Frequently Asked Questions

What are your hours?

We are open Monday thru Friday from 7 am to 5:30 pm. We start seeing appointments at 8 am. Patients may be dropped off for surgery or drop off exams as early as 7 am. We are closed on Saturdays.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes. We work with both CareCredit and ScratchPay to offer payment options so that you can be sure your pet gets the care it needs at the time it is needed. More information on both services and links to both of them can be found here:

How many doctors do you have?

We currently have four doctors on staff. Dr. Blue Brawner, Dr. Starla Riggs, and Dr. Kileigh Speed, and Dr. Ron Montgomery, DAVCS. More information on each of them may be found here:

Do you have any specialists on staff?

Yes, Dr. Montgomery is a surgical specialist. He is a member of the Amercian College of Veterinary Surgeons and his primary focus is orthopedic surgery. You can find more information on Dr. Montgomery here:

Which vaccines are required for boarding?

A complete list of required vaccines for boarding for both dogs and cats can be found at the link below.

My pet is well trained......why do you require me to use a leash or carrier to come into lobby?

Because those other folks coming in and out of the building haven’t trained their pet as well as you have trained yours. I know, hard to believe, right? But trust us, it’s true. And in the event that another pet should approach your pet, it’s really important that both animals are under leash control (or in a proper carrier).

For small dogs and cats, travel carriers provide a very safe and effective means of transportation. Pets don’t always act “normal” when they are in unfamiliar or potentially stressful surroundings. They may attempt to run out an open door or may act aggressively out of fear.

Why does my pet need dental care?

We’re glad you asked, and you’re at the right place to get that question answered. In fact, we have a whole page of our website dedicated to that exact question. You can find it here:

I’ve heard about people offering anesthesia free dental cleaning.......is this safe?

No. And it’s not effective either. At least not from a dental health standpoint. If you actually want to provide good dental care that results in a healthy mouth, then anesthesia is necessary for a complete cleaning and full set of dental radiographs. For more information on this and other dental health topics, see the link below:

Do you recommend pet insurance?

Yes, we do. Pet health insurance is becoming more widely available and more popular. This has to do with the ever-increasing cost of medical care for pets. We want to be as affordable as possible, but the fact of the matter is that a lot of the products and supplies we use to treat pets are the same as those used to treat people, and they aren’t cheap. And pharmaceutical and medical supply companies increase prices at least 3 to 6% every year, regardless of how the economy is doing.

That said, we DO NOT recommend insurance for routine care (vaccines, dental cleaning, heartworm/flea/tick preventives). These are known, regular, costs that you should plan for in your budget.

We DO recommend insurance that covers major injuries or illnesses. This is where people are often unprepared for the cost associated with their pet’s medical care. And that can lead to a pet not getting the treatment it really needs at the time it really needs it. There are several companies that provide excellent options in this area. Our favorites: Pumpkin and Trupanion. Click their logos below to find out more.

How safe is anesthesia?

Simply put, as safe as we can make it!

Losing a pet under anesthesia is terrible. Does it happen? Yes, unfortunately it does; though it is very rare. Any veterinarian or physician that deals with a large number of anesthesia cases will likely be able to tell you a story about a person or pet that was anesthetized and didn’t wake back up. Often times, the reason is complex or was undiagnosed prior to anesthesia. Sometimes it’s obvious. But in every case, it is a crushing blow for everyone involved and you can be sure that avoiding that situation is a top priority for everyone involved in anesthesia here are PetVet.

We take every step we can to limit the risk of anesthesia for any procedure where anesthesia is required. All pets undergoing general anesthesia receive a full exam prior to being anesthetized. Pre-anesthetic labwork, including a CBC and chemistry panel are required. This

helps us ensure that there are no unseen issues that would alter our anesthetic protocol, or even require us to postpone or cancel a procedure. We use a multi-drug approach with the goal being to reduce the use of inhalant (gas) anesthetics as much as possible. This helps limit reductions in blood pressure and usually results in a more rapid recovery. While your pet is under anesthesia, we use monitors to track their heart rate and rhythm (ECG), blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, temperature, and respiration. There is also a technician that is dedicated to your pet from the time they are anesthetized until they are awake again. Do all of these safety measures result in some increased cost? Yes. Do we think we are spending your money wisely? Yes! And this is an area where we won’t apologize for some extra expense. We think your pet is worth it, don’t you?

What food do I feed and how much?

The short answer is that we recommend Purina Pro Plan products. As for how much, that depends on the dog (or cat) and the diet. All diets should have some type of feeding guide on the bag, and that is a good starting place. You may have to adjust up or down to keep your pet at a nice slim weight (obesity is just as much of a problem for pets as it is for people)

I know, some of you think companies like Purina and Hills (big corporations) are just after profits. That’s actually not true. They pour millions of dollars into research to develop diets that meet the needs of today’s pets. Purina’s top products (Pro Plan) are excellent and safe diets (and we don’t directly sell ANY maintenance diets, so this recommendation is not financially motivated if that’s a concern for you).

That said, there are more dog foods on the shelf than ever before and most of them are likely just fine. If your dog or cat is doing well on its current diet, then stick with it.

The only exception to that would be if you are feeding a grain free diet. There have been some very serious concerns raised about grain free diet recently. And until that is resolved, we’d recommend you avoid them. For more on that, see the link below:

Do you offer telemedicine?

Not yet. But it is something that we are looking at for the future.

My pet gets very nervous about veterinary visits, can you provide something to calm him (or her) for his visit?

Yes, absolutely. As strong proponents of Fear Free veterinary care, we will work with you and your pet to make their medical care as stress free as possible. Sometimes that does include the use of sedatives or anti-anxiety medications. Please feel free to call and discuss your concerns with us. As each pet is different, we need to know a bit about your pet before we can make any recommendations.

Do you offer house calls?

In a certain few circumstances we will do house calls. Generally speaking, we can provide better care for your pet in our facility than we can at your house. We have the necessary staff, equipment, and medications on hand in the hospital, and there is simply a limit to what we can effectively do in your living room or on your kitchen table. But if you feel you have a circumstance that warrants a house call, please call and discuss it with us as we handle these on a case by case basis.