Island Trees Veterinary Hospital Health Maintenance
Your veterinary hospital services in Hicksville, NY
It is our mission to partner with our clients to nurture and preserve the human-animal bond by providing compassionate, expert, and affordable veterinary care from your pet’s first adventure throughout a long and healthy life.
Routine Vaccinations
Vaccines are an essential aspect of any preventative medicine program.
Vaccines have proven to be an invaluable tool in protecting our pets from fatal diseases. Island Trees Veterinary Hospital tailors its vaccination protocol to guidelines established by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the lifestyle of your pet, and the diseases he or she is most likely to be exposed to. During your kitten or puppy’s first year of life vaccines are spread out so as not to overwhelm the developing immune system.
We do this in order to provide the best protection from disease as well as to reduce the possibility of your pet having an adverse reaction to a vaccine.
Lost Pet Microchip Identification
There is nothing more upsetting than the thought of a lost pet. How will he or she find her way home?
The fact is that at one time or another in our pets’ lives they will find a way out of the house or off their leash. Very few pets make their way home on their own. Most lost pets are picked up by an animal control officer or good Samaritan and taken to a local shelter. In this scenario, a collar may not be enough for your pet to return home safely as it can fall off.
Lost pet microchip IDs are a safe, simple and effective way to prevent your pet from becoming permanently lost. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted beneath your pet’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades. The procedure only takes a minute or two to perform and is painless.
The microchip is encoded with your pet’s vital information, which can be read by scanners at veterinary hospitals and shelters across the country and around the world. Once the information in the chip is read, it can be used to easily reunite you with your beloved companion.
Blood Pressure & Glaucoma Screening for Dogs and Cats
Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can be just as dangerous for your pet as it is for you. High blood pressure—also known as hypertension—is far more common in pets than many people realize and can cause a number of serious illnesses such as renal disease, heart disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism and more. Being able to accurately measure and monitor your pet’s blood pressure is also an important surgical concern.
Island Trees Veterinary Hospital uses an ultrasonic Doppler blood pressure monitor specially designed to accurately measure and monitor blood pressure in companion animals. After your pet’s blood pressure has been measured, your veterinarian will explain the results and provide treatment options if necessary.
Glaucoma Screening
Glaucoma doesn’t only affect humans; your pet can develop it too. Glaucoma is a condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eye increases to a point where the optic nerve is damaged, causing excruciating pain and blindness. Glaucoma is relatively common in animals and can develop as your pet ages (chronic glaucoma) or as the result of an injury or illness (acute glaucoma).
In many cases glaucoma can progress quite rapidly—especially when it is the result of injury or underlying illness—and is considered an emergency situation. Symptoms to look for include:
- Redness in the eye
- Tearing or discharge
- Eye sensitivity to light
- Pain
- Cloudy eye
- Bulging eyeball
- Squinting
Due to the severity and incidence of glaucoma, Island Trees Veterinary Hospital recommends that you have your pet checked regularly for this disease. A routine glaucoma exam can help set a baseline measurement for your pet. Setting a baseline measurement is important because normal Intraocular Pressure (IOP) can vary between species, breeds and even individual pets.
Your Hicksville veterinarian uses an instrument called a Tonometer to measure the fluid pressure inside your pet’s eyes. It is a non-invasive procedure that should not cause your pet any pain or discomfort. Your veterinarian will apply an anesthetic eye-drop to ensure your pet is comfortable during the exam.
The examination is very quick to perform and once done, your veterinarian will explain your pet’s measurement and provide any treatment options if necessary.
Onsite Veterinary Pharmacy
Most human medications are not suitable and can be lethal for animals. Veterinary pharmacies are not readily available to the public as they are for humans.
Island Trees Veterinary Hospital believes that in order to fully support the well-being of your pet it is important to provide our clients with convenient and timely access to the medications their pets need. This is why we maintain a well-stocked veterinary pharmacy at our practice.
Our onsite veterinary pharmacy is also an additional safety step because there is a direct line of communication between the exam room and the pharmacy, reducing the chance for error. Additionally, each prescribed medication instantly becomes part of your pet’s medical record.
Many animals will not take pills or liquid medication willingly. This is why we also work with a compounding pharmacy to accommodate special dosing needs such as adding flavors or offering a medication in liquid rather than pill form.
Refills are easy too. Simply give us a call or visit our online pharmacy and we can either mail them to you or have them ready for your next visit.