10 Questions to ask a new vet

 For many people, finding the right veterinarian is just as important as choosing a personal physician.  To that end, PawNation has recently posted a list of ten questions to ask a potential veterinarian.  After perusing this list, I realized that it’s a good list to ask even your current veterinarian; you may not know the answers, no matter how long you’ve been with your pet’s doctor.  I intend to fix that now…

1.    How many vets are in the practice? Will you see the same vet every time or do the doctors switch or rotate without notice?

• West Ridge Animal Hospital currently has five (5) full time veterinarians: Dr. Colin Combs, Dr.    Rebecca Hubert, Dr. James Ebner, Dr. Jody Engel and Dr. Gwendolyn Reyes-Illg.  The doctor you seefor each appointment is completely up to you.  Some animals get attached to a single doctor, while some pet parents like to see all the doctors at one time or another; we will indulge your preference!  Aside from illness or personal emergencies that may arise, our doctors are on a set schedule and you will see the doctor with which you scheduled.
• Having several veterinarians in the building creates a couple benefits for you as a client.  The first benefit is that each doctor has his/her own personality and you are welcome to choose the one you relate with best.  Also, our doctors all work as a team to ensure your pet gets the very best possible care; especially in the rare instance that he/she is hospitalized with an illness.  Five different doctors present us with experience on a variety of conditions, as well as diverse areas of special interest.  For instance, all doctors see and treat all issues with cats and dogs but Dr. Hubert has an affinity for orthopedic cases, while Dr. Engel enjoys the dental arena; Dr. Ebner is remarkably well versed in diabetes, Dr. Reye-Illg is learning advanced ultrasound techniques, and Dr. Combs has a marked passion for birds and exotics!

2.    How far in advance does the practice typically schedule appointments?

• Appointments may be scheduled up to four (4) weeks in advance.  Depending on the urgency of the situation, we can get you in that same day.

3.    If you need same-day care, will the practice see you or refer you to an emergency vet?

• We are aware of the need for urgent care appointments and can see your sick or injured pet that same day.  Emergencies, of course, are always seen immediately.  If you would like a wellness or non-critical appointment, we may be able to get you in depending on how that day’s schedule looks.

4.    What are the qualifications of the technical staff? If your pet needs a simple procedure (like a blood draw or an anal gland expression), can you see a tech or do you need an appointment with the main vet?

• At this time, we have five (5) Certified Veterinary Technicians who are supported by eleven (11) Technician Assistants.  In the state of Colorado, a person must attend two (2) years in an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited school, then pass the strenuous VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination) to be considered “certified”.  Many appointments, such as booster vaccines, anal gland expression, and nail trims may be scheduled with a CVT when requested, as long as your pet is current on twice-yearly wellness examinations.

5.    If your dog has a specific disease or ailment, does the vet have experience treating that condition?

• As mentioned previously, having five doctors gives us many more years of experience in different ailments.  We regularly treat diabetes, cushings disease, thyroid cases, orthopedic injuries, allergies, FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease), ear infections, digestive upset, arthritis, bladder infections, kidney disease, dental disease and prevention, foreign object ingestions, skin growths, and a whole slew of other issues. 

6.    Are the vets open to alternative treatments like chiropractic care or acupuncture?

• Not only are our doctors open to them, we provide them!  In fact, four of our veterinarians are trained in acupuncture and Dr. Combs is educated in VOM (veterinary orthopedic manipulation, the equivalent of human chiropractic).  Besides that, we also have a water treadmill for dogs and technicians who give medical massages, which are especially nice for animals recovering from surgery.

7.    Does the practice offer emergency or after-hours care? If not, where would the practice send you?

• Knowing that illnesses and injuries do NOT follow any sort of regular schedule, we are open until 9 each weekday evening, 5 on Saturdays, and 1 on Sundays.  Our regular hours are: 

8am to 9pm Monday through Friday
8am to 5pm Saturday
9am to 1pm Sunday

• In the event that your animal needs to be seen outside of these hours, we recommend you call PETS Emergency Clinic, 970-339-8700, 3629 23rd Avenue, Evans

8.    Does the vet or practice have a referral network in case you need specialized care (for instance, from a veterinary dermatologist or an oncologist)?

• Our veterinarians play very well with their colleagues.  Okay, it sounds like we’re talking about little kids, but we really mean it!  We have a network of several specialists that we work with whenever it is needed including a cardiologist, dental specialist, specialized surgeons and radiologists.  In fact, all of the above even come to our location when the need arises to ensure that your pets get the very best care!

9.    What is the best way to contact the vet during the business day and after hours?

• West Ridge has many avenues for communication; the best of which is usually the phone.  Our contact info is:

970-330-7283, phone

970-313-4527, fax

info@wrah.net, general e-mail

Facebook: search for West Ridge Animal Hospital

Or you may find answers to your questions on our website at www.wrah.net

10.    Is he or she willing to answer questions via email?

• Each of our doctors has an individual preference on how they communicate with clients.  When you meet with your doctor, we encourage you to discuss the best way to contact each other.

Above and beyond all these questions, we would like you to know that we also provide boarding and grooming.  We have staff here 24 hours a day so that hospitalized patients are monitored and cared for around the clock.

We hope that our answers have made it clear to you just how very much we care about your pets!  Come see us and “let our family care for yours”!

Ask West Ridge- RAW diet

Q. I have heard that I should feed my new puppy a raw food diet. What do you recommend?

A. West Ridge Animal Hospital does NOT recommend feeding any dog a RAW diet. Very recent studies published in the AVMA Journal have shown a large health risk in feeding raw diets to dogs and their humans. These studies conducted at CSU, show an overwhelming percentage of infection with salmonella. Also, the FDA has issued a guidance concerning this very practice. Here are some excerpts from the FDA's report:

"(The) FDA does not believe raw meat foods for animals are consistent
with the goal of protecting the public from significant health risks,
particularly when such products are brought into the home and/or used to
feed domestic pets."

"The prevalence of pathogenic bacterial contaminants in raw meat and
poultry products sold for human consumption varies greatly, from less
than 1 percent to 100 percent, depending on the specific microbial
contaminant, the species of animal used to produce the raw product, the
degree to which the raw product has been processed, the number of times
the product has been handled, the facility producing the product, and
the methods used to sample the product and identify the specific
microbial contaminant."

"Thus, the scientific literature indicates that feeding raw meat
products carries a risk to human and animal health that is significant
given the microbiological results from studies of ingredients that could
compose such products..."

As you can see, the chance of contamination is great; putting both your
puppy and you at risk for illness.

Ask West Ridge- Payment

Q: I am a 'poor college student' but I love my cat dearly and he needs veterinary care. What can I do?

A: Your pet's good health is absolutely the first priority for all of us here at West Ridge Animal Hospital. Therefore, we not only have state of the art equipment, but we also continuously educate all our staff on the most current treatments and diagnostics. In order to continue to provide this excellent care, we do require payment at the time of service. To facilitate this, we accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

When you come in for an appointment here, our veterinarians and veterinary technicians will perform a full examination. Depending on what is found at that time, they will discuss all recommended tests, treatments and medications with you before moving forward. An estimated care plan with all associated costs can certainly be prepared for you as well.

Also, there is a credit company called CareCredit that offers several different programs- some at 0% interest. You can get more information and even apply for it at www.carecredit.com. You can also ask us- we will be happy to call in your application if that is easier for you.

Ask West Ridge- Sneezing Cat

Q: My cat has been a 'hard-sneezer' for years (we always just assumed that it was allergies). Over the past year it seems that he now coughs a little, wheezes, and has respiratory distress in general. I don't know what to do for him. ... Do you have any suggestions?

A: There are several things that could be causing your cat’s symptoms. Your cat could have, among other things; feline asthma, heart disease, or an infection such as pneumonia. As these issues can be serious, we recommend your cat see a veterinarian.

Due to the differing possible causes we can't recommend any treatments without running any tests. To start toward a diagnosis, we ask that you bring your cat in for an examination, chest x-ray/s and a nasal swab cytology. There may be additional tests to run, depending on what is found by the doctor. Medications may also be prescribed.

Dr. Jim Ebner
Dr. Natalie Durbin

Ask-A-Vet- Pit Bulls

Q. Is your facility willing to board pit-bulls?

A. Yes! In fact, West Ridge Animal Hospital's staff is trained in handling all breeds and temperaments. Different breeds present us with separate issues and we are tuned in to each. There are some breeds with specific health issues or risks that we watch for, and there are some breeds with possible temperament tendencies which we respect as well. We believe all breeds to be worthy of our care and concern- we board, treat, and care for them all.

Here at West Ridge, we regret that pit bulls have been stigmatized as being an aggressive breed. It is not a given breed that is aggressive, but the individual dog. If you happen to have an aggressive pet, of any breed, we will treat it with caution so as not to put any person or other animal in danger. Our vets and staff use many different approaches to find just the right one for each pet. As a last resort, or at the owner's request, we may use a muzzle. In addition, while boarding, an aggressive dog will not be allowed to participate in any playgroups. With this said, please do not hesitate to bring in an aggressive dog for treatment- they deserve to have good health and we are here to help. Of course, we expect you to alert us to the fact that your pet may be aggressive beforehand so we can take any necessary precautions.

Along these lines, if you do own an aggressive dog, you have a duty to handle your dog responsibly to prevent any injuries to others. For more information on this topic, please visit:
Tips for Living Safely with Dogs (PDF File - Adobe Acrobat reader required to view) provided by the Coalition for Living Safely with Dogs
or this Veterinary Partner article.

New Public Service- Ask A Vet

To help answer general pet care questions we receive and provide a resource for concerned pet owners, West Ridge Animal Hospital is now offering Ask A Vet, your chance to get advice from some of Greeley's finest pet care providers. During the course of a day, we receive many questions regarding proper animal care, symptoms and general concerns. As a benefit to the West Ridge community and pet lovers everywhere, we will start sharing the most common questions and concerns we see.

If you have a question you have been itching to Ask a Vet, you may submit them to a West Ridge Animal Hospital veterinarian and the answer may be posted here. Please feel free to submit questions by using our Ask West Ridge form, leaving us a comment, or e-mailing us at ask@wrah.net.

Please note, in no way should Ask a Vet be used as a substitute for an actual consultation with a licensed veterinarian. Nor is it for use in medical emergencies. In the event of an emergency, please contact West Ridge Animal Hospital or another qualified veterinarian directly for immediate referral.