All Creatures Animal Hospital is a veterinarian in Puyallup that strives to give “current and compassionate care” for patients. The doctors and technicians provide a range of diagnostic, medical, surgical, and dental care, and they also offer long-term wellness programs. Clients can call to ask for All Creatures Animal Hospital's full list of services.
Avenue Veterinary Clinic is an animal medical center in Tacoma that offers “quality care at the best prices” in the city. The lead practitioner has more than 25 years of professional experience, and the facility welcomes dogs, cats, and birds. Avenue Veterinary Clinic welcomes walk-ins, time permitting, and some of the services are microchipping, vaccination, dental care, and surgery.
Ballard Animal Hospital is a center in Seattle that strives to provide “up-to-date, comprehensive, professional care as honestly and compassionately as we can.” The facility accommodates non-emergency overnight stays and medical boarding, and the staff provides client education, individualized preventative programs, disease diagnosis and treatment, surgery, and other services. Ballard Animal Hospital also practices in geriatric medicine, and it has provisions for pet euthanasia and cremation.
Carousel Mobile Veterinary Services is a medical facility in Black Diamond that takes care of pets from South King and North Pierce counties. The center offers a range of examinations, therapies, and treatments, and the staff performs surgical procedures on small animals. Carousel Mobile Veterinary Services operates from Monday to Friday, and it provides 24/7 emergency services to registered patients.
Chambers Creek Veterinary Hospital is a practice in Lakewood. The center offers comprehensive wellness and illness therapies, and it also provides behavioral counseling, general surgery, cardiologist consults, multimodal pain management, chemotherapy, cancer treatment, and end-of-life care. Chambers Creek Veterinary Hospital has dental care, grooming, and boarding facilities, and it has a pharmacy as well. The staff issues health certificates for travel.
Fircrest Veterinary Hospital is a clinic in University Place that seeks to provide the best possible medical, surgical, and dental care for their “highly valued patients.” The services include vaccination, dental cleanings, anesthesia management and monitoring, and microchip pet identification, and the staff provides boarding as well. Fircrest Veterinary Hospital operates from Monday to Saturday, and the website lists the emergency contact information.
Firgrove Veterinary Hospital is a medical center in Puyallup that holds an accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association. The staff commit to “promoting responsible pet ownership, preventative health care, and health-related educational opportunities” for clients, and they perform procedures like ultrasound, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, internal medicine, blood transfusion, cryosurgery. Firgrove Veterinary Hospital has an online store and boarding facilities, and the website lists contact information for after-hours emergency cases. The doctors and technicians offer hospice and euthanasia options.
Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital is an animal health and wellness center in Lacey. The doctors and technicians practice in areas like avian medicine, laser treatment, radiology, newborn and senior care, parasite control, and nutritional counseling, and they also provide acupuncture, massage therapy, energy healing, and pain management programs. Hawks Prairie Veterinary Hospital pays house calls for pets who cannot travel, and it has hospice and humane euthanasia options.
Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is an animal health care facility in Tacoma. The center aims to provide “the highest-quality medical and surgical care to pets in our neighborhood,” and the services include microchipping, radiology, pain management, and surgery. Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is a member of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and it partners with the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County to find homes for cats. The website contains information on matters like celebrating Pet Diabetes Awareness Month.
Reber Ranch is a veterinary clinic and grooming salon in Kent that opened in 1984, “for the life of your pets.” The staff offers medical assessment, vaccinations, internal medicine, dental, acupuncture, and other services, as well as final care options, and they see dogs, horses, and other types of animals. Reber Ranch holds an accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association, and it gives discounts to United States military families, senior citizens, and 4-H members with valid IDs.
Soundview Veterinary Hospital is a pet health care and wellness facility in Tacoma that has a well-stocked pharmacy. The services include parasite prevention and control, radiology, surgery, anesthesia monitoring, blood transfusions, and pain management, and the staff offers newborn and senior care, nutritional counseling, and behavioral medicine programs as well. Soundview Veterinary Hospital gives referral credits, and it provides hospice and compassionate euthanasia options.
Tacoma Cat Hospital is a medical care clinic and boarding facility in Fircrest. The center opened in 1993, and it takes care of patients of any breed, age, physical condition, attitude, and lifestyle. Tacoma Cat Hospital provides flea control for the furry family members, and its services include administering feline leukemia vaccines.
Tahoma Veterinary Hospital is a clinic in Spanaway that strives to give the best health care available to patients from Pierce County and the neighboring communities. The facility has been around for more than 25 years, and it holds an accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association. Tahoma Veterinary Hospital runs a wellness club that involves preventative care and the early detection of disease, and it responds to medical emergency situations by phone. The center accommodates small and large animals.
The Pet Doctor is an animal health and wellness service in Lakewood that provides “cutting-edge veterinary medical care.” The clinic offers a range of services, including canine reproduction and dermatology treatment, and it has grooming facilities and a fully stocked pharmacy. The Pet Doctor operates from Monday to Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and it is also open Fridays and Saturdays until late in the afternoon.
Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital is a clinic in Federal Way. The staff looks after regular and exotic pets, and their services include elective and advanced surgery, massage therapy, and DNA profiling. Twin Lakes Veterinary Hospital holds an accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association, which strives to keep “the standard of veterinary excellence” high, and it runs a nutritional center and an on-site pharmacy.
Woodside Animal Hospital is a canine and feline health and wellness center in Port Orchard. The facility has been serving communities in Kitsap County for more than 30 years, and the services include diagnostics, electrocardiography, internal medicine consults, dietary counseling, routine and therapeutic bathing, and boarding. Woodside Animal Hospital gives discounts to senior citizens, as well as active and retired United States military personnel, and the website has secure portals that clients can access 24/7.
This depends on the age of your pet. Ideally, puppies should have their first vet visit between six to eight weeks old, and kittens should see the vet within one week of bringing them home. Healthy adult animals need a checkup once per year. Vets recommend two exams per year for senior pets (age 10 and up).
Aside from preventing unwanted pregnancy, sterilization has other benefits for pets. Spayed females won't go into heat, and they have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer and mammary gland tumors. Neutering males reduces aggressive behavior, territorial marking, and roaming urges. It also eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and can reduce the chance of prostate disease.
Dogs are very commonly affected by heartworm disease, so they should be on medication to prevent it all year long. Heartworm preventatives are available as topical “spot-on” medications, monthly chewable pills, and injections that are given every six to 12 months. Heartworms are less common in cats, but preventative medication is still recommended.
In general, puppies and kittens need several types of vaccines every three to four weeks until they're 16 weeks old. Depending on the vaccine, your pet might need a booster shot every one to three years. Pets that are indoors-only may require fewer and less frequent vaccinations.
Poor oral hygiene can lead to dental disease in animals as young as two to three years of age. To help prevent this, vets recommend that you brush your pet's teeth at least two to three times a week. Dogs and cats should also have a professional dental cleaning once per year.
According to the ASPCA, cats need a diet that's high in protein and taurine, which can only be found in meat and other animal products. They also struggle to digest carbohydrates from plants. Dogs can eat plants, but it's difficult to provide adequate nutrition for them on a vegan diet.
Dogs drag their rear ends on the floor for a number of reasons, including clogged anal sacs, intestinal parasites, and food allergies. Some groomers express a dog's anal glands manually, which is often unnecessary and can cause irritation that leads to scooting. If you notice frequent scooting, contact a veterinarian to figure out the cause.
Brachycephalic animals are prone to obstructive breathing due to the short muzzles and flattened faces they were bred to have. Common brachycephalic breeds are the pug, French and English bulldogs, Boston terrier, Pekingese, shih tzu, boxer, and bull mastiff. Brachycephaly can occur in cats such as the Persian, Himalayan, and Burmese breeds, and in rabbits such as Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops.
For puppies, it depends on the dog's breed and size. Generally, dogs are considered ready for adult food around 18-24 months of age. Large breeds take a bit longer to mature. Toy breeds can reach their adult size in as little as 10 months. Cats should be transitioned to adult food when they're around 12 months old.
It can be tempting to declaw a cat to stop it from scratching your furniture, but it's a medically unnecessary procedure that does the animal more harm than good. Declawing can cause paw and back pain, lameness, tissue necrosis, and discomfort when using the litter box. Better alternatives include keeping your pet's nails trimmed and providing scratching posts around your home.
The pet may already belong to someone, so check for a collar and tags, or have it scanned for a microchip at your local animal shelter or veterinary clinic. Many people who lose a pet will look for it at nearby shelters, so consider leaving the animal there to give the owner a better chance of finding it.
Dogs don't see in black and white, but they're unable to recognize many of the colors that humans can. The colors they can see best are blue, yellow, and combinations of these shades. Objects that are green, orange, and red appear to be dull brown or gray through a dog's eyes.
In the United States, vets must obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree to practice. Some choose a dual DVM/Ph.D. or DVM/M.S. program, and others opt for specialty training after earning their degree. Becoming a veterinarian takes about four years of undergraduate education and four years to complete a DVM or VMD program.
Veterinary technician requirements vary by state. Most vet technicians must complete an AVMA-accredited two-year associate or four-year bachelor's program and pass the VTME exam. Some states have alternate paths to credentialing, such as passing a certification exam at a specialist academy.
Vet assistants help veterinarians and technicians with their daily tasks, set up equipment, and clean key areas of the clinic, such as kennels and operating rooms. There are certification programs for vet assistants, but most are trained for these tasks on the job.
Vet technicians serve many roles in the clinic. They act as surgical nurses, lab and radiography technicians, and supervisors to veterinary assistants. Technicians also meet with pet owners and usually provide the initial exam of their animal. They can administer vaccines and medications, but are not allowed to write prescriptions or provide a diagnosis without veterinarian approval.
Veterinary assistants typically earn about $13.75 an hour, or $28,590 per year. Vet technicians, on average, make $17 per hour, or $35,320 per year for full-time employment.
