Preventive Care

• Dental Care
  Veterinary Oral Health Council: This website contains information about all recommended and approved dental products for pets and their uses.
• Vaccination
  We will evaluate your pet’s eyes, ears, mouth, lymph nodes, heart, lungs, abdomen and musculoskeletal system; give any needed vaccinations and parasite screens and offer recommendations for diet and other care at home.
• Veterinary Ophthalmology
  Loss of vision or hearing: Older animals are at risk for cataracts and nuclear sclerosis—a natural aging process that clouds the eye. Diminished hearing is also common.
• Behavioral Counseling
  Behavior changes: Pets suffering from canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome may appear disoriented, forget their housetraining, sleep more and interact with family members less. There are many things we can do to help with these issues medically!
• Nutritional Counseling
  The general approach in treating an overweight pet is to reduce the caloric intake while increasing the energy output.  This can be accomplished by feeding a high-fiber, low-fat, less calorie-dense food and beginning a controlled exercise regimen with your pet.  We can help you formulate a diet plan to help facilitate weight loss in your pet.
• Comprehensive Examination
  Our pet care focus is on keeping your pet healthy and happy. We achieve that through performing thorough annual physical exams, preventative immunizations, and regular testing for viruses, parasites, and other specific conditions.  As pets live longer, more active lives, they can benefit from physical examinations at six month intervals and routine blood screening for early detection of common geriatric health conditions.

Illness Treatment

• Parasites Treatment and Control
  A stool sample is the easiest way to detect intestinal parasites and protozoans. Commonly we find roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, coccidia, and giardia. All are easily treatable but some can cause significant health risks to children, and health problems for your pet if left undetected and untreated. We recommend frequent stool checks for puppies, and at least annual checks for adults.
• Pain Management
  Dr. Scott Beeman grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa.  He graduated from Dordt College with a B.A. in Business Administration.  He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 2010 and spent the first decade of his career practicing in Adel, Iowa before joining Duluth Veterinary Hospital.  Dr. Beeman’s professional interests include acupuncture, pain management, internal medicine, and surgery.  He is also dedicated to serving the human-animal bond.  Dr. Beeman is a certified veterinary medical acupuncturist with additional training in medical massage and laser therapy. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, hiking, camping, and playing music on a variety of instruments.  His pets include 2 dogs (Rushy and Roo), 4 cats (Ginny, Walter, Layla, and Molly), a rabbit (Phillip), and a ball python (Baz).

Infection Treatment

• Leptospirosis Treatment
  This vaccine is recommended for dogs that spend time in areas where wildlife is common (especially rodents, raccoons, deer, rabbits, skunks and foxes or coyotes) as this is a bacteria that is spread from these species. This can be acquired if your dog is exposed to contaminated water such as ponds, streams, puddles, swampy areas etc. This can also be contracted by eating contaminated things on the ground such as grass. This bacteria can lead to kidney and/or liver failure in dogs. This vaccine is done annually after the initial booster series.
• Feline Retro Virus Treatment
  We strongly recommend that cats who go outside, or have contact with cats that do go outside, be kept vaccinated against feline leukemia. All cats should be tested at least once to determine if they are carrying either Feline Leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Both of these diseases can be fatal if your cat contracts them. Both diseases occur in our area and are transmitted from infected cats through saliva or cat fights, bites, bodily fluids, and from mom to kittens. The FeLV vaccine is given in two boosters the first year and then once annually after that. There is no vaccine for FIV.
• Ear Infection Treatment
  Pets are wired to hide illness, and even the most attentive pet parents can miss the subtle signs of a problem. Issues like obesity, ear infection and parasites can be masked beneath thick fur, and noticeable symptoms of diabetes, kidney disease and other ailments may not be present in the early stages of the diseases.

Chronic Condition Treatment

• Arthritis Treatment
  There are several significant health problems that can develop due to obesity.  The most common problems being diabetes, osteoarthritis, breathing difficulties, plus anesthetic and surgical risks.  Studies have even found that the development of cancer is more likely in pets that are obese/overweight.
• Diabetes Treatment
• Thyroid Disease Treatment
• Heart Disease Treatment
  Pets often develop medical conditions that can be alleviated through dietary management. Together we can determine a dietary plan suitable for such conditions as heart disease, kidney or liver problems, obesity, or other ailments.
• Kidney Disease Treatment
  Kidney and liver disease: Failure of these organs can lead to chemical imbalances, anemia etc. Kidney disease is a leading cause of death in cats.
• Periodontal Disease Treatment
  Periodontal disease: Inflammation of the teeth and gums may lead to pain, infection, tooth loss, bad breath, kidney and heart damage, and as a result, decrease, and, as a result, decrease your pets life expectancy.

Emergency Care

• Wound and Fracture Care
  Rabies is required by law in the state of Minnesota, because rabies is a deadly disease that is capable of being transmitted to humans by bite wounds. All cats, even indoor cats, are required to be vaccinated for rabies. Even if your cat is indoors, it should be protected against this virus as sometimes a bat can come into the house that can be infected (which the cat may find) or sometimes a cat escapes the house. The first vaccine is usually given as early at 12 weeks.

Surgery

• Veterinary Surgery
  We provide both routine and complex surgical services. Our philosophy is to consult thoroughly with clients prior to surgery discussing options, answering questions and giving an accurate estimate of the cost of the procedure.
• Laser Surgery
• Spaying and Neutering
  We recommend to spay/neuter your kitten at 4-6 months of age. This way you spay females before they go into their first heat cycle and neuter males before they start behavioral spraying. Female cats, that go into heat, will continue to go in and out of heat until they are spayed or bred. Neutering a cat after it has already started to spray will help reduce the tendency but may not completely eliminate the problem because it has become a learned behavior. Spay/neuter early to avoid these problems.

Lab and X-Rays

• Laboratory Services
  A simple blood test can determine if your dog has heartworm.  Once we determine that your dog is heartworm free, we will prescribe a once a month chewable preventative medication that is given year round. Another option is a ProHeart injection as a form of prevention.
• X-Ray
• Dental Radiology
  We take full mouth dental x-rays on every patient that has a dental cleaning performed at our hospital. This enable us to find and treat dental issues that may not be detectable on an oral exam as most issues occur under the gumline. Treatment of these painful oral  issues will improve your pets quality of life.
• Microchipping
  In an effort to unite lost pets with their owners, most animal control facilities across the country have these microchip readers. They scan the chip, then call the registration number to determine the owner’s name and phone number and help unite the lost pet with its owner. Microchiping is permanent, so your pet can be identified, even if their collar is lost.

General Pet Care

• Boarding
• Grooming
• Senior Pet Care
  The goal of our practice is to help your loving pet age gracefully. Our overall goal is to improve the quality of your pet’s life, as well as how long they live. Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer and healthier than ever.