Preventive Care

• Dental Care
  Prairie View Animal Hospital is a well-established, full-service, small animal veterinary hospital providing comprehensive medical, surgical and dental care.
• Vaccination
  By filling out this change of address form we can keep your records up to date so you will be sure to get timely updates on vaccination and pet health care reminders from us.
• Behavioral Counseling
  Dogs with separation anxiety can be difficult to crate train, and their anxiety behaviors may actually worsen if you attempt to keep them in a crate. Discuss your dog’s behaviors with a veterinarian. Your dog may need a combination of anxiety medication and behavior modification therapy, which is a different form of training to help dogs overcome some of their anxieties, before crate training can be successful.
• Nutritional Counseling
  Dietary Counseling: We will provide guidance regarding your pet's nutritional needs for each life stage, including dietary requirements for growth, weight maintenance and performance.
• Comprehensive Examination
  Throughout the lifespan of our pets, we stress the importance of an annual physical examination. Thorough check-ups and preventive care can help alleviate serious health problems. We offer a wide range of veterinary services to keep your companions feeling their best...

Illness Treatment

• Parasites Treatment and Control
  It turns out that heartworm disease in cats is not really comparable to the canine disease. In dogs, disease is vascular (adult heartworms cause trouble by plugging up the pulmonary arteries and generating inflammation there). Adult heartworms make it to the dog's pulmonary arteries after a long maturation process that starts with a tiny larva being deposited adjacent to a mosquito bite in a tiny droplet of mosquito saliva. The baby heartworms do not cause much trouble in dogs and it is not until they have reached substantial size and final location that they are problems. In cats, heartworm disease is more frequently a lung disease and not a vascular disease at all. It is the baby worms that cause all the trouble in feline heartworm disease. If we consider that most feline heartworm disease is from the immature worms, the 10% statistic becomes substantially higher.
• Behavioral Disorder Treatment
  With vectored virus vaccines, the viral DNA responsible for stimulating the patient's immune system is cloned into a harmless live virus. The harmless virus is injected into the patient where it travels innocuously within the body, stimulating the patient's immune system to respond to the cloned viral DNA. In this way, the benefits of a live vaccine can be realized for a virus that is normally considered too dangerous for a modified live vaccine. Presently, recombinant vaccines are available for feline rabies, feline leukemia, Lyme disease, and canine distemper.
• Pain Management
  Cats discharged on the same day as surgery may experience more soreness if not confined to a small area. Food and water are generally withheld until the next day or late that night and the cat should be kept quiet and not allowed outside. Cats should not be discharged while still groggy in any way from anesthesia as they are a danger to themselves and to their human handlers. Additional pain medication may be prescribed.
• Vomiting Treatment
• Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
  Fleas are the most common external parasite of companion animals. In addition to causing itching and other skin problems, fleas can transmit diseases to animals and people. The majority of the flea population (i.e. eggs, larvae, and pupae) are found off the pet and around the home.
• Upper Respiratory Illness Treatment
  Section of a lung from a cat with circulating larval heartworms. The cells of inflammation have thickened the tissues so that oxygen absorption is challenged and there is far less room for air. This is the type of lung change typical of heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD). Thanks to the American Heartworm Society for this picture. Images courtesy of Dr. Ray Dillon and Dr. Byron L. Blagburn, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine
• Injury Treatment

Infection Treatment

• Leptospirosis Treatment
• Parvovirus Infection Treatment
  Exposure to puppies and kittens who are not old enough to have received all their vaccines is considered by some to be a calculated risk. This means that while there is a risk for catching a disease, it may not be as much of a concern in the right setting. As an example, a study assessed the risk of infection for parvovirus in appropriately run puppy classes: puppies were otherwise healthy, the place was clean and sanitary, and all the puppies were up to date on vaccines for their age groups. Of 1,012 puppies studied, no increased risk for contracting parvovirus was found when compared with puppies not attending class.
• Feline Retro Virus Treatment
  The feline leukemia virus has potential to be latent in a carrier cat without any signs of illness and this carrier state can persist for years. During this time, the cat is contagious and at risk for numerous problems. Many people want to skip the test to save money but, in fact, it is of great importance to know if a cat is harboring this infection. Knowing that a cat is positive allows you to save money by not unnecessarily vaccinating for feline leukemia. Further, if an owner is aware of a cat's positive status, the pet can be kept away from other cats, thus preventing the spread of the disease. An owner can prepare financially for expected treatments needed for this cat. Testing is important when a new pet cat is obtained.
• Bacterial and Viral Infection Treatment

Chronic Condition Treatment

• Arthritis Treatment
  A dog with arthritis pain from an old cruciate rupture may still benefit from a TPLO surgery and possibly from the TTA. Ask your veterinarian if it may be worth having a surgery specialist take a look at the knee. Most cases must make do with medical management. Visit our section on
• Hip Dysplasia Treatment
  With regard to hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament rupture, probably the most common joint problems of dogs, body condition/obesity, general size of the dog, and genetics are likely to be the major risk factors but there does seem to be an increased risk of these issues in dogs neutered before puberty when their bones are still growing and conformation is not set.
• Thyroid Disease Treatment
• Knee Problems Treatment
  That is very common in small breed dogs. With the patellar luxation, the kneecap flips in and out of the patellar groove. If the condition is relatively mild, it may not require surgical correction but it does stress the cranial cruciate ligament and can predispose to rupture and need to correct both conditions surgically.
• Heart Disease Treatment
  All the inflammation generated by the worms as well as the inflammation generated by the areas of lung that aren't receiving proper circulation ultimately translates into scarring in the lung vasculature. Scarring and fibrosis makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood through the lung effectively. There is a point where the heart is not strong enough to pump blood through all the narrowed, stiff damaged capillary beds. Right sided heart failure ensues.
• Kidney Disease Treatment
  Many people have speculated that annual vaccination is responsible for cancer, immune-mediated diseases, kidney disease, and most common ailments of senior dogs and cats. So far, there is no clear evidence that annual vaccination has increased the incidence of any specific health problems.
• Periodontal Disease Treatment
  Examination is the key to diagnosis and helps determine the type of treatment needed. The veterinarian needs to know what to look for. A pet owner can help by examining their pet's teeth and mouth at least monthly. First smell your pet’s breath. If you sense a disagreeable odor, your pet may have gum disease. Periodontal disease is the most common ailment of small animals and is treatable. Gum problems begin when bacteria accumulates at the gumline around the tooth. Unless brushed away daily, these bacteria can destroy tooth-supporting bone, cause bleeding, and tooth loss. Usually the first sign is bad breath.

Emergency Care

• Wound and Fracture Care
  Chase is one of our technician assistants. He started here in August of 2020 as a kennel worker and quickly moved up because of his hard work & love for animals. Chase has two career loves, animals and plants. If you don’t see him here, he is off working at a garden center. Chase has (according to him) the best cat in the world, named Fender. He was adopted from Tails after having surgery here for a fracture repair after being hit by a car. The poor guy had a rough start but he now has a great home.

Surgery

• Dental Surgery
  Dr. Diemer has been practicing veterinary medicine since 1990. He has been with Prairie View Animal Hospital since 1992. He grew up in rural Hampton, IA and attended Iowa State University where he received his BS in Animal Science in 1986 and his DVM in 1990. Dr. Diemer's veterinary interests are in laser surgery, geriatrics, and oral surgery. Some of his hobbies include fishing, landscaping, racquetball, scuba diving. Dr. Diemer and his family - wife Peggy and daughters Sara and Jennifer reside in rural Sycamore with their dogs Mia, Kobi, and Ariel and their cat Annie.
• Veterinary Surgery
  We work closely with TAILS Humane Society, providing medical and surgical care for the shelter animals. Prairie View Animal Hospital sponsors various local youth sports leagues and 4-H activities. The clinic is also involved as an observation and learning sight for the Kishwaukee Education Consortium.
• Laser Surgery
  Laser surgery is an available option. In many procedures, the laser can replace the scalpel blade and provide a better alternative to traditional surgery. Laser surgery provides less pain, less bleeding, and less swelling. With the laser there is a reduced risk of infection, provides precision to the surgery, and allows a quicker return to normal activities. Please visit www.petlasers.com for more information.
• Declawing
  Lasers are used in a wide array of procedures. We use lasers for spays, neuters, declaws, ear hematomas, cyst removal, tumor removals, and anterior cruciate ligament repairs. A laser can be utilized in almost all surgical procedures.
• Spaying and Neutering
  Other health benefits of neutering include the prevention of certain types of hernias and tumors of the testicles and anus. Excessive preputial discharge is also reduced by neutering.

Lab and X-Rays

• Laboratory Services
  Laboratory: Our in-house laboratory facilities provide for serum chemistry, urinalysis and parasite testing. We also utilize commercial veterinary laboratories for specialized diagnostics and consultations.
• X-Ray
• Dental Radiology
  Root canals, dental x-rays, braces, crowns, caps, implants, and periodontal surgery for pets? You must be kidding! Not at all. Dental procedures are performed daily in veterinary practices. How does a loving pet owner know if dental care is needed, and where can a pet owner go for advanced dental care?
• Microchipping

General Pet Care

• Boarding
  Boarding (temporarily unavailable): We provide pet boarding as a service to our clients. All boarders receive personal attention from our caring staff. Pets may be dropped off and picked up during regular business hours Monday through Saturday.
• Grooming
• Dog Training
  Sara D is a receptionist and technician here at Prairie View! She has been visiting here since she was little but started working here in 2011. Sara grew up in Sycamore, IL and she has recently graduated with her BA in Biology from Augustana College in Illinois and is looking to pursue a career in ocean conservation. She has an 8 year old black lab at home named Ariel that is her whole world. In her free time Sara enjoys spoiling Ariel, scuba diving, dog training, and just about anything outdoors!