Our staff at 4 Paws 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 they deserve every time they walk in the door!
We offer the following services to keep your pets healthy:
Advanced Digital X-rays
At 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital in Duffield, VA , we are proud to be on the cutting edge of medical technology. Radiology is a technique and diagnostic tool that we use to look inside the body in an entirely non-invasive way. X-rays allow us to create images of all the body’s organs.
In other words, the use of radiology gives us a view of the internal organs in your pets’ body that we otherwise could not see. It is a valuable diagnostic tool that helps veterinarians detect and prevent illness.
Boarding
When you choose to become a pet parent, you might not necessarily give a lot of thought about spending time apart from your animal. Nevertheless, there may be occasions that arise where it simply isn’t possible for your pet to be with you. Examples include going on vacation or a business trip, staying in hospital or even having your home remodeled.
Although you may have friends or family members that can potentially take on your pet, it is a big responsibility to pass on to someone else, particularly if they aren’t experienced in looking after animals and don’t know your pet as well as you do.
We understand that trusting others to take care of your pet can be extremely daunting. After all, you want to be sure that he will be in safe, experienced and caring hands. When you choose professional pet boarding with us, you can have the peace of mind that your furry friend will be properly looked after from the moment you drop him off until the moment you come to collect him and take him home.
Why Choose Professional Pet Boarding?
There are a number of reasons why it is much better, both for you and your pet, to choose a professional boarding service to take temporary care of your pet when you are unable to. Some of the most popular benefits include the following:
– Modern, comfortable facilities that are designed specifically with the safety and care of pets in mind.
– Care provided by experienced professionals who understand animal behavior and are passionate about pet welfare.
– Guaranteed regular interaction with humans and, if you opt-in, your pet may have social time with other animals in our care. This can be invaluable if your pet suffers from separation anxiety and would benefit from regularly seeing a friendly face!
– Proper exercise. No need to worry about asking family or friends to find enough time to slot regular walking or exercise for your pet into their daily routine. Boarding staff makes sure that all pets, especially dogs, get the exercise that they need to remain healthy.
– A diet to suit your pet. Most boarding facilities offer a range of feeds. If there isn’t one suitable for your pet, you can usually supply your own to be fed to him instead.
– Medication, if necessary, can be administered by trained professionals. It can be tricky for someone who isn’t used to administering medication to animals to do it properly. When you choose professional boarding, there will be at least one staff member with the experience to ensure your furbaby gets the medicine he needs.
– Access to a veterinarian. Although you may have your own vet nearby, many professional boarding facilities have a veterinary professional on hand at all times, giving you the peace of mind that your pet will be properly cared for if he becomes unwell.
If you would like to find out more about our pet boarding services, or if you would like to schedule a visit to come and see our facility for yourself, please get in touch with 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital in Duffield, VA where our friendly team will be happy to help you (276) 431-4838.
Dental Care
Your pet’s teeth are just as important to his health and wellbeing as your own are to you. Nevertheless, pet dental health tends to be an aspect of care that is regularly overlooked by owners. Unfortunately, if you don’t prioritize looking after your pet’s teeth, he could end up in unnecessary pain, suffering from infection and even experiencing tooth loss. Studies have also found that there is a definitive link between poor oral hygiene and an increased risk of developing health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer – and this applies to pets as well as humans.
To help you support your pet’s oral health we are pleased to be able to offer a comprehensive range of dental services at our veterinary hospital based in Duffield, VA. Our pet dental care services are carried out with the aim of preserving your pet’s teeth and oral health for as long as possible. Some of the services that we are able to offer to include the following:
Oral health checks
Your pet will benefit from regular oral health checks as much as you do. These appointments are designed for us to perform regular assessments of your pet’s teeth and overall oral health. Using close monitoring, we are usually able to spot developing problems fairly on, enabling us to suggest changes or treatment that prevent them from becoming painful or debilitating or requiring extensive or expensive treatment. Exactly how often we will see your pet will depend on his individual needs.
Professional dental cleaning
One of the best ways to keep your pet’s teeth in tip-top condition is to brush them regularly at home. However, we understand that you are still limited in what you can do since it is rarely easy to get animals to completely cooperate and to get into every crevice of their mouth and teeth. Professional dental cleaning, which is usually recommended once each year, is carried out using a general anesthetic. This means that your pet is asleep and has no awareness of what is happening, and it also gives us uncompromised access to his mouth and teeth. This ensures that we can safely and effectively clean every part of his teeth and mouth, giving him a superior clean that will help him retain his teeth for as long as possible.
Diagnosing dental problems
Detecting any sort of medical or dental problem can be a challenging prospect for owners since animals are predisposed to trying to mask signs of pain or illness. However, if you do suspect that your furbaby is experiencing a dental problem, our experienced team can perform a range of diagnostic tests so that we can determine the source of the issue and arrange the appropriate treatment.
Pet dental treatments
If your pet has been diagnosed with a dental problem, treatment will help to preserve his teeth and oral health. The treatments that we can offer pets are not too dissimilar to those that you might receive if you visit your own dentist. These include:
– Cavity fillings
– Extractions
– Antibiotics for infections
– Gum disease treatment
– Restoring damaged teeth
– Oral surgery
– Feline resorption treatment
– Stomatitis treatment
Exactly what treatment your pet will need will be explained to you in detail ahead of time so that you can be as prepared as possible. It may be necessary for your pet to stay overnight and this will be discussed with you.
If your pet hasn’t had a dental check-up recently and you would like to arrange one with our experienced veterinary dentistry team, or for any other help or information, please get in touch with our veterinary hospital in Duffield, VA today by calling (276) 431-4838.
In-House Laboratory
We are very proud of our laboratory. We are able to perform many diagnostic tests quickly and efficiently in it. We can do many simple tests but are also able to offer some more complex ones, too! We are able to run heartworm tests, leukemia and FIV tests, and full blood work for those who are interested in it. There are also many other tests we offer our patients.
The best part of being able to run laboratory tests in our hospital is that we can diagnose your pets much sooner than if we had to send the blood work out to another laboratory. Whenever your pets are not feeling well, we can offer you results and a diagnosis in minutes instead of making you wait a day (or more) for the results.
Microchipping
Being unintentionally separated from our pets is one of our worst fears. Domestic animals don’t have the same sense of danger that we do, nor are they capable of looking after themselves for more than a few hours. When you love your pet like a member of your own family, you want to do all you can to keep them safe and healthy and you can’t do that if they are lost or have been stolen. Fortunately, there is something you can do that means that you have a strong chance at being reunited with your pet should this happen – pet microchipping.
We are delighted to be able to offer a comprehensive pet microchipping program – a valuable service that makes it significantly more likely that you will be reunited with your precious pet in the event that he becomes lost or stolen.
Why It Is Important to Microchip Your Pet
Many owners who have not yet experienced the benefits of pet microchipping don’t fully understand just how valuable the service can be. Until the conception of pet microchipping, collars and tags were the only way of attaching your contact details to your pet. Unfortunately, as many people were unlucky to discover, collars and tags can fall off, be removed or be tampered with. If this is the case, it is extremely unlikely that you will ever be reunited with your pet. Even if you were to track down your missing animal, it may be that you would enter an ownership dispute with the person who is trying to claim your pet as their own.
Fortunately, pet microchips are completely tamper-proof. They are so small that it would be impossible (and invasive) for someone to try and remove one. It cannot fall off, and since microchip providers invest heavily in cybersecurity to ensure registration details are safe, it is virtually impossible for someone to access and tamper with your personal information. All of this means that you are more likely to be successfully reunited with your pet.
How Does Pet Microchipping Work?
Pet microchipping is a very simple and safe process. A tiny microchip, about the same size as a grain of rice, is given a unique identification number and is then implanted into your pet via a largely painless process similar to giving a vaccination. For most animals, this will be in the soft tissue between the shoulder blades, but if you have a more exotic pet, the location of the microchip will vary. Here it lies dormant until it comes into close contact with an RFID (radio frequency identification) scanner – something which many veterinary offices and animal shelters have now invested in. When the scanner passes over the microchip, it will emit its unique identification number and details about which microchip identification service it is registered to. This allows the finder to contact the microchip provider to let them know that the animal has been recovered and the provider/finder to contact you to let you know where your pet is so that you can collect him.
If you would like more information on our pet microchipping service, or if you would like to arrange to have your pet microchipped, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced and compassionate team at 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital in Duffield, VA by calling (276)-431-4838.
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 4 Paws 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.
Preventative Care
When we first become pet owners, our animals becoming sick is probably the further thing from our minds. Unhappily, pets are just as likely to be affected by illness as we are and there are many viruses and diseases that can threaten their health. Fortunately, like us, our animals can be protected from many of them, including some of the most serious. The way in which we can do this is by ensuring that our pets get the right preventative care.
Preventative pet care is extremely valuable, not least because our pets are extremely adept at masking any signs of illness. This means that we often fail to realize they are unwell until the problem that they are suffering from has progressed and is having a substantial impact on their health. Preventative pet care enables the health and wellbeing of your pet to be closely monitored, giving your vet the opportunity to spot any developing health problems early, before they have a chance to cause your pet harm. Your vet can also provide medications and treatments that can prevent your pet from ever experiencing some of the diseases that pose the biggest threat to his health.
Here at 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital, our comprehensive preventative care program that can be tailored to suit the needs of your anima, making sure that he gets the care he needs to live a long, healthy and happy life. Here are the key elements of our popular preventative care program for pets.
Wellness checks
Wellness checks are by far the most effective way to prevent health problems in your pet. Annual visits are most often recommended, although if your pet has already been diagnosed with a health problem, we may suggest that the frequency of these appointments is increased. This will enable us to monitor your pet a little more closely so that we can act quickly if we believe there are any changes that are a cause for concern.
These wellness checks usually include the following evaluations…
– Physical assessment, including eyes, ears, mouth, paws and more
– Weight measurement
– Temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate
– Blood tests including a full blood count, blood chemistry profile and heartworm testing (dogs)
– Urinalysis
– Fecal testing
– Dental check-up
The results of these tests will be recorded and used for comparison against past and future results. Should we have any concerns, you will be contacted immediately.
Vaccination program
Vaccinations form an essential part of any preventative pet care program and have saved the lives of millions of pets and people around the world. They work by safely imitating the virus or disease which they are designed to protect your pet from, tricking his body into producing antibodies to fight it. His body then remembers how to do this should he ever come into contact with the real disease and will start to fight it before any symptoms appear. Some pets manage to avoid the illness entirely, while others will experience a much milder and safer version.
Vaccinations are normally divided into two groups. Core vaccinations are those which are given to all animals of that species regardless of their risk factors for the disease. Non-core vaccinations are the ones that we will recommend based on your pet’s individual circumstances and his unique risk of developing the disease. Vaccines are only effective for a pre-determined period of time, and further doses will normally be needed. Our expert team will create your pet a bespoke vaccination schedule to keep him fully protected at all times.
Monthly preventative medications
Not all diseases can be prevented by using vaccinations. This includes those spread by ticks, fleas, and worms. These parasites thrive on your pet’s blood, and as well as putting him at risk of blood loss/anemia, can also have other significant effects on his health and wellbeing. Preventatives are usually administered monthly, either as a chewable tablet, collar or spot-on topical treatment. There are also six-monthly and twelve-monthly injectable preventatives for heartworms. Again, it is crucial that these medications are given on time every month or as otherwise stated, otherwise, your pet will be vulnerable to being infected. With so many preventatives to choose from, it can get a little overwhelming. Fortunately, our team is on hand to help you find the most appropriate preventative for your pet.
If you would like more information on preventative pet care, or if you are ready to schedule a visit to our Duffield veterinary hospital, contact us today on (276) 431-4838.
Spay and Neuter
As responsible pet owners, you know the importance of making a calculated decision to take on a pet. Finding the right temperament, size, and the number of pets is a critical focus for most pet owners out there. Unfortunately, many owners fail to recognize the importance of early spay and neuter services to help keep their own homes balanced. Pets that are not “fixed” can rapidly produce a number of offspring that can threaten to overrun your home, neighborhood, and your budget. Call 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital today to ensure a healthy future for your pets today!
Understanding the Need
No matter where you found your pet, whether a pet store, breeder, the local humane society, or because that face walked right up to you, it is important to recognize that there are millions of other pets each year that are not as fortunate. Unfortunately, these pets are often euthanized before they ever had a chance to live out their full lives, but with an overwhelming unwanted pet situation, many towns have no other options.
In addition, the removal of the ovaries or testes helps to reduce the hormone levels of your pet. In turn, this can help to moderate your pet’s behavior and reduce the potential for some types of cancer and uterine infections.
The Process
While there are other options for spay and neutering your pet, most pets only require the standard procedure. An ovariohysterectomy is a term used to describe the process of spaying a female. In this procedure, your veterinarian removes the ovaries, uterus, and fallopian tubes. This eliminates your female cat or dog from being able to reproduce and also eliminates the heat cycle and the associated behaviors. Many pet owners come into our offices after their animal’s first heat cycle because the behavior and need to keep your pet locked up during that time can be a stress on the entire family.
An orchiectomy is a term for neutering your male cat or dog. This process simply removes the testes from the male and eliminates the ability to reproduce and can reduce or eliminate erratic behavior from these animals too.
Of course, there are other options available for your pets too, so if you would like to discuss your options, contact 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital. We would be happy to discuss the range of options that we provide and discuss the associated benefits and risks of those approaches.
Risks Associated with Spay and Neuter Services
While most pet owners would agree that eliminating the hormones and behaviors associated with animal reproduction is a welcome reprieve, some animals may benefit from those hormones. However, talk with your veterinarian to understand what that really means for your pet. In many cases, the elimination of the hormones can lead to a longer and happier life for your pet.
The spay and neuter surgeries are considered major operations, and there is always a risk of an accident or infection during an operation. However, these procedures are the most commonly performed surgeries that our office completes. At 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital, we have the knowledge and experience that you can trust to make sure that your pet has a safe and effective surgery.
How to Start
Call 4 Paws Veterinary Hospital today and let us know that you are looking at spaying or neutering your pet. We perform a physical exam on your pet and want to understand if they have any other history that may affect the procedure. Once we have completed the exam, we can help recommend the best procedure for your animal.
Overview
If you want to continue to enjoy the company of your pet throughout their long life, spay and neutering can be one of the most beneficial things that you do for your animal. Call our offices to schedule your appointment now.
Surgery
We are pleased to offer our clients the highest quality veterinary care. We want nothing but the best for our clients, especially during surgery. It is our goal to make sure that our surgical team is prepared to offer our clients the latest medical procedures. We look forward to learning about the newest medical advances in surgery and actively partake in continued surgical education.
Ultrasound
Ultrasounding is a quick and painless procedure. It uses sound waves to allow us to see inside your pets, without using the harmful radiation produced when we take x-rays.
We are pleased to be able to offer ultrasounds, along with all of our other diagnostic tools, to help your sick pets start to feel better soon. The quicker we can find the problem, the sooner your pets will be back to their normal selves.
Vaccinations
There are many different things to think about when you first become responsible for a new pet. Something that often doesn’t come up until you take your furbaby for her first appointment with your veterinarian is preventative care, and in particular, pet vaccinations.
Just like their human owners, pets can be affected by contagious, infectious diseases that, without proper control, would spread like wildfire amongst the domestic animal population. Fortunately, since vaccinations were found to be a valuable tool for preventative care for pets, the number of our animals suffering from such diseases is minimal. Vaccinations have undoubtedly saved countless pet lives over the years. However, if you haven’t owned a pet before, you may not fully understand the importance of pet vaccinations until your vet explains them to you.
We are delighted to be able to offer animals in our care a comprehensive vaccination program of core and non-core vaccines, administered here at our veterinary hospital in Duffield, VA.
Are pet vaccinations different to human vaccinations?
Probably one of the most common questions that we get asked, we can confirm that the only difference between pet and human vaccinations is the diseases that we are vaccinating your pet against. The process, the need for a schedule and how the vaccinations work is exactly the same.
So, how do vaccinations work?
Many people take the protection of vaccinations for granted without fully understanding how they work. Well, it is very simple. A vaccination is a process during which your pet is injected with a solution called a vaccine. This vaccine contains key elements of the disease which it is to prevent, but the vaccine has been made ‘safe’, so that it doesn’t cause your pet any harm. However, there is still enough of the trigger elements to prepare your pet’s immune system to fight the disease, and in return, her body will make antibodies capable of destroying it. Better still, her body will both recognize these core elements of the disease and know how to fight it should she come into contact with the real thing at some point. This can prevent her from suffering from any symptoms, or in some cases, cause her to experience a much milder version of the disease.
Like all vaccines, pet vaccines are only effective for a pre-determined period of time before further doses are required to ensure she remains fully protected. For this reason, your pet will be placed on a vaccination schedule that meets the recommended guidelines for each type of vaccination she receives.
How do I know which vaccinations my pet needs?
Exactly which vaccinations your pet will need will depend on her species and her individual circumstances. Vaccines are divided into two groups. These are known as ‘core’ and ‘non-core’ vaccines. Core vaccines are those which are recommended for all pets of the species irrespective of their age, location and health. Rabies is a core vaccine that is required by law in virtually all states. Non-core vaccines are given at the recommendation of your veterinarian who will determine if your pet needs them based on her individual circumstances. For example, if we think that your furbaby is at high risk of being bitten by a tick, or if she will be spending time in kennels, we may recommend tick and kennel cough vaccines.
Core vaccines for dogs
- Parvovirus
- Distemper
- Canine Hepatitis
- Rabies
Core vaccines for cats
- Feline distemper
- Feline calicivirus
- Rhinotracheitis
- Rabies
Core vaccines for rabbits
- Myxomatosis
- Rabbit hemorrhagic disease
Your vet will be happy to talk you through what non-core vaccines are available for your pet and advise you whether or not they are recommended. We will also speak to you about the importance of adhering to the vaccination schedule recommended to you for your furbaby.
If you have further questions about the importance of pet vaccinations, or if you would like to make an appointment to set up a pet vaccination schedule for your furbaby, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at our veterinary hospital in Duffield, VA by calling (276) 431-4838 today.
Internal Medicine
Our veterinarians are educated on more advanced diagnostics and treatments of more complicated disease processes in small animals. We can provide full workups on animals that are vomiting, lethargic, or have decreased appetites – all nonspecific signs that may indicate your pet may be sick.
Some of the common disorders we see routinely include endocrine disorders (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease, neoplasia (cancer), immune-mediated hematologic (blood) diseases, pancreatitis, gastritis, and infectious diseases). We are able to perform routine blood work as well as an array of specific and precise tests to determine what ailment your pet may be facing. We offer hospitalization and treatment for most diseases, with our team working together to bring your pet the most comprehensive, dedicated, and loving care.
request an appointment
Hospitalization
There are certain situations that may require a pet to be hospitalized. We know this can be a stressful time for you and your pet, so we want you to rest assured that your loved one is in good hands. The duration of hospitalization can vary depending on the condition of the pet, as well as the nature of their illness. Every patient is given loving attention by our compassionate, knowledgeable staff in the hopes of getting them healthy and back with you as soon as possible.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about hospitalization, please call us today at (276) 431-4838.
request an appointment
Fecal Testing
It will never be the most pleasant part of taking care of your pet, but fecal testing forms an important part of their regular wellness examinations in addition to as a tool for diagnosis. This is because even a small sample of your pet’s poop can provide valuable information about their health and wellbeing. If you suspect that your pet is sick, one of the first things that our veterinary team will ask for is a sample of their poop so that it can be checked.
What are fecal tests used to detect?
Fecal tests are primarily used in the detection and diagnosis of internal parasite problems. Internal parasites are creatures that live inside your pet’s body and thrive by draining nutrients directly from them. They are impossible to spot with the naked eye unless they pass out of your pet’s digestive tract via their bowels. There are many different types of internal parasites that can be detected using fecal tests. These include:
– Roundworms
– Hookworms
– Whipworms
– Giardia
– Liver flukes
– Coccidia
All of these internal parasites can have unpleasant consequences for your pet and even for your wider family. This because some types of worm, including roundworms and hookworms, can be transmitted to humans. Meanwhile, giardia can cause problems including severe diarrhea.
Types of fecal testing
Fecal testing refers to a series of tests performed on a sample of your pet’s feces. There are various types of fecal testing available, including the following:
Smear. This is when approximately 0.5g of a stool sample is smeared onto a microscope slide. This slide is then examined under the microscope to check for visible evidence of parasites and bacteria. If this is found, it is usually indicative that your pet has a fairly moderate to serious parasite infestation.
Float. This involves mixing some of the stool samples with a special solution that filters out any big pieces of stool and enabling eggs or some types of parasites to float up to the top.
Centrifugation. A centrifuge is a special machine that spins the sample (which has been mixed with a sugar solution) at a very high number of revolutions per minute. This separates out various elements and enables eggs and parasites to be seen.
Providing a proper fecal sample
Not all poops are created equal, and it is essential that you collect an appropriate sample for fecal testing. If you don’t follow the guidelines about providing a proper sample, the one that you bring in may be rejected and we will have to ask you for an alternative. Fresh stool samples provide the most accurate results as some types of parasites begin to degrade and become unrecognizable if they are left out for too long. If you aren’t able to get one the same day, you can seal the sample in a container or bag and refrigerate it to keep it fresher for longer!
If you’d like more information about fecal testing, our veterinary team would be happy to help. Please contact our veterinary hospital in Duffield, VA by calling (276) 431-4838.