Microchip Pet Identification
A lost pet is a frightening situation with often devastating consequences. Studies have shown more than 10 million pets get lost each year and approximately 90 percent of those found would not have been returned to their owners without some form of permanent lost pet identification.
This is why the team at Dover Veterinary Hospital considers microchip pet IDs a fundamental way to protect your pet and an important part of responsible pet ownership. We use the HomeAgain microchip system. Each microchip registers the animal with a unique identification number, which is filed in a database with your contact information. The contact information can be updated anytime, and it is important to remember to do so whenever your information changes. If your pet is lost, the microchip can be scanned by animal control officers, at shelters and at veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and in many foreign countries as well.
HomeAgain membership offers additional benefits such as proactive pet recovery and free access to ASPCA Poison Control. HomeAgain also comes with a number of very useful services to pet owners such as their National Pet Recovery Database, Lost Pet Specialists, Rapid Lost Pet Alerts, Lost Pet Medical Insurance, Travel Assistance for Found Pets and more.
Behavior Counseling
It is not uncommon for the bond you have with your pet to become a bit frayed due to behavior challenges. In fact, behavioral issues are often cited as the reason people give up a pet.
Puppies and kittens are cute and fun, but they also require housebreaking and training so that they integrate well with your family and any other pets you may have. The same is true of adopted adult pets, especially if they have ingrained behavior traits that don't mesh well with your household.
Dover Veterinary Hospital will work with you to strengthen the bond you share with your pet. Doctors Lee Spyridakis, Kristin Rennie, Samantha LaClair, and Devin McCarthy are well versed in behavior modification therapy through training and medications, including herbal remedies.
If your pet exhibits a sudden change in behavior, we will work to identify its cause and provide appropriate medical treatment and behavior counseling. If your pet's behavioral issue is significantly complicated, we can refer you to a veterinary behaviorist at Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital.
Nutritional Counseling for Healthier Cats and Dogs
Pets are living longer, healthier lives than ever before and a big part of that is due to our expanded knowledge of the importance of proper nutrition to overall health. In fact, nutrition is the biggest health variable controlled by a pet's caregiver.
Our doctors appreciate the relationship between good nutrition and a healthy body. During each comprehensive physical examination, we will evaluate your pet's overall condition and give nutritional recommendations based on what we see.
For most pets, our recommendations will include information on proper serving size and other feeding strategies to maintain optimal body weight and nutritional health. We will also help you wade through the claims made by pet food producers, so you can make the most informed choice.
Prescription Diets
Some pets have chronic conditions that are responsive to dietary management. If we identify such an issue in your pet, we offer advice and provide information about diets that may be of benefit.
Dover Veterinary Hospital carries a diverse inventory of prescription foods—for such conditions as liver disease, bladder and kidney stones, renal failure, food allergies and diabetes. If your pet requires a prescription diet that we do not carry, we can easily order it for you. Our doctors are able to help formulate alternative diets for pets with allergies and other medical issues.
Breed-Specific Genetic Testing
Many herding breed dogs have a genetic predisposition to adverse reactions involving over a dozen different drugs. The most serious adverse drug reactions involve several anti-parasitic agents (ivermectin, milbemycin and related drugs), the anti-diarrheal agent loperamide (Imodium), and several anticancer drugs (vincristine, doxorubicin, others). Increased sensitivity to commonly used sedatives and analgesic medications has also been reported.
These drug sensitivities result from a mutation in the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1 gene). Dover Veterinary Hospital recommends genetic testing for at-risk breeds. If your pet is a carrier or affected by the mutation, our doctors can provide guidance as to which drugs are to be avoided and which can be used with dosage adjustments.
End-of-Life Care
Even the healthiest of pets reach that time when we must find a way to say goodbye. We understand that this is a painful and difficult experience for our clients, and is one that we all have been through. It is our goal to help ease this time of life for both our patients and clients.
Dover Veterinary Hospital provides hospice and euthanasia services designed to ensure the comfort and dignity of your pet. These services include compassionate counseling to help ensure that you have explored all possibilities for your pet.
We perform euthanasia procedures at our facility, and have an affiliation with a grief counselor if you believe your family would benefit from that level of support. We will also care for the remains as directed by our client and offer private and dignified on-site crematory services. If you choose, a decorative urn or memorial box can be made available.
