But, we at Cimarron Animal Hospital are not just Veterinarians, Technicians and Assistants.  In today’s world of fragmented health care, we are your Whole Family Health Care Team.   When we care for your pets, we also care for you and your family.  We realize that, while some families are able to revolve around their pets, most families are strung out in all different directions.  Kids have elaborate school and activity schedules.  Pet Parents have complicated work or vacation schedules.  Some pet parents are completely new to pet ownership.  Some are old hands interested in new medical care techniques.  Some pet parents are elderly, with physical and memory challenges, but they need their pets more than anyone.  No matter how quiet or chaotic our lives, we  all rely on the solid constancy and unconditional love of our pets, every day.
  All of a family’s lifestyle facets and challenges have to be considered when caring for a pet– whether it’s basic care or more intensive medical management.  Sometimes, our staff members also act as family counselors, life coaches, hospice care consultants, bereavement counselors, shoulders to cry on or home delivery helpers– whatever it takes to help you and your family take care of the pets that are the glue in our lives.
  Every human who walks through our doors has issues and concerns about his pet, her family, their jobs.  It all filters down to us.  It’s all important to us if it affects your pet.  Every human we see is as much a part of our family as every one of their pets.  That’s why Pets, AND their People are Our Passion at Cimarron.
  Whatever you need, no matter how small, how silly-seeming, how complicated or challenging, just ask!   We are here for you, your pets, your whole family.

Pets are going to the veterinarian 25% less often than before.  Why?

The economy has a lot to do with it.  Less discretionary income puts pet care lower on the list of things we need to spend money on.  Sometimes we just don’t have the extra cash or credit for pet emergencies, let alone wellness visitis.  And, payment arrangements are hard to find at Veterinary offices.  So, here are some other options:

• Pet Health Insurance.  The same way it helps us get health care, it can help you afford pet care. Check out this site for comparison shopping the most reliable Pet Insurance Companies:  Trupanion.com
• Apply for Care Credit- a line of credit for medical expenses. 
• Seek out Veterinarians who accept Care Credit
• Seek out Veterinarians who offer monthly payments on Annual Wellness Packages-  dividing the expected expenses over the course of the year can sure make optimal pet care more affordable!
• Look for Vets who offer in-house Medical Savings Plans- let your vet help you save by putting money in your pet’s account for wellness or urgent care.
• Ask your Vet if they offer “Frequent Flyer Discounts“ for pets that come in more than once a year

Internet sources encourage owners to self-diagnose and even try treating at home.  While the internet has lots of good information, there is a lot of misinformation out there, too.  Make sure you  are getting medical information from a veterinary source, not just anyone. Here are some reliable sources for veterinary information:  Veterinary Partner  and   AAHA Healthy Pet.   Avoid putting off a vet visit based on “wait and see” advice from the internet.  Illnesses are almost always less expensive to treat and have better outcomes when treated earlier than later.  And, always remember, there is no substitute for your veterinarian’s hands-on examination and their advice based on personal knowledge of your pet! 

3 Year Vaccination rotations are becoming more popular, so owners are choosing to forego the annual health exams.  Many people don’t realize that the Veterinary Exam is the Most Important Part of their pet’s “vaccination visit”.  Of course, every pet needs appropriate vaccinations based on life risk assessments (which your vet can help you figure out), but it’s the up-to-date exchange of knowledge and the physical exam that let you and your pet’s doctor keep him in top form– not just the vaccines.

As more cats are staying indoors, owners are abandoning annual health check ups for their cats, being under the mistaken impression that their indoor cat is “safe” from disease.  It is true that indoor cats are unlikely to get contagious diseases and suffer less traumatic injury than outdoor cats.  But, indoor cats are more prone to metabolic disease, obesity, and diabetes than their more active outdoor counterparts.  The fabulous thing is that medical advances in the last several years are helping cats with metabolic diseases and diabetes, even renal failure, live up 2 or more years longer than before!  It’s worth checking it out!

   Tips for getting your cat to the vet with a minimum of stress (to both you and your cat)

• Train your cat to enjoy his carrier.  Click here
• Spray Feliway in the carrier 15 minutes before putting your kitty inside.  Tabby finds Happiness with Feliway- from youtube
• Put a towel or sweatshirt with your scent on it in the carrier for kitty to hide in.
• Ask your veterinarian for anti-anxiety medication to give before the trip
• Choose a Veterinarian with some of these cat friendly features

Time constraints make it difficult to get in to the vet during regular “Doctor Office Hours”. 

• Look for a Vet that allows Drop Off Appointments.  Drop your pet off while you go to work or run other errands.  Your Vet or Vet Tech can call you with physical exam findings and  recommendations.  You can make treatment decisions and pick your pet up on the way home!
• Look for Veterinary clinics with extended hours.

Just as for humans, an ounce of prevention (and a few dollars intermittently) is worth a pound (and big bucks) of cure for pets.

Pets should have regular checkups throughout their lives just like people.  Human physicians recommend annual exams for children and adults starting at middle age, annual blood testing starting at middle age, and some specialized tests as we advance in age (prostate cancer testing, breast cancer screening, colonoscopy).    Likewise, Puppies and Kittens should have monthly exams until 4 months of age (equate that to children at age 11).  Pets age 4-8 (equate to human ages 40-65) should have at least 1 exam every year.  Twice yearly exams for middle aged pets would be entirely reasonable.  That would be like a middle aged human getting an exam and wellness testing every 3 years.  Senior pets over the age of 8 should be examined every 6 months with an annual wellness blood and urine screen.

Sure, you will pay for 1 or 2 vet visits a year, but you will get your money’s worth!  Your vet will be able to detect problems that you can’t at home.  You can implement lifestyle, diet, or exercise changes to turn around some illnesses or slow down the progression of chronic disease, giving your family more great quality time with your pet.

Our rapidly changing ,constantly moving society will always present challenges to the things we want to do.  When you are feeling challenged about bringing your pet into your Veterinarian, call them.  Your family Vet probably has some ways to make the experience easier and better.   As our pets give us unconditional love, we need to give it back in comfort and quality of life.   Don’t let preventable disease steal precious years from your bond with your Pet Friend Forever.

• Baseline for comparison in times of illness
• Early disease detection and correction avoids crises

Adult Wellness Screening is a valuable tool for keeping your beloved furry family member healthy– especially since they don’t tell us when they feel “off” all the time.  Adult Wellness Screening involves a small blood sampling to briefly evaluate a pet’s blood sugar, liver enzymes, kidney values and a Complete blood count. 

Baseline Values-  Armed with your pet’s “normal” values, your veterinarian can make faster, better medical decisions for your pet if he gets sick. 

Early Illness Detection-  Catching disease in early stages allows you and your veterinarian to make small changes in your pet’s  lifestyle to slow down the progression of disease or turn around early disease.  During early stages of disease, nutritional management and supplements have the greatest impact– the greatest protective and therapeutic value.  Learing about issues early on and making small changes earlier in the state of a disease can save hundreds and thousands of dollars as well as emotional heart ache during a crisis.

During Wellness Screening in apparently “healthy” patients, we have found pets with early degenerative liver disease that we have arrested by prescribing liver antioxidant supplements.  We have identified signs that led us to diagnosing Tick Fever, Valley Fever and Heartworm disease so we could treat these patients before they experienced life-threatening symptoms!  We are often able to uncover early kidney disease in cats, allowing us to make diet changes and add supplements to their diets that allow them to live for years more before needing medication! 

In our experience, 4 out of 10 pets show evidence of subtle abnormalities in their Adult Wellness Screens by age 6. 

An Adult Wellness Screening should be done once yearly on pets between the age of 4 and 8.  After all, this is middle-aged– equivalent to a human of 40 – 65 years.  Remembering that dogs and cats age approximately 5 “years” to our one year during middle age, checking a blood profile once every 5 years doesn’t seem so unreasonable.

Current Lifestage Guidelines for Dogs and Cats*

• Veterinary Exam every 6 months (Remember, pets in mid-life age about 5 years to every human 1 year)
• Vaccinations as needed  (Based on Life Risk Assessment)
• Fecal sample for Internal Parasite testing
• Contagious Disease Testing  (Based on Life Risk Assessment)
• Wellness Blood testing once a year

We, at Cimarron, are advocates of preventive medicine because we have seen the huge improvement in our patients’ lives– longer lives, more active lives, thanks to the discoveries that we have made during routine wellness screening in our apparently healthy patients.  We hope that Wellness Screening can help your pet live longer and happier, too!

* Compilation of recommendations made by

• American Animal Hospital Association
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• American Heartworm Association
• Council on Animal Parasite Control

We are so excited to have our new Digital Dental X-ray machine up and running!  It’s been a long-time dream of  Dr. Bohnke’s to be able to provide the level of dental care that dental x-rays allow!  Most dental disease occurs below the gum line.  A lot of that is completely invisible to the naked eye.  (Ever had (or had a friend who had) a toothache but the dentist couldn’t tell what tooth was involved just by looking?) 

Dental readiographs show us  root infections, bone loss and tumors that we might not be able to determine just by looking at and probing the teeth. Without dental x-rays, infected teeth may be left in the mouth, even after a thorough dental treatment!  Cats develop painful resorptive dental lesions, similar to cavities, below the gumline.  The only treatment for this condition is extraction of the painful tooth.  If we can’t see the lesion, don’t know it’s there, because we haven’t taken radiographs, we could leave our patients in pain!

Dental Rads also tell us when we DON’T have to pull a tooth.  Tooth tip fractures are common.  If the pulp cavity of the tooth is exposed, the tooth should be either capped or extracted.  If the pulp cavity is not affected, the tooth can stay in place and just be “watched”. 

 

The widened pulp cavity and dark area under the root of the fractured upper canine tooth told us this tooth was infected and needed to be extracted. The gums around this tooth looked normal.

Being able to take radiographs of the inside of the mouth let’s us know whether oral masses are affecting the dental or boney structures of the jaw.  And, they are a lot more easiy interpreted than whole skull rads– with far greater detail.

We have also used our dental x-ray machine to radiograph pocket pet parts!  It’s a quick way to get a detail x-ray– as many as we need, given rats’ and guinea pigs’ tendency to wiggle– without anesthetizing the patient or having to do a whole body x-ray!   This image shows a guinea pig’s fractured elbow!

Our pets don’t always tell us that their teeth hurt, or which teeth hurt, but radiographs can!  

For the best dental care, the most complete treatment, insist on dental radiographs every time your pet is anesthetized for dental work. 

Frequent pet visitors pay less for exams!

•  6 Mo Wellness Exams-  $10 off
• Sick Exams (if we have seen your pet in the last 6 months)  $10 off 
•  Pre-Surgical Exams (if we have examined your pet within the last one month) FREE
•  Booster vaccination exams (if we have seen your pet within the last 6 months) $10 off
• PFF Wellness Protection Plan–Optimal Annual Wellness Protection for the year: get 3 exams within the year FREE- $120.00 value!

The human medical field calls it “Concierge medicine”, “boutique medicine” ,” executive health”, “VIP”, “platinum services”, “signature”, “medallion”.  In Veterinary Medicine, we call it customer service.    In a nutshell, human physicians are deciding to get out of the Insurance rat race that forces them to triple book and spend only 7 minutes with each patient.  Many are deciding to spend quality time with their patients, examining all their body parts, discussing not just the complaint of the day, but wellness, nutrition, exercise, behavioral concerns, and quality of life.  They are trimming their patient bases down from 2500 patients to 500 to allow the personalized attention, comprehensive screening and customized health plans they want to provide.  Many advertise in-office blood draws and lab testing and rapid turn around times of lab results.   In order to still make the salaries they want, though, physicians have to compaensate for fewer patients by charging all the remaining patients a “retainer” or service priviledge fee of anywhere from $1500 – $5000 a year.  Mind you, that only gets you the above services.  Patients still have to pay thier office visit co-pays and submit to their insurance companies for any testing/ treatments performed.

I find it amusing that we, at Cimarron Animal Hosptial ,provide all these services Everyday, to Every patient!   At Cimarron Animal Hospital, we schedule most patients 20 minutes of Doctor time.  The Doctor performs a comprehensive exam on every pet, regardless of the complaint.   (When was the last time a physician looked in your ears when you went in complaining of a hang nail?)  The Doctor discusses diet, exercise, weight management, and behavior issues as they apply.  Our veterinarians consider the whole pet, performing a lifestyle risk assessment and providing an Individualized Medical Plan for every patient!   We provide a VIP waiting room– sodas and water for the people, water and treats for the pets!  That’s part of the service every day, for everyone– no extra charge!  Our goal is to return every client phone call before the end of the work day.  The Doctor or Nurse will call you about lab results, treatment plans, etc.  Our after hours calls are taken by a Veterinary Emergency Service– you talk directly to skilled veterinary staff 24 hours a day!  Your pet gets blood and urine samples collected and many tests run right in the office!  Test results are usually available in 10 minutes to  24- 72 hours (not weeks from now)!   That’s just part of our Great Client Service! 

Can you imagine if vets started charging clients $1500/ year for the first pet  ($1000/ additional pets) just to do what we do every day?  Wow!

Our physician couterparts think it’s a special service to advertise that they “ are always learning about the latest innovations in healthcare that enables us to detect diseases at their earliest stage.”  That’s what veterinarians have been doing forever!

At least human physicians are learning what veterinarians have always practiced– good customer service makes customers happy.  Too bad they think we should be so beholden to them that they feel they should be paid $1500 or more a year for what veterinarians do for the cost of an office call!  (Or, maybe we vets ought to wise up and start charging for the priviledge of personal service?!?  Good grief, what would the world come to?!?)

Rattlesnake bites are extremely painful!  Pets that are bitten will usually develop obvious swelling in the bitten area– usually the face or a paw.  If you find oozing puncture wounds, you know your pet has been bitten, but often those punctures are hidden in the swollen tissue.  As the venom penetrates the tissues, it causes tissue necrosis, or death and sloughing.  The venom also leeches into the blood stream, affecting other organs.  Rattlesnake venom can cause death by kidney failure or spontaneous destruction of blood cells in the vessels.  All rattlesnake bites to pets are a veterinary emergency!

There is no First Aid treatment for rattlesnake bites in pets except to keep themn quiet, move the affected area as little as possible and get to your Vet or an Emergency Vet immediately.  Once there, your Veterinarian can determine the best treatment for your pet, based on his condition.  Standard treatment includes IV fluids and treatment for shock.  Your veterinarian will probably recommend antivenin.  Pain and infection will be addressed as well.  At Cimarron Animal Hospital, we can offer Cold Laser Therapy to the affected area to immediately help reduce swelling and pain and  significantly reduce the amount of tissue loss as well! 

RATTLESNAKE VACCINE for dogs helps reduce the severity of rattlesnake bites caused by most of our desesrt species!  The vaccine induces an immunity that inactivates the venom, minimizing pain, swelling and the risk of organ failure and intravascular hemolysis.  Dogs still need to be seen immediately by their veterinarian for treatment of the post-bite infection (snakes have dreadful bacteria in their mouths!), and any residual venom effects not completely counteracted by the vaccine immunity, but the treatment should be less intensive and less expensive!

PREVENT snake bites by keeping your dog on a leash while walking in the desert.  Stay alert to the sound of rattles on the side of the path and slowly walk away.  Avoid leaving your dog  in open desert areas as much as possible. 

 For those dogs at risk because they live in desert yards, frequent parks and washes or hunt with their masters, PROTECT them with Rattlesnake Vaccine.  Pets receiving Rattlesnake vaccine for the first time will need two vaccines 4 weeks apart.  The vaccine is protective for 6 months, so boosters every 6 months are important for continuous protection.  If the boosters are not given every 6 months, the maufacturer recommends the double series be given once a year, 1 month prior to Rattlesnake Season.

For more info about the vaccine,   http://rattlesnakevaccinefordogs.com/

Contact Us if you have any questions about rattlesnake vaccine or would like to schedule your pet’s vaccines.   886- 1125         info@cimarronah.com

What are some of the specific features of an AAHA accredited hospital that you may not find at other Veterinary hospitals?

1) Pain management is a part of every patient’s evaluation.  Pain medications are given preemptively, before a painful procedure is even begun.  This helps prevent central nervous system “wind-up”, a phenomenon that causes a patient to perceive pain more intensely than it is because they have been in pain for some time already.  Many forms of pain relief may be provided to minimize discomfort, depending on a patient’s needs.
All team members (including receptionists!) are trained to recognize the signs and severity of pain in various animal species so that effective medication can be administered promptly.  All surgical patients receive pain medication.

2) Intensive Anesthetic Monitoring.   All patients undergoing general anesthesia receive:
       * Intravenous catheter and fluids.  IV fluid administration protects against the depression of blood pressure and heart function that occurs every time a patient is anesthetized.  Depression of these functions can threaten the future health of other vital organs like kidneys and brain.  Having an IV catheter also provides an immediate venous access for drug administration in case there is a crisis during an anesthetic procedure.
      * Endotracheal Tube in Place.  Even if the procedure is very short or gas anesthetics are not used, an endotracheal breathing tube is placed.  This tube, placed in the airway, ensures that the patient’s airway stays open, allowing for easy breathing throughout the procedure.  It is also another route that can be used for emergency drug administration in case of emergency.
      *  EKG machine, Pulse oximeter, Blood pressure monitor, Core Temperature and endotracheal stethoscope monitoring. These monitors provide general oversight of the patient’s heart health, oxygen levels, and blood pressure while anesthetized.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

      * Certified Veterinary Technician as anesthesiologist. (many clinics utilize trained lay staff in this position).  The CVT constantly monitors the patient physically throughout surgery, ensuring adequate anesthesia to remain pain free, yet not too much anesthesia as to be at risk. The CVT also monitors and records the patient’s vital statistics and electronic monitor readings every 15 minutes.  This highly trained and experienced CVT is with your pet every moment from pre-surgical prep, through surgery and  recovery.

3) All team members are trained in animal CPR ( At Cimarron, even our Business Administrator is trained!).  This training is updated and reviewed every 6 months to ensure everyone stays current with latest recommendations.

4) Training in Emergency Shock Treatment so that Veterinary Assistants and CVT’s can begin life sustaining treatment as soon as possible, even in the absence  of the Veterinarian.

5) Separate Isolation Ward from the main hospital ward to protect healthy pets from contagious disease.  (Not all hospitals do this!)

6) All dental instruments are steam sterilized, not just disinfected, between patients to prevent disease transfer during dental procedures.

7) Hospitalized patients are given thorough physical exams, performed by the Veterinarian, twice daily.  The Vet on duty does not rely soley on reports of the  Veterinary Assistants and Technicians to determine medical therapy.

Veterinary Technicians are all formally trained in animal restraint. Team members must pass a critical evaluation before being allowed to handle pets.  All Team members are trained to use the least amount of restraint possible while still being able to perform a procedure.  This ensures that your pet will be handled in the gentlest way possible, maximizing safety to your pet, you, and your veterinary team.

9) All adverse drug/ treatment reactions must be reported to the appropriate oversight government agency (FDA, DEA, EPA, etc) within 2 days of our  knowledge of the event.  This helps us to prevent needless similar adverse reactions in the future as well as providing oversight into the safety of pet health products for everyone.  (Most veterinary clinics do not report minor adverse events at all.)

AAHA Hospitals are for the devoted pet owner who wants their pet treated like a member of the family.  There are always less expensive options, but there is no place that provides the kind of love, kindness, consideration, medical expertise, cleanliness, dedication, and committment to you and your pet that an AAHA Hospital like Cimarron Animal Hospital does. 

For More Information about AAHA Accreditation, see  HealthyPet.com  About Accreditation

Because                                              Pets and their People are Our Passion!
 

• Laser Therapy uses “cold” laser light of low intensity to stimulate tissues to heal. Healing occurs by a number of physiologic mechanisms.
• Laser light dilates blood vessels in the area of application. Dilated blood vessels can carry de-oxygenated blood away and bring in freshly oxygenated blood faster. The departing blood will also carry away deleterious by-products of injury and bring in fresh cellular nutrients, allowing cells to rejuvenate faster.
• Lymphatic vessels are also dilated, allowing edema-forming lymph fluid to escape injured tissues, reducing swelling. This reduces pain.
• Laser light desensitizes local nerves so that they cannot fire as quickly, thereby sending fewer pain signals to the brain.
• Healing tissue fibers called collagen align themselves in a more linear, uniform, “normal” direction when exposed to laser light, reducing scarring and improving the tissue strength of newly healed wounds faster.
• Bacterial growth (and probably viral reproduction) are inhibited by exposure to laser light, making laser treatment helpful in treating non-healing wounds, contaminated wounds and burns.
• Laser light stimulates the “battery pack” of cells, called mitochondria. The mitochondria can then produce more ATP, which helps cells do more work. Cells can then get rid of biologic waste products more quickly and efficiently. They can heal and turn over depleted by-products faster. They can also reproduce faster, resulting in faster healing.

• Osteoarthritis
• Post Surgical Pain
• Rattlesnake Bite (where pain, swelling, infection and subsequent tissue necrosis are all significant factors in recovery)

• Non-healing wounds
• Dog fight wounds
• Anal sac abscesses
• Cat fight abscesses
• Burns
• Ear infections