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CAH
SERVICES
CAH offers many services
to our valued clients. Click on the links below for more information on
that service:
 Computerized
medical records system
24-hour
Emergency Service (Doctor on Call)
House
Calls
Complete
Sterile Surgery
Isoflurane
Gas Anesthesia,
with Cardiac & Respiratory
Monitoring
Electrocardiography/Echocardiography
Ultrasonography
Endoscopy
Video
Otoscopy
Oxygen
& Nebulization Therapy
Doppler
Blood Pressure Measurement
Penn
Hip & OFA Evaluations
Laboratory
Facilities
Complete
X-Ray Services
Complete
Pharmacy
Isolette
Incubator
Nutritional
Counseling & Prescription Diets
Dental
Cleaning & Oral Surgery
Avian
Medicine, Surgery, and Bird Diets
Medical
Boarding
Bathing
& Medical Grooming
Puppy
Kindergarten Classes
Computerized medical records system
County Animal Hospital is in the process of taking the medical records
system into the digital age. This will enable the doctor to have instant
access to you pet's records from anywhere in the hospital or even when
away from the office. As the system is developed it will enhance our telemedicine
capabilities (the ability to consult with specialists on-line). This very
exciting development will greatly enhance the care of your pet.
House calls
In general, it is best to bring your pet to hospital for most medical
services. House calls are sometimes requested when the owner is unable
to come to the hospital or when the pet can not be moved. Owners who are
considering euthanasia for their terminally ill pets occasionally will
request that this be done as a house call so that the pet is spared the
last trip to the hospital. We are pleased to offer house calls as a service
to our clients. House calls need to be scheduled in advance. Emergency
house calls are difficult to arrange during office hours because it is
difficult to rearrange the doctor's appointment schedule on short notice.
The cost of a house call depends on the mileage from the hospital to your
home and the length of time the doctor spends in your home.
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Electrocardiography/Echocardiography
 An
electrocardiogram (ECG) is a tracing of the electrical activity of the
heart. It is useful for detecting abnormal cardiac rhythms (arhythmias)
and cardiac enlargement. The electrocardiogram is non-invasive, painless
and can be performed on most animals without sedation.
Echocardiography is an ultrasound study of the heart. This technique is
non-invasive, painless and can be performed on most patients without sedation.
It allows the beating heart to be directly observed. The cardiac chambers
and walls can be measured and the valve leaflets can be directly examined.
Doppler echocardiography is an advanced technique that allows the velocity
of blood flow through the heart to be measured. This is especially helpful
in the study of congenital heart defects in puppies and kittens and in
valvular disease in older animals.
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Sonograms
 Sonograms
are ultrasound examinations of various parts of the body. Most commonly
the abdomen is examined. The liver, gall bladder, kidneys, urinary bladder,
uterus, prostate, stomach and intestines can be examined. In some patients
the pancreas and adrenal glands can be seen as well as the major arteries
and veins. Ultrasound can also be used to study other body parts such
as eyes and testicles. An echocardiogram is a sonogram of the heart. Organs
and tumors can be directly sampled for biopsy with the aid of ultrasonographic
visualization and sedation.
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Video Otoscopy
The Storz Video Otoscope allows the ear to be examined in exqusite clarity
and with magnification. Images can be recorded digitally and printed for
future referrence. This equipment enhances the doctor's ability to view
conditions in the canine and feline ear with greater clarity and allows
the pet owner to see as well. This facilitates successful treatment. Most
commonly the scope is used right in the examination room for routine examinations,
but it is very useful for doing meticulous ear cleanings and examinations
under anesthesia when medically necessary.
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Oxygen Therapy
Animals with difficulty breathing may benefit from breathing higher levels
of oxygen. We have an oxygen incubator for small animals and an oxygen
hood for larger dogs for this purpose.
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Blood Pressure Monitoring
Many diseases will cause a rise in blood pressure. A high blood pressure
may then cause other problems. CAH uses a doppler blood pressure unit
to accurately determine an animal's pressures. This is non-invasive and
performed on the animal awake.
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Penn Hip and OFA Evaluations
Hip dysplasia is a developmental disease of the hip joints of many breeds
of dogs. Large breeds like German shepherd dogs and retrievers are commonly
affected. This disease is often crippling and can result in a painfully
shortened life span in severely affected dogs. Responsible and caring
dog breeders should have their breeding dogs (males and females) screened
radiographically for hip dysplasia prior to breeding. The Orthopedic Foundation
for Animals (OFA) was founded in the early 1960's to evaluate radiographs
taken of dog's hips and to certify those animals with normal hips. The
breeder's veterinarian X-rays the dog's hips in a standard position under
anesthesia. The resulting radiograph is then sent to the OFA who, in turn,
refers the films to a panel of board-certified veterinary radiologists
(usually veterinary college professors) who evaluate them. Caring breeders
would only breed those dogs whose hips were certified as normal by the
OFA. Dogs must be 2 years of age or older before they can be certified.
OFA has lessened the severity and frequency of hip dysplasia to some degree,
but the disease persists. In the 1980's a better method of evaluating
the canine hip joint was developed at the University of Pennsylvania.
This method, known as the Penn Hip evaluation, involves taking additional
radiographic views. A Penn Hip study measures how tight the hip joints
are. An actual measurement of tightness is made on the radiographs themselves
resulting in a numerical value called the distractive index. Dogs with
the tightest hips have the lowest distractive index and least likelihood
of developing hip dysplasia. The Penn Hip study can be performed and evaluated
at four months of age or older. Only veterinarians who have been specifically
trained and certified by Penn Hip can submit radiographs for evaluation.
The Penn Hip method will advance the fight against canine hip dysplasia
because it replaces the subjective review of a radiologist with an easily
repeated measurement. Breeding studies have shown that the distractive
index is highly inheritable. Penn Hip maintains and publishes a database
for each breed. This database makes available to breeders and veterinarians
the range of distractive indices for each breed. Breeders can improve
the hips in their dogs by breeding dogs in the tighter half of the distractive
index range for the breed. Dr. Robert
Weiner is certified by Penn Hip and is happy to provide more information
on Penn Hip for individual breeders or breed clubs.
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Medical Boarding
CAH offers medical boarding to cats, dogs, birds and other small pets.
Since we are a hospital, we can accommodate pets that have special medical
or dietary requirements. Please make reservations for this service in
advance. Please bring along your pet's medications and their regular food.
If you do not bring any food, we will feed a premium brand of pet food.
If you desire, your pet can be bathed, at an additional charge, before
discharge.
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Puppy Kindergarten Class
Cornell Cooperative Extension teaches a class for 8-19 week old puppies
at CAH. In this class, you and your pet will learn about socialization,
household etiquette, general puppy care and obedience basics. The class
is 8 weeks long and the whole family is encouraged to attend. For more
information on the Puppy Kindergarten Class, go to the Puppy
Kindergarten page.
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Dental Cleaning/Surgery
 The
doctors at CAH suggest that you brush your pet's teeth daily using a cat/dog
toothpaste. However, even with home brushing, at some point the doctor
may recommend a professional dental cleaning. A pet dentistry is exactly
the same as one you would receive, except that the pet needs to be anesthetized.
Your pet's teeth will be ultrasonically and hand-scaled, the teeth and
gums will be probed and charted for lesions, extractions are performed
as necessary, then the teeth are polished and fluoride treated.
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Avian Medicine and Surgery
Owners of pet birds should know that their feathered family members need
regular medical care and good diets. Many bird owners don't even realize
that there are veterinarians who accept birds as patients. Every pet bird
should have an annual physical examination performed. New acquisitions
should have a post purchase examination as soon as possible. Physical
examinations ensure that your pet is healthy and provide an opportunity
for our doctors and staff members to discuss proper bird care nutrition
and behavioral problems with you. We offer a full range of diagnostic
medical and surgical services for birds including blood testing, radiology
and endoscopy. We also carry Harrison Bird Diets. An informative collection
of bird care pamphlets is available for free at the office. Ask the receptionist
for a "bird kit".
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Laboratory Facilities
 Our
in-house lab is used to examine fecal samples, urine samples, cytology
slides (samples of cells/fluid from lumps or ears) and certain blood tests.
Other blood work and biopsies are sent to a local veterinary laboratory.
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Complete X-ray Services
CAH has a dedicated room for x-ray services. X-rays, properly called radiographs,
are still images of various body parts. They are used to help diagnosis
problems of soft-tissues, i.e. stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, bladder,
heart and lungs. They are also used to examine bones for fractures, arthritis
and other diseases. Sometimes, special dyes and contrast agents are used
for further diagnostics. Most animals receive sedation to allow accurate
x-rays to be taken. This room is also used for our ultrasound exams.
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Complete Pharmacy
Most drugs that are prescribed for your pet are conveniently available
from our in-house pharmacy. This also includes heartworm and flea/tick
medications. Sometimes, the doctor may write out a prescription, which
can be filled at any human pharmacy.
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Nutritional Counseling and Prescription Diets
There are many diseases in which food plays a role in the treatment, including
heart disease, kidney disease, obesity and allergies. CAH stocks a full
line of veterinary prescription foods for the benefit of your pet.
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Endoscopy
 Endoscopy
allows minimally invasive examinations of the gastro-intestinal system,
nose, ears and bladder. Sometimes, foreign bodies in the stomach can be
removed using an endoscope.
Endoscopy is also used to examine the internal organs of birds. Animals
are anesthetized for this procedure.
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