Preventative Care
Wellness Exams
We recommend annual wellness exams for all patients. Annual exams help ensure that your pet is kept up-to-date on vaccines and other important preventative care such as parasite control. Regular visits also promote early disease detection, early intervention with behavior issues, and help maintain the important relationship between you, our caring and knowledgeable staff, and your pet.
Puppy/Kitten Exams
Whether you have had many pets over the years or are welcoming your first animal companion, we will make sure that both you and they get everything needed to start life out on the right paw, healthy and strong.
Our puppy and kitten visits include a thorough assessment of your pet’s lifestyle and any potential risks. With each pediatric visit our staff will take time to personalize your new pet's vaccination and disease prevention program as well as thoroughly and clearly answer all of your questions. During these visits, our doctors evaluate your pet for any evidence of congenital diseases, parasites, and developmental concerns, including appropriate dental development. A pediatric visit will provide you with lots of great information, and you are always welcome to call us later with questions you may remember after you get home.
Geriatric Care
Older pets, like many older people, may encounter challenges to their health as they age. Regular exams every 6 to 12 months allow more opportunities to notice and address potentially critical issues early, and then resolve them quickly and effectively. Maintaining an optimum quality of life is our primary concern with older patients. Our doctors may recommend geriatric blood tests to monitor organ function and hormone levels as your pet ages. Effectively judging quality of life includes assessing mobility, appropriate weight management, cancer screening, and hospice care as your pet approaches his or her passing.
Medicine & Surgery
Animals are susceptible to many of the same types of diseases and disorders as people. Diabetes, cancer, thyroid dysfunction, and kidney disease are some examples of medical problems that may arise over the course of their lives. Different diseases often require very different treatments and our veterinarians are prepared to offer you and your animal companion the best medical treatment for the situation at hand.
For all of our surgical and dental procedures at Shamrock, a dedicated technician is present to monitor your pet's vital signs during anesthesia. Anesthesia and pain management are individually tailored to each patient and his or her health status. Pulse, ECG, temperature, blood pressure, blood oxygen, and breathing CO2 levels are all continuously monitored with a human hospital-grade monitoring unit.
We have a fully-equipped surgical suite to provide nearly every surgical procedure your pet may need during his or her life. We offer standard canine and feline spay and neuter surgeries as well as both laser and conventional declaw procedures. Should your pet require, we provide gastrointestinal tract foreign body removal, bladder stone removal, skin lump excisions, and many other soft tissue surgeries. We perform general orthopedic procedures and also have the expertise and equipment to perform several orthopedic surgeries not often available outside specialty clinics. These procedures include ACL repairs, Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomies (TPLOs), as well as complex fracture repairs.
Dentistry
Veterinary dentistry an important aspect of care that helps support and maintain both the health and quality of life of your animal companion. At Shamrock Animal Hospital, our dental program starts with the very first pediatric visit and continues throughout the life of your pet. During the first visits we assess your pet for appropriate adult teeth eruption as well as misplaced teeth, and we guide you in how to carry out appropriate home prevention strategies. In the years that follow, we provide disease interventions including regularly scheduled anesthetic dental cleanings and tooth extractions, if necessary.
Our anesthetic dental cleanings are MUCH more than just a cleaning. During the procedure, specially trained technicians will examine every surface of each tooth for signs of disease, keeping a record of their findings throughout the procedure. Digital intra-oral dental x-rays provide an additional means to fully assess the health of your pet’s mouth by allowing us to see below the gum line for early stages of dental disease that would otherwise go unnoticed. Finally, the teeth are thoroughly cleaned and polished both above and below the gum line and a sealant is applied.
Emergency Care
An excellent staff and well-equipped surgical suite allow us to be ready for emergencies at any time. Emergencies demand immediate attention, and you and your pet become our focus and our number-one priority. Surgical emergencies are typically serious affairs; our dedicated technicians and experienced doctors will do everything they can to ensure the best possible outcome for your pet.
Radiology & Ultrasounds
Shamrock has up-to-date digital radiology (x-rays), allowing us to create high-quality images so that we can evaluate subtle disease changes as effectively as possible. Our doctors work closely with Dr. Patricia Walter, clinic co-owner and board-certified radiologist, to analyze our radiographic images. Through Dr. Walter, we also offer non-invasive abdominal ultrasounds and echocardiograms by referral.
Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture
Dr. Lauren Bury has had advanced training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture at the Chi Institute, the leading veterinary continuing education provider in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the US. This modality can be used as a complementary service or as an alternative when western medicines cannot be tolerated. Strong evidence exists to support acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment for arthritis, various neurologic diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.
Other Services
Therapeutic Laser Therapy
In 2012, Shamrock expanded on our comprehensive program of pain control and wound healing to include treatment with a Class IV Companion therapeutic laser. Laser therapy has been shown to reduce pain, speed healing, and reduce swelling and inflammation. The uses range from post surgical treatment, to chronic arthritic pain, back ("disk") pain, and ear infection relief. We have also added laser therapy to all of our surgical pain management protocols. Laser therapy has become an important non-drug modality that we are excited to offer to our patients.
Pharmacy
Our in-house pharmacy is stocked to meet your pet's medical needs. We also provide a variety of heartworm and flea & tick preventative medications to choose from, as well as prescription shampoos and prescription foods.
Lab
In 2010, we upgraded our laboratory and diagnostic equipment, increasing both the speed and accuracy of our diagnostic procedures. We offer blood chemistry analysis, metabolic profiles and electrolyte analysis, CBCs (complete blood cell counts), urine analysis and a range of cultures in-house. We also send some tissue samples to Marshfield Laboratories, allowing us to meet any of your pet's needs in the most timely manner.
