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Our Hospital is Full Service
●Progressive vaccine protocols
●On-site laboratory
●Off-site laboratory with rapid results and
extensive capabilities
●Full radiology services
●Safest possible anesthesia
●Acute and chronic pain management
●Acupuncture
●Extensive and progressive internal medicine
treatments
●State-of-the-art surgical
facility
●Complete
dental care
●Free dental exam appointments with our nurses
●Postcard and email reminders for routine and recommended
procedures
●Internet access to your pets' medical records
●Client education demonstrations and informational
brochures
●Quarterly online newsletter,
Pets' Matter
●Prescription diets and nutrition counseling
●Excellent resources for area specialists and specialty
hospitals
Progressive vaccine protocols
The doctors at St. Francis Animal Hospital diligently research available
vaccines, their safety and the studies that support duration of immunities.
We tailor our recommendations based on the individual pet and on the community
in which we live. For example, house dogs may not need as many different
vaccines as a hiking dog and cats that go outside need more protection than
indoor only cats. This year we are recommending a Leptospirosis vaccine
for all dogs due to the increase of incidence of this disease in our area
following increased rainfall. Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic
disease, which means it can also be transferred to and cause illness in humans.
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On-site
laboratory
Our laboratory and personnel are capable of doing such things as blood chemistry
analyses, electrolyte measurements, fecal exams, urinalyses, blood clot testing,
fungal cultures, urine cultures, skin scrapings, blood cell analyses and various
cytological staining. Back to top
Full
Radiology Services
 Our
nurses, along with our state-of-the-art radiology machine, are capable of
excellent diagnostic radiographs (x-rays) on patients from the size of a 2 pound
puppy to a 200 pound Great Dane. Our doctors and nurses are capable of
providing an array of contrast studies of various organ systems. These include
but are not limited to the upper and lower gastro-intestinal system, kidneys,
ureters and bladder. We also offer myelograms (contrast studies of the
spinal cord) with a mobile surgeon.
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Safest possible anesthesia
Cardiac, respiratory, and thermal maintenance are mandatory for all
anesthetized patients. Prior to anesthesia, patients receive a
pre-anesthetic cocktail of medications for cardiac support and pre-emptive
 pain
relief. All patients are kept on warm-water flow heating pads and
blankets. All anesthetized are given an intravenous catheter for
intravenous fluids during and after the procedure, as well as any emergency
drugs that may need to be administered. A nurse monitors and records
data for all patients. Our routine monitors include pulse oximetry, temperature
probe, printable electrocardiogram, respiratory monitor, blood pressure
measurements and esophageal stethoscope.
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Acupuncture
Dr. Kaufer completed her training in acupuncture at
Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in 2002.
In 2009, she completed 20 additional hours of training at CSU focusing on
current scientific knowledge and approaches to acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions. Using a
combination of western and eastern medicine, we can greatly decrease chronic
pain in patients with arthritis. Acupuncture can also be used to treat
certain skin conditions, neurological disorders, and some allergies.
Treatment with acupuncture is very individualized.
An initial consult with Dr. Kaufer is necessary to localize the problem, make
an accurate diagnosis and discuss expectations. Not all pets will respond
immediately after the first treatment. As with people, it may take 4 to 6
treatments to notice any improvement. Some pets do, however, respond
immediately.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of healing the
body, yet studied and applied from a neurophysiologic viewpoint. Acupuncture needles are placed in very specific locations on the
body. These needles are specially made for acupuncture and are virtually
pain free. Most dogs, and some cats, tolerate acupuncture very well.
Most even look
forward to their treatments. Back
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State-of-the-art surgical facility
 We
have a self-contained surgical suite with a heated v-trough lift table, in-line
oxygen and in-line anesthetic scavenger system. We have backup
lighting as well as a backup battery for monitoring equipment in case of a
power outage. Back to Top
Complete Dental
Care
We offer excellent dental care that includes prophies with ultrasonic
scaling, polishing and fluoride treatments, dental radiology, and surgical
extractions. Extractions are done with advanced drilling equipment and
gingival flaps and followed with curettage of the sockets, consil application,
and gum sutures. We also advise and provide for progressive preventive treatments
such as smoothing, etching and glazing fractured teeth, root planing and
Doxirobe gel implantation for periodontal pockets, and gingivectomy. All
patients leave the hospital at the end of the day with a scheduled
discharge appointment with a nurse. Specific treatments and
procedures are reviewed and the client is given recommendations for follow-up
home dental care. Back to Top
Prescription diets and nutrition counseling
 We
take nutrition seriously at St. Francis Animal Hospital and routinely discuss
this subject with our clients. Most pets will at some time or other need
to be on a specific diet, whether due to weight issues or medical problems.
We happily advise owners on this confusing subject and have solutions for
feeding problems, recommendations for over-the-counter pet foods, and we offer
an array of prescription diets to meet our patients' many needs. We carry
Science Diet, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Purina, and Waltham prescription diets.
We also carry specific dental foods and products as well.
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