Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms.

Dogs and cats age quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age.

During your pet’s wellness exam, we will perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We may also recommend that your pet receive dental care.

When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.

Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have.

Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions about our adult wellness program, please let us know.

Senior Wellness Care

Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters his or her senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of even serious diseases until they are advanced.

Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine what life stage your pet is in.

Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog turns 7 years of age or your cat turns 8 years of age. Thereafter, your senior pet will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing.

We can treat many symptoms that are commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life in many ways: by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending a nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications.

We will tailor a senior wellness plan to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we can discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam!

Congratulations! You’ve just adopted a new puppy or kitten; how exciting! A new puppy or kitten can bring so much energy and joy to a family.

Puppies and kittens must receive proper vaccinations to protect and strengthen their immune system. Our Puppy/Kitten Wellness Plans make it a breeze to get everything your new family member needs. These packages combine everything your puppy or kitten will need to start life on the right foot–and save you money! The plan’s cost is due at the initial exam, and each additional booster vaccination visit is covered under the wellness plan. Ideally, vaccines should start at eight weeks, with boosters every 3-4 weeks, until your puppy or kitten is at least sixteen weeks old.

In Amador County, Rabies must be given no earlier than sixteen weeks of age. By law, all dogs and cats must receive a Rabies vaccine unless they receive a medical exemption.

Wellness Puppy Plan – $273.00 (without plan would be $406.75)

Includes:

• Comprehensive Exam
• DHPP or DHLPP series vaccines (Distemper-Parvo combination)
• Bordetella, or “Kennel Cough” vaccine (The plan includes the oral vaccine; if injectable Bordetella is needed, the necessary booster in 3-4 weeks is not included.)
• Rabies vaccine
• Fecal test (If the test is positive, a recheck fecal test within 30 days is also included.)
• Three doses of dewormer
• First dose each of Heartgard Plus and Nexgard, our vets’ heartworm, internal parasite, and flea/tick preventatives of choice

Wellness Kitten Plan – $317.00 (without plan would be $497.75)

Includes:

• Comprehensive Exam
• FeLV/FIV/Heartworm test (checks for Feline Leukemia, Feline AIDS, and heartworm disease)
• FVRCP series vaccines (Feline Distemper-Panleukopenia combination)
• FeLV series vaccines (Feline Leukemia)
• Rabies vaccine
• Fecal test (If the test is positive, a recheck fecal test within 30 days is also included.)
• Three doses of dewormer
• First dose of feline Nexgard, our vets’ flea/tick and internal parasite preventative of choice

We perform many types of soft tissue surgeries at our clinic. Soft tissue surgeries are those that are not associated with bone. These surgeries can provide many benefits to pets.

Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed on pets is the removal of masses, or lumps. Most of these masses, once removed and tested, are found to be benign (nonharmful); however, occasionally they are more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a lump is necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous.

Please contact us if you’d like to discuss how soft tissue surgery might be able to help your pet.

For spays and neuters, we can give rough estimates over the phone. For more complex surgeries and dental procedures, it is best to give you a health plan estimate after an exam and discussion with a veterinarian.

Spay

Spaying your pet has many benefits. The procedure prevents female animals from becoming pregnant and reproducing and can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Spaying will not change your pet’s personality.

By spaying your female pet, you’re protecting her against potentially deadly diseases, including bacterial infections, reproductive tract diseases, and several types of cancer. You also won’t have to worry about her going into heat. This means avoiding the mess that often accompanies the heat cycle in female dogs and the pacing and crying that happens with female cats. In addition, spaying your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Spaying, which involves removing the ovaries and uterus, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure her safety.

Neuter

Neutering your pet has many benefits. The procedure prevents male animals from reproducing and can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Neutering will not change your pet’s personality.

By neutering your pet, you’re reducing or eliminating his risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Neutering will also reduce or eliminate undesirable and embarrassing behavior, including roaming, fighting, mounting, and spraying. In addition, neutering your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Neutering, which involves removing the testicles, is a surgical procedure and does need to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure his safety.

We offer basic and comprehensive spay and neuter packages.

Our comprehensive spay and neuter packages include everything associated with the spay/neuter surgery that our veterinarians recommend:

• Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
• Intravenous catheter placement and IV fluids during surgery
• Advanced anesthetic monitoring
• E-collar to prevent licking incision site
• 4 days of post-operative pain medication

This package is for any families wanting to follow all recommended pre-anesthetic precautions and is required for any dogs and cats of the following age or heat status which prevents the use of our basic spay/neuter package:

• animals over 2 years old
• animals currently in heat or who have been in heat within the past 30 days (additional fees apply)
• animals who have been pregnant in the past
• animals who are pregnant now (additional fees apply)

If none of the above is true for your pet, and you do not want to opt for the comprehensive spay/neuter package, you can opt for the basic spay/neuter package. This includes only the post-operative pain management; additional options can be added on (pre-operative bloodwork, intravenous fluids, etc) if you elect to do so on the day of surgery.

We offer full digital X-ray (or radiographs) services, including Barium swallow studies. If we are worried about possible fractures, obstructions, bloating, congestion, or constipation (among many other possible concerns), an X-ray can give much insight into what is happening internally. After an X-ray is taken, our doctors will consult with you to go over each X-ray thoroughly. We can also email X-rays to our clients, other hospitals, or a specialty radiologist if need be.

An ultrasound scan (or sonogram) can give us a lot of useful information about the internal structures and functions of your pet. We can even check on little ones in a pregnant pet! Our ultrasound machine aids in the collection of sterile urine or cell samples for testing.

We offer full dental services, including comprehensive dental cleaning, dental radiographs, and extractions. If you think your pet needs dental work, call us to schedule an exam with one of our doctors. We can provide you with an estimate tailored to your pet’s individual needs and schedule their procedure from there.

Dr. Miranda is now offering acupuncture therapy! If you think your pet may benefit from acupuncture treatments, call us today to schedule your consultation.

What is it?

Acupuncture is a therapy gaining more credibility and popularity in the veterinary world after decades of use in human medicine to treat chronic pain and metabolic disorders. Originating from ancient wisdom and validated by modern scientific research, acupuncture can offer an integrative approach to your pet’s wellness!

Acupuncture therapy uses hair-thin needles that are inserted into trigger points to relieve tension and pain. The stimulation of the needles releases endorphins and endogenous chemicals that decrease pain and inflammation and improve circulation, bringing white blood cells to the area of focus. Dr. Miranda takes an integrative approach using Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, which focuses on the study of energetic pathways called meridians to relieve stagnant energy while utilizing modern acupuncture approaches focusing on the nerves and myofascial intersection of the region being treated. This well-rounded approach focuses on your pet’s ailments and wellness to help make them more comfortable by relieving pain, relaxing tense muscles, and renewing their energy. With either form of acupuncture, results are typically seen within 3-4 sessions.

How can it help my pet?

Acupuncture has been studied to reduce pain in chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, neurologic disorders such as intervertebral disc disease, neuropathies, wobbler syndrome, polyarthritis, torn cruciate disease, and other musculoskeletal disorders. Metabolic disorders and chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, IBD, Cushing’s, and chronic kidney and liver disease can also benefit from the addition of acupuncture therapy.

What is included in our acupuncture services?

Our acupuncture services include an initial consultation to go over your concerns for your pet’s well-being and how we can best address their current ailments. Each treatment consists of a TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) exam, a version of medical massage called Tui Na, and 20 minutes of dry-needle acupuncture. In some instances, electroacupuncture or aqua puncture (injection of vitamin B12 at acupuncture sites) may be recommended by your veterinarian as part of the treatment protocol. These therapies can enhance the stimulation of acupuncture points in very chronic and refractory cases to improve results.

Our goal during acupuncture therapy is to keep your pet as comfortable as possible during the treatment, and we may ask you to stay in the room to help keep them calm and resting during their treatment. We like to include calming music and scents to maintain a relaxing atmosphere. Please let your assistant or doctor know if you are sensitive to essential oils, and we will not apply them during the treatment.

Pricing

In most cases, acupuncture results are typically seen within 3-4 sessions. Therefore, it is recommended to schedule at least three appointments, 2-4 weeks apart, based on your veterinarian’s recommendations to start. After that, maintenance treatments can be considered based on your pet’s response to acupuncture therapy.

Consult (1st appointment, includes a TCVM exam and acupuncture session) $145

Package of 3 sessions (does not include first consult) $240

Package of 6 sessions (does not include first consult but does discount one session) $400

Individual sessions (available after consult appointment) $80/session