North Memorial Animal Hospital

Veterinarian

bloodwork

Insurance…..for pets?

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Hi, my name is Mary D.  I have worked at North Memorial Animal Hospital for the past 2 1/2 years.

So I have to ask….

Why get insurance?

The question is why not?

Let’s imagine for a second you have found the perfect addition to your family. Have you ever thought of what they are at risk for?  Eating trash for example. The first thing you think of is “Oh what a mess it will be to clean.”  What I think of is, “What was in there? What could he/she have eaten?”.   There are many things in your daily life that your pet can come into contact with, medication, objects around the house, harmful foods, some household plants.  Check out 101 things that can harm your pet at  https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/101-things-you-didnt-know-could-harm-your-pet/

Some very common accidental injuries/illnesses include:  Expository surgery from eating a foreign object.   Pet jumping from car window.   Attacked by another dog.  Kennel cough, which can be caught at public dog part or even from taking your pet to the local pet store.  It does not have to be from a kennel.  Also toxicity from eating certain poisonous items such as sugar free gum, chocolate, raisins, etc…

Did you know most companies will cover approximately 80-90% of an accidental injuries.  They will also cover 100% of wellness visits.  All policies are not the same.  Cheaper policies cover less.  The great thing about pet insurance is, you can use any veterinarian you choose.  You pay for the visit upfront then submit claim for reimbursement.  Turn around time is quite fast especially when you have your veterinarian fax the paperwork to them.  For a list of all pet insurance companies with ratings and testimonials visit.   www.petinsurancereviews.com   An online quote takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. They provide a toll free number to answer any questions.

Not a lot of people are aware that the insurance covers the yearly wellness visits.  There are some people that get only the basic vaccines due to finances and leave their pet unprotected for things such as Lyme Disease, Canine Influenza and Bordetella.  With pet insurance you can now fully protect your pet.

Preventative care such as dental cleanings are covered also.  Did you know that the bacteria that causes plaque and tarter build up are related to heart disease, liver disease and kidney disease?  Bacteria in the mouth can go through the blood system and in return cause damage to the heart, liver, kidneys and can be linked to joint disease.  Therefore dental cleanings are not just for clean teeth and fresh breath it actually helps prolong the life of your pet.

To list just a few other preventive care coverages:

  • Flea and Tick prevention
  • Heart worm prevention
  • wellness exams
  • core vaccines and addition vaccines
  • checking a stool sample for parasites
  • blood screening
  • urinalysis
  • spay and neuters.So now I ask you.  When are you getting your pet insurance?

Dental Cleaning; what do we do?

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Once tartar has formed it is necessary to remove it by professionally scaling and polishing the teeth under anesthesia.  The goal of a dental cleaning is to remove the visible tartar, invisible plaque, and the tartar beneath the gum line.
                                                 

Blood work   The first step in a dental cleaning is Pre-Surgical Blood work.  At North Memorial Animal Hospital all pets having general anesthesia have a pre surgical idexx blood machinescreen done.  The panel checks your pet’s liver and kidney functions, which is important because anesthesia filters though them. The panel for a geriatric pet is much more involved.

 

 

 

Anesthesia

Our surgery suite and dental station are equipped with a SurgiVet vaporizer for isoflurane gas.  Isoflurane is one of the safest gas anesthesia used by veterinarians.  Your pet will be completely sedated for a dental cleaning.  We do everything possible to ensure their safety during the procedure.  All pets having dental work done will have an endotracheal tube passed to help them breath.  Monitoring equipment is used to measure the heart rate, level of oxygen in the blood, EKG  and blood pressure.

 

 Scaling  – Scaling the teeth removes the tartar above and below the gum line.  We use hand scalers and ultrasonic cleaning equipment very similar to a human dentist.  By removing all the tartar from your pet’s teeth a much healthier gum line is possible along with fresher breath.  If any extractions were needed they would be performed after the scaling.  Any teeth that have root exposure are broken or loose will be removed.  These teeth cause pets pain every time they chew.  The mouth typically heals very fast and it is much more comfortable to have the teeth removed than a constant pain when eating.

Polishing – By polishing the teeth we can smooth the surface, making them more resistant to plaque and tartar formation.

Flushing – Finally we thoroughly flush your pet’s mouth to remove any dislodged tartar from the teeth and rinse away any bacteria still in the mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polishing  By polishing the teeth we can smooth the surface of the teeth, making them more resistant to plaque and tartar formation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flushing  Finally we thoroughly flush your pet’s mouth to remove any dislodged tartar from the teeth and rinse away any bacterial still in the mouth.