Whether you’ve just acquired your dog or cat, or you’ve been together for years, we will help you keep your pet healthy and happy by providing preventative healthcare, identifying signs of disease or discomfort, and monitoring and managing chronic diseases.

Vaccines are essential for preventing diseases in cats and dogs.  Our doctors choose which vaccines are right for you and your pet based on his or her breed, age, health status, and lifestyle.  Below is a list of the vaccinations we offer; more information about each of these diseases and vaccines will be discussed at your first visit.

Rabies:  We vaccinate all dogs and cats for Rabies, as dictated by Pennsylvania state law.

Distemper:  Dogs and cats get their own species specific combination vaccine to prevent highly transmissible viruses.

Leptospirosis:  All dogs are vaccinated against this water-borne parasite that is spread through rodent urine.   The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is a great resource to learn about this disease: http://www.cdc.gov/leptospirosis/pets/

We consider the following vaccinations optional and given to dogs whose lifestyles put them at risk for the following diseases:  Lyme disease, Bordetella bronchiseptica (“kennel cough”) and Canine Influenza Virus (CIV).  For cats that spend time outdoors, we recommend the feline leukemia (FeLV) vaccine.

Puppies and kittens:

At your kitten or puppy’s first visit, the veterinarian will discuss medical and dietary history, perform a full physical examination, administer necessary vaccines and run a fecal test for intestinal parasites.  For kittens, a blood test for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) will be discussed.  Your technician will address preventative care, feeding, training, household hazards, microchips, pet insurance and other topics.

We examine kittens and puppies at least twice before their first birthdays and encourage neuter or spay by six months of age.

Adult pet wellness:

Your adult dog or cat’s veterinarian will obtain a thorough medical history from you and perform a complete physical examination.  Appropriate vaccines will be administered.  We recommend bi-yearly heartworm tests for dogs based on the American Heartworm Society (AHS) guidelines (https://www.heartwormsociety.org/), and once-twice yearly fecal tests for intestinal parasites, as dictated by CAPC, the Companion Animal Parasite Council (http://www.capcvet.org/).   We will also prescribe a monthly heartworm and intestinal parasite preventative for dogs as well as flea and tick preventative for all pets.

QVAH offers a wide variety of soft tissue surgical services. We do not perform orthopedic surgery but can refer you to a local boarded surgeon if necessary.

Most common:

-Neutering (spaying or ovariohysterectomy in females, and castration in males)
-Lumpectomy (surgical removal of a mass/neoplasia)
-Laceration/bite wound repair
-Abdominal exploratory (to remove intestinal foreign bodies, take tissue biopsies, remove masses, etc.)
-Cystotomy (to remove bladder stones or biopsy a bladder mass)
-Gastropexy (a prophylactic procedure in large deep chested dogs to prevent GDV {gastric dilatation & volvulus}) This can done at time of spay in females
-“Cherry eye” (prolapsed gland of the third eyelid) repair
-Declaws (front only)
-Feeding tube placement (esophagostomy)
-Limb or digit amputation (most commonly for tumor removal)

Our patients are maintained on IV fluids while under anesthesia. They have a dedicated surgical nurse monitoring and adjusting their plane of anesthesia as necessary. We use ECG to monitor their heart rate and rhythm as well as pulse oximetry to monitor their oxygenation. Warm air blankets are used as needed to maintain their body temperature.

Prior to anesthesia, we perform blood work to assess liver and kidney function as well as make sure there is no evidence of anemia or problems with the body’s ability to clot. In cats, we also like to check blood pressure (to evaluate for systemic hypertension). We also try to assess cardiac function with a brief ultrasound of the heart prior to anesthesia.