Our staff at Garden City Veterinary Hospital is filled with passionate animal lovers who are here to help you and your pet! They are highly trained and dedicated to making sure that your pets receive the care and compassion every time they walk in the door!
We offer the following services to keep your pets healthy:
Dental Care
Sedation dentistry is just a small amount of sedative given intravenously and does not require a general anesthetic. Sedation dentistry is offered to pets who do not have a lot of build up of plaque or tartar, who do not require any extractions or for patients we feel that are at risk of complications from a general anesthetic. After administering the sedative your animal is relaxed and calm, we then go in with a manual scaler and scale the tarter and plaque off of the teeth. After debridement we give them a full polish with fluoride using a polishing motor. The procedure typically takes between 20-45mins.
General anesthesia is required to do a full dentistry when recommended by the veterinarian. We provide your pet with a premedication that relaxes and calms your pet so that we can administer a general anesthetic. Once induced we begin the debridement using an ultrasonic scaler while we monitor your pets vitals such as respirations, temperature, CO2 levels, heart beats, blood pressure and O2 saturations during the whole procedure . If necessary dental x-rays are taken to assess root and bone abnormalities or if a tooth is extracted to ensure that the whole root was removed. If extractions are necessary we provide your pet with pain medcation during anesthetic that lasts for 24 hours and they are sent home with an oral pain medication.
Sometimes dissolving sutures are required to close up tissues where teeth have been extracted. Once we are finished the polish your pet is removed from the inhalant anesthtetic and usually wakes up quickly. We let them rest here for the day to monitor them before sending them home. This procedure usually takes about an hour but the total stay for the day varies from 4-8 hours.
Spay and Neuter
Spaying and neutering are important and necessary medical procedures that enhance the quality of your pets' life. Not only does spaying and neutering have positive effects on your pets' health, it's also vital to controlling the homeless pet population.
Microchipping
At Garden City Veterinary Hospital, we are happy to offer microchipping. Every year, thousands and thousands of pets go missing. Not knowing where your pet is or how to bring them back can be a helpless, hopeless feeling. It’s a tragedy that happens all too often.
But there is a simple, safe, and effective way to ensure your pet's safety and retrieval should he or she ever become lost. Microchipping is a standard procedure that implants a tiny chip underneath your pet's fur. It is a painless and relatively fast procedure and is completely safe.
Vaccinations
We provide wellness and preventative care for all stages of your pet’s life. We recommend vaccinating your dog or cat regardless of whether they are an indoor or outdoor pet. Vaccinations not only prevent your animal from contracting serious and sometimes fatal illnesses, but they also protect other animals by preventing the spread of viruses and serious diseases.
We recommend puppies have their first set of vaccinations at 8 weeks of age. The 2nd set is done at 12 weeks and the 3rd and last set is done at 16 weeks of age. For cats we recommend the initial vaccination be done at 12 weeks and then once more at 16 weeks.
Along with vaccinations deworming is also an important treatment as well. We recommend that puppies and kittens be dewormed at 2, 4, 6, & 8 weeks of age, then again at 12 & 16 weeks of age and then again at 6 months and 1 year of age. After 1 year of age if your pet is outdoors a lot they should be dewormed twice per year. If they are in indoor pet we recommend only deworming them once per year.
Preventative care also includes an annual exam and a blood test may be recommended during the senior years to rule out any internal problems. A blood test may also be recommended if there is an abnormal finding during your pet’s physical exam. Preventative care is essential for your pet as they cannot always tell you if something is wrong with them.
We will do our best to provide you with the best possible resources to prevent illness, disease and common conditions during your pet’s annual exam and you can always contact us with any questions.
Wellness Exams
At Garden City Veterinary Hospital in Richmond, BC VY N, we believe that regular checkups and wellness exams are critical to your pets' well-being. These wellness exams give us a chance to evaluate the overall health of your pet while also giving us a baseline for their unique bodies and tendencies.
Not only do these exams keep us up-to-date with your pets' health, but they also allow us to detect potential problems before they become serious. This thorough checkup gives us vital information to help keep your pet healthy!
Nutritional Counseling
Garden City Veterinary Hospital offers nutritional counseling for pet owners of Richmond, BC VY N and surrounding communities. If you have any questions about your pet's diet or would like more information about your pet's nutritional needs, please contact us today. We can set up a nutrition plan for your pet.
Obesity is a common problem among pets, as it can be easy to overfeed a cute dog or cat that knows how to beg. Being overweight is a serious problem for animals, and can cause real health problems. With proper diet and exercise, all pets should be able to meet their dietary needs and stay within a healthy weight range.
Parasite Prevention
The idea of your pet being infested with parasites is a disturbing thought, but it's also a medical issue that can have serious consequences if not properly dealt with or prevented. Parasites pose a variety of health issues for our pets, who can be very susceptible to certain parasites depending on age, region, and other factors.
At Garden City Veterinary Hospital, we emphasize the importance of preventing parasites. Through preventative measures, you can successfully protect your pet. Pets that are not protected often develop parasites, leading to serious problems for them and their owners.
Advanced Digital X-rays
Here at Garden City Veterinary Hospital we have the most modern technology available to help diagnose internal problems. Our digital x-ray equipment is a new addition to our hospital and makes it easier to diagnose, detect and relay medical conditions to our clients and for use in referral to specialists. Our x-ray computer provides results instantaneously and allows us to facilitate the radiograph interpretations faster which mean clients get results in minutes.
We use this technology to interpret bone fractures, internal tumors, cardiac enlargements, pleural abnormalities, trachea tract stenosis, bladder stones, foreign objects, bowel obstructions, vertebral abnormalities and dental abnormalities.
Surgery
Surgery may be recommended to you for your pet for many reasons, some reasons are critical and life saving while other reasons are for preventative and curative procedures. Our hospital performs several surgeries from spays and neuters to tumor removals, ligament repairs and bladder stone removals to name a few. Our patients are monitored during the entire procedure using a modern technology that measures their respirations, heart rate, carbon dioxide levels, oxygen saturation, temperature and blood pressure. A liquid controlled heating mat is also placed under your pet for warmth and comfort during surgery. Your pet will also be given IV fluids throughout the surgical procedure to keep them hydrated.
Our staff is well versed in handling emergencies and assisting in routine anesthesia and surgeries. Before your pet undergoes any kind of surgical procedure we recommend performing a simple blood test that will determine if there are any abnormalities with internal organ functions.
The night before surgery we advised clients not to feed their pet anything after 7pm and to remove all water after midnight or whenever they go to bed. Owners should not give their pet any food or water the morning of the surgery as it is important for the pet to have an empty stomach so that they aren’t at risk for aspirating under a general anesthesia.
For any other questions please contact us and one of our team members will be happy to help you.
End of Life Care
We at Garden City Veterinary Hospital are committed to handling sensitive situations with professionalism and treating your pet with dignity. We provide compassionate care with euthanasia when your pet is suffering and their quality of life is poor. If your animal has passed suddenly we do offer necropsy services to determine the cause of death. Once your animal has passed we work together with a cremation company to handle your pets remains, you have the option of taking your pets cremations home with you or having a paw print made of your pet’s paw and selecting customized urns and easels.
We understand that coming to a decision about the end of your pets life is very difficult and overwhelming and we are here to answer any questions you may have. There are more resources provided to you by the company we associate with to handle our cremations including grief counseling and what to expect during the decision making and grieving process. Please visit our associates’ website at www.untilwemeetagain.ca for more information. They are available 24/7 should you experience a loss on your own.
Onsite Diagnostics
Garden City Veterinary Hospital is equipped with in house diagnostic equipment to expedite diagnoses and treatment in minutes.
We have scil IPS digital radiograph system which helps detect bone fractures and internal abnormalities. Sometimes we use agents such as barium to highlight the GI tract so that we can detect any blockages. The scil IPS® System is a flat panel system that offers automatic image processing and optimal quality.
We have an Abaxis HM5. The HM5 is a fully-automated, five-part differential hematology analyzer displaying a comprehensive 22-parameter complete blood count (CBC) with cellular histograms.
We also have an Abaxis VS2. The VS2 is a state-of-the-art chemistry, electrolyte, immunoassay and blood gas analyzer which helps us determine most internal organ functions.
In house cytology uses sample of cells that are taken from a tissue via tape method or skin scrape and then are fixed on a microscope slide. The slide is then stained and the cells are looked at under the microscope. We use this to detect abnormalities from tissues, urine and blood.
An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of your pet’s heart. The electrocardiogram is a non-invasive test. The heart’s electrical activity is recorded by attaching small contact electrodes to the limbs and chest wall. This allows recording of electrical activity onto paper printed from the electrocardiograph machine.
The Doppler is used for detecting blood flow acoustically and for making blood-pressure measurements indirectly using an inflatable cuff and sphygmomanometer. The method is like that used on humans; the Doppler functions as a stethoscope. Systolic pressure is measured by reading the pressure on a sphygmomanometer when the blood flow sound first returns as the cuff pressure is lowered.
We use a machine developed for vital signs monitoring during surgery and dentistry. Our machine provides the following monitors; blood pressure, capnography, pulse oximetry, ECG, core body temperature and patient warming.
Fecal flotation is a routine veterinary test that is used to identify the presence of intestinal parasites or “worms”. The test actually detects the eggs of mature parasites that live in the intestine and excrete their eggs to the outside in the host’s stool. Some of the parasites are worm-like, while others are simple single-celled organisms called protozoa.
Urinalysis is an important laboratory test that can be readily performed. It is useful to document various types of urinary tract diseases and may provide information about other systemic diseases, such as liver failure and hemolysis.
The PCV test is used to measure the amount of cells in the blood; blood is made up of cells and plasma. The amount of cells in the blood is expressed as a percentage of the total volume of blood; for example, a PCV measurement of 50% means that there are 50 millilitres of cells per 100 millilitres of blood.
Tonometry is the measurement of intra ocular pressure. Tonometry is essential in the work-up of animals with ocular conditions.
A Schirmer tear test is performed to see if the dry eyes in an animal is due to a decrease in tear production.
A fluorescein eye stain test, a dark orange dye (fluorescein) is placed onto the outer surface of your pets eye. A blue light is then shone onto the eye. The dye will show any scratches, tears or foreign particles on your eye as a green color under the light.
A Medical Woods lamps may be used to diagnose certain fungus, bacterial infections and parasites. Ringworm is an example that glows under UV light. We may also use a Woods light to look for scratches and foreign bodies in the cornea of the eye.
Senior Care
Senior care involves the care of any pets in their advanced ages. Senior care can involve routine blood screening for any internal abnormalities and can detect problems that are evident by an animal’s behaviour. The most common senior disease that we see in cats is kidney disease and with new diagnostic testing we can test and treat this disease before it becomes life threatening.
The most common senior disease that we see in dogs is osteoarthritis and can diagnose this disease using our digital x-ray to detect loss of cartilage between the bone joints. Whether you pet has a common ailment or not it is always advised to have your pet’s health monitored as they age. Pets don’t always let us know if there is a serious illness, but what can be a subtle symptom such as coughing that you see, could lead to a big problem such as heart disease that we can detect.
Just like humans an animal’s health can deteriorate as they age.
Things to watch out for in senior dogs are:
- Excessive water drinking
- Panting frequently
- Lethargy
- Inappetence
- Lameness
- Weight loss
- Stiff when arising
- Bumping into objects
- Confusion
Things to watch out for in senior cats:
- Excessive water drinking
- Lethargy
- Inappetence or overeating
- Weight loss
- Meowing frequently
- Inability to jump up or down from higher objects
- Bumping into objects
- Confusion
- Panting or open mouth breathing
Specialists Referral
Sometimes we must refer our patients out to doctor’s that specialize in a specific field. Garden City Veterinary Hospital works in conjunction with several specialists across the lower mainland. We refer our patients to other specialists that we know and trust and work together to bring your pet the best medical care as we possibly can. Some of the professionals we refer our patients to are in the field of:
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Ultrasound
- Echocardiograms
- Oncology
- Behaviour Specialists
- Emergency after hours care
- Cardiology
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation
- Internal medicine
Whenever we have referred your pet to a specialist they will provide us with a report so that we can follow up with your pets care.