be up-to-date on their vaccinations and boosters before you bring them to the groomer. Call for details on required vaccines.
• Comprehensive Examination
  Preventive veterinary care is the cornerstone of keeping your pet their healthiest so you and your pet can have more great years together. Since pets age more quickly than people, it is critical to have regular physical examinations done to assess your pet’s health. During routine preventive exams, your veterinarian will assess...

Illness Treatment

• Parasites Treatment and Control
  When health problems are identified, a medical plan will be outlined to evaluate the problems in depth. If your pet appears to be healthy enough for routine preventive care, your veterinarian will discuss which immunizations are advised, as well as parasite prevention including heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, and ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, etc.). Annual age-appropriate laboratory tests, testing for heartworm and/or tick-borne diseases, and fecal tests for parasites may also be recommended for your pet. Finally, your pet’s nutrition, diet, and exercise routines can be assessed and optimized to help your pet be in the best physical condition for their lifestyle and age. Remember, keeping up with preventive care for your pet is the best way to keep your pet happy and healthy for life.
• Pain Management
  Placing an IV catheter and administering IV fluids, giving oxygen supplementation, and pain relief medications may be elements of the initial stabilization of your pet. As your pet is stabilized, your veterinarian will review a diagnostic plan which may include imaging (radiographs, ultrasound) and laboratory evaluation (blood and/or urine tests) to ascertain the severity of the situation and tailor treatment for your pet.
• Vomiting Treatment
• Diarrhea Treatment
• Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
  Once a groomer gets to know your pet well, they’ll be familiar with the regular appearance of your animal’s skin and coat. This allows us to do spot checks for any potential problems, from lumps beneath the skin to allergies and skin problems. These issues are always easier to treat when discovered early.

Infection Treatment

• Feline Retro Virus Treatment
  SNAP tests: point-of-care “snap” tests are available for certain infectious diseases such as Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and Lyme Ehrlichia. SNAP tests are also available for disease markers such as Anaplasma Heartworm proBNP, and Pancreatitis testing
• Bacterial and Viral Infection Treatment
  One of the most common but also frequently overlooked health problems for companion animals is dental disease. By age 3, most pets have some degree of periodontal disease. This occurs as a result of bacterial infection along the gum line, due to the formation of plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance containing millions of bacteria that forms along the tooth surface and gum line. Without frequent removal, plaque eventually hardens into tartar. Left untreated, this leads to gradual destruction of the gum tissue and supportive structures around the teeth, which can result in tooth loss. Not only is periodontal disease harmful and painful because it results in loss of teeth, but it can also cause damage to important vital organs such as the...
• Ear Infection Treatment
  Ear infections can be very painful and annoying for dogs. Our groomer will wash out your pet’s ears and trim the excess hair in and around the ears. If your dog has an ear infection, cleaning the ears will help to clear the problem up, and will help reduce the chance of future infections.
• Anal Gland Infection Treatment

Chronic Condition Treatment

• Arthritis Treatment
  These conditions will start to become more prevalent as your pet gets older. For this reason, we recommend twice-yearly veterinary visits for pets over 7 years of age. Your aging pet may be showing early signs of osteoarthritis such as stiffness after rest or play, difficulty going up or down stairs and reduced activity. Early intervention with joint supplements and prescription arthritis medications when indicated, along with modified nutrition and exercise plans, can greatly improve your pet’s comfort and mobility. Likewise, performing annual screening laboratory work on your older pet can help identify early stages of medical problems that might go unrecognized, and progress significantly without treatment.
• Heart Disease Treatment
  Heartworm is another important endoparasite, but one which is not zoonotic. Heartworm infections result from pets being bitten by infected mosquitos. The larval form of the heartworm travels through the bloodstream to the heart where it develops into an adult. The adult heartworms live in the right side of the heart and left untreated, result in progressive heart failure and death. In initial stages of heartworm disease, pets may be asymptomatic. As the condition progresses, symptoms may evolve including a cough and exercise intolerance in dogs, and vomiting/coughing in cats.  Treatment of heartworm disease can be very risky for the pet, and very costly.
• Kidney Disease Treatment
  Any recommended pre-surgical testing – baseline laboratory testing is beneficial so there are no surprises on surgery day. Knowing your pet has normal blood test results can help prevent anesthetic complications or surgical complications such as excessive bleeding, which can occur when patients have low platelet counts or abnormal clotting. When there is liver or kidney disease, this may affect the choices of anesthetic drugs recommended by your veterinarian, to prevent anesthetic complications and promote a smooth anesthetic recovery.
• Periodontal Disease Treatment
  Your pet is a member of your family and you want to keep them healthy and happy, and one of the best ways to do that is to practice good pet dental care. Periodontal disease is very common in both dogs and cats, and most will show some signs of it by the time they are three years old. Early detection and effective treatment are important to prevent more serious dental issues from developing. At the Blairs Ferry Pet Hospital of Cedar Rapids, IA we provide effective pet dentistry as part of our comprehensive veterinary services, always at the most affordable cost.

Emergency Care

• Wound and Fracture Care
• Poisoning Treatment

Surgery

• Dental Surgery
• Veterinary Surgery
  At some point in your pet’s life, they may need a surgical procedure. Whether your pet is having an elective surgery such as spay or neuter, or an emergency surgery for intestinal obstruction, you can rest assured that our staff will provide the very best care possible for your pet.
• Laser Surgery
• Spaying and Neutering
  One good reason is to help alleviate the overpopulation of pets. Each year in the U.S. millions of healthy dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters because of homelessness and abandonment. Shelters are overwhelmed with animals, unable to find good homes for all of them, and have to put them to sleep. Spaying and neutering help to keep the population down.

Lab and X-Rays

• Laboratory Services
  Laboratory testing for baseline blood counts and organ function tests, or infectious disease. Blood and/or urine samples may be collected from your pet, for point-of-care testing, or reference lab tests. Point-of-care tests are those tests that are done on-site in our hospital so as to be able to determine results and make treatment recommendations in the most timely fashion possible. In other cases, lab samples may need to be sent off to off-site laboratories (reference laboratories) – when the test cannot be performed with in-hospital lab equipment, or when the test results are not needed urgently.
• X-Ray
• Dental Radiology
• Microchipping
  Microchipping is a simple, safe, and effective way to ensure your pet’s safety and retrieval should they become lost. It is a standard and painless procedure that implants a tiny chip underneath your pet’s fur. The microchip is registered with your pet’s information and can be scanned by a veterinarian or animal shelter so they can identify and return your pet to you.

General Pet Care

• Boarding
  It can be rough to leave your dog or cat behind when you have to travel. Rest assured that your pet will be treated as if they were our own. Our experienced staff of pet lovers, plus a clean, safe boarding area, ensure that your pet will get the attention and love that they need.
• Grooming
  Pet grooming is recommended approximately every six to eight weeks, depending on the breed, hair length, and outdoor activity level. Grooming provides a lot of health and social benefits for your pet. If you want to keep your pet looking and feeling great, bring them to Blairs Ferry Animal Hospital for a session with our professional groomer!
• Senior Pet Care
  We love Senior Pets! Senior pets have special needs, and benefit from more regular veterinary visits compared to their younger counterparts. Age-associated conditions include...
• Dog Training
  Emily has been working in veterinary medicine since 2006. She grew up in Waterloo, Iowa with all kinds of animals. She loves riding horses but her passion is working with the exotic pets. In 2016 she created a dog training business which she still owns and runs. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to new places including state parks and zoos. Emily is a competitive powerlifter. Her household is busy coordinating activities with her husband, Matt and three children, as well as an Irish Wolfhound “Sheboygan”, a Golden Retriever “Prince” (a certified therapy dog), “Sally” the black cat, “Andre” the bearded dragon, “Oreo” the guinea pig, “Cupcake” the box turtle, and nine chickens.