Our Services
Animal Hospital of Pittsford is a full service veterinary hospital located at 2816 Monroe Avenue in Rochester, NY. Following is a list including some of the medical and surgical services we offer. We can also refer you to our house call service in the event your pet is ill and you cannot travel in for an appointment.
Complete Care for Dogs, Cats and a variety of Pocket Pets
Comprehensive Physical Examinations: Early detection of health problems can allow for prompt treatment. At least once, and perhaps twice per year, your pet should have a complete physical examination. Remember, your pet's lifespan is shorter than ours and their health can change significantly over a 12-month period.
Vaccinations and Preventative Medicine: Due to the many recent discoveries and innovations in veterinary medicine your pet can be protected against most major infectious diseases. Today many immunizations and preventative treatments are available that did not exist a decade ago. The staff at Animal Hospital of Pittsford can assist you in deciding which preventative measures are necessary for your pet.
Puppy and Kitten Examinations and Vaccinations: Young puppies and kittens should be given their first set of vaccinations at six to nine weeks of age. Additional vaccinations are given every two or four weeks until they are seventeen to twenty weeks old. Recent evidence shows some vaccinations should be continued even longer, especially with certain breeds of pets. Thereafter, regular booster vaccinations should be given. Remember, not only does your new pet receive the proper vaccinations; he or she also gets several thorough physical examinations. These physical examinations, plus recommendations on disease prevention, and some nutritional and behavioral advice, goes a long way in preventing problems in your adult pet.
Complete Diagnostic and Ancillary Care: We provide a full range of diagnostic service (radiography, blood analysis, etc) and ancillary services to diagnose and manage all minor and major health problems. Our team of experienced Veterinarians and staff are here to assist you and your pet with outpatient and inpatient care needed throughout the life of your pet.
Dental Services and Teeth Cleaning: Proper dental care is as important for your pet as it is for you. In addition to preventing bad breath and periodontal disease it can also prevent infection from spreading through the blood stream to your pet's liver, kidneys, and heart. This bacterial shower can lead to permanent organ damage affecting your pet's overall health.
Our hospital is equipped to provide dental care information and services to insure your pet receives proper oral health care. We also carry an assortment of dental home care products.
Dental Services that we provide include (but are not limited to):
Dental Prophylactic Cleaning
Polishing
Dental Radiology (X-rays)
Extractions
Periodontal Care / Surgery
Puppy / Kitten Dental Evaluations
Home Dental Care Instruction and Products
Surgical Care: Our hospital is well-equipped to perform most minor and major surgical procedures from spays and neuters to more complicated emergency, orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries.
Prior to surgery, each patient receives a thorough physical examination to identify any existing medical conditions that might endanger your pet's health. Because not all problems can be detected on examination, we also suggest preanesthetic blood & urine testing. These tests not only give us a more complete picture of your pet's health, but also allow us to tailor an anesthetic regime that is specific for your pet.
We offer a wide variety of anesthetic protocols tailored to your pet's individual needs. We use state-of-the-art anesthetic machines offering both isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. Please discuss these options with our staff. We also utilize a variety of anesthetic monitoring devices including Doppler blood pressure monitors, respiratory monitors, and other cardiac monitoring equipment.
Pain management is an important part of our pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative anesthetic and medical protocol. All surgical patients including those undergoing routine procedures such as ovariohysterectomy or castrations receive pain control medications. We urge you to discuss operative pain management options with our staff.
Radiology: We have a state-of-the-art x-ray machine that produces excellent quality radiographs (X-rays). Radiographs are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical problems.
Endoscopy: Endoscopy is derived from the Greek words "scopy", meaning "look", and "endo", meaning "within". Flexible and rigid endoscopes allow the veterinarian the ability to examine the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, upper and lower respiratory tract, and other organs of the body in a noninvasive manner.
The use of grasping forceps, snares, and biopsy forceps allows the removal of foreign objects, collection of samples for biopsy and culture, and removal of small polyps or tumors.
Endoscopy is a diagnostic test that is used in conjunction with laboratory analysis, radiography, and ultrasonagraphy to assist in making a definitive diagnosis and formulating a therapeutic plan for a patient. General anesthesia is required to perform endoscopic procedures.
If you have any questions about endoscopy, of if you feel your pet would benefit from this procedure, please feel free to ask us.
Physical Rehabilitation: As the rehabilitation field expands in human medicine, so too does that of veterinary medicine. Whether your pet is scheduled for surgery or has been dealing with chronic pain due to age or a previous trauma, the treatment methods used in the physical rehabilitation of companion animals are diverse. The benefits of these methods are multifaceted but can include pain relief, decreased inflammation and swelling, strengthening, and improved cardiovascular and respiratory fitness. The veterinary team at the Animal Hospital of Pittsford is able to offer state of the art techniques and equipment to assist in the rehabilitation of your post-surgical or arthritic pet.
Acupuncture: Acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles into specific points in the body to cause a desired effect. It is considered an alternative therapy in Veterinary Medicine today. Although it has been used in China to treat various ailments in animals for more than 3000 years, Veterinarians in the United States have only been practicing it for several decades. Society today expects the same medical options available to their four-legged family members as is offered to their human counterparts. To meet this demand, some Veterinarians have chosen to become Certified Veterinary Acupuncturists. These Veterinarians still perform the Western style physical exam, but also observe other parameters important to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), in order to make the proper TCM diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. Acupuncture can be used alone, or in conjunction with traditional Western medicine, to treat a wide variety of health issues. Commonly asked questions
Cardiac Ultrasound: Echocardiography is a standard non-invasive technique for assessing cardiac anatomy, pathology, and function. High-frequency sound waves produced from a hand-held device are directed at the heart. The sound waves are reflected back to the machine and an image is produced. This image is transmitted to a video monitor where it can be seen. The image may be still or moving.
Ultrasound uses sound waves, which have no obvious harmful effects, is non-invasive, painless, and does not use dyes. It is perfect for diagnosing many types of heart problems.
Abdominal Ultrasound:Abdominal ultrasound allows the user to fully examine the liver, gallbladder, spleen, adrenal glands, pancreas, kidneys, urinary bladder, and parts of the stomach and intestines. Ultrasound examination of these organs is crucial when a diagnosis depends upon seeing inside an organ, or when surgery or anesthesia would not be desirable. Abdominal ultrasound is completely painless, and generally can be performed using no anesthesia or sedation. Abdominal ultrasound has revolutionized the study of liver diseases, and is crucial to treating many types of cancer.
Diagnostic Laboratory Testing: Our extensive laboratory services provide information that is critical to the sick or injured pet. We have access both in-house and at our centralized reference laboratory to extensive diagnostic testing allowing animals to receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
Our in-house laboratory is equipped to perform pre-anesthetic blood testing. This important procedure can greatly reduce the risks associated with anesthesia and surgery.
Boarding:We offer veterinary supervised boarding. In addition to our Kennel Attendants, who love and care for your pet, our veterinarians and licensed veterinary technicians observe and monitor our boarders. Our staff is trained to recognize changes in your pet's appetite and attitude, and they work hard to keep pets clean and comfortable. We also board pets that have ongoing medical problems and who need medication, fluid therapy and/or observation, geriatrics and diabetics is our specialty. Reservations for boarding should be made well in advance, especially if around major holidays.
Please click here for a printable version of our Boarding Release form.
Nutritional Counseling: We carry Hill's and Purina prescription diet foods and special low fat treats. Please check with your veterinarian for information regarding your pets specific nutritional needs.
Pharmacy: We stock an extensive drug inventory so medications can be dispensed before leaving the clinic.
Behavior Counseling: Behavioral problems are the number one reason pets are taken to animal shelters. If you are experiencing a behavioral problem with your pet we offer examinations, counseling, behavior modification programs, and sometimes drug therapy to help resolve the issue. We can also refer you to veterinarians specializing in behavior medicine as the situation warrants.
Senior Pet Care and Geriatric Pet Evaluations: In recent years great strides have been made in recognizing the special needs and requirements of our "senior citizen" dogs and cats. Our veterinarians are well equipped with the knowledge and diagnostic tools to identify age related problems and formulate realistic strategies to allow our pets to live longer and healthier lives. If your dog is seven to nine years of age or older (depending on breed) or your cat is ten years of age or older it is now in it's geriatric years. We will be happy to discuss with you our recommendations for geriatric testing and geriatric diets.
Common Medical Conditions in Senior Pets
If your Pet is a Senior, Watch for these Signs
Pocket Pets: Our Veterinarians are available to assist you with information and care for your "pocket pets." Our knowledgeable staff can provide nutritional and husbandry advice for your furry loved ones including ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats and mice. Cats & Critters, one of our member hospitals, has experience with other non-traditional pets such as prairie dogs, chinchillas, sugar gliders and others.
Pet Identification and Microchip System: A microchip is a tiny electronic device, about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is implanted beneath a pet's skin between the shoulder blades, and stays there for the pet's entire life. This procedure is as easy and as painless as a vaccination.
Each microchip has a unique number. This number, along with information about the owner and pet, are added to a national pet registry. Most veterinary hospitals and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If a lost pet is found and a microchip is scanned the registry is called and the owner can be contacted.
We use the "Home Again" microchip system, which is recognized nationwide. For Complete Information on the HomeAgain Microchip System, Please Click Here.
Bereavement Counseling: We understand how very difficult it is to lose a beloved pet. Our compassionate staff is here to help during your bereavement.
Early Morning drop-offs and late evening Pick-ups: Drop off your pet on your way to work and pick them up when your day is over.
Evening and Saturday Hours: With your busy lifestyle the doctors and staff at Animal Hospital of Pittsford recognize the need to make veterinary care as convenient as possible. Check out our extended evening and Saturday hours.
After-hours Emergency Service: If you have an after-hours veterinary emergency please call Animal Emergency Service located at the corner of White Spruce Boulevard and East Henrietta Road across from MCC. Their phone number is (585) 424-1277.