General Health Care

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Health Checks

Animals age faster than people, and an annual health check is essential to ensure your pet has a long and healthy life. Often an annual health check can be coincided with a vaccination visit. We consider pet wellness and preventative health care a top priority for our patients. Health issues such as weight concerns, dental disease, mobility issues and heart disease can also be detected earlier with regular checks. For elderly pets we may recommend 6 monthly health checks to monitor certain changes more closely. 

Talk to our staff about your pet’s wellness today.

Consultations

At Diamond Valley Veterinary Hospitals we offer a wide range of consulting periods for your convenience. Our standard consultations run for 15 minutes, but for more complicated issues or multiple problems we allow 30 minutes in our extended consultations. For better case management and continuity we recommend that if possible you request your preferred vet or the vet that has been treating your animal for an ongoing problem.

We run by appointment, except for emergencies. Our standard consultation fees apply on weekdays during clinic hours (8am-8pm) and Saturdays until 3pm. After 3pm on a Saturday, Sundays, public holidays and after-hours consultations incur increased fees.

We do our best to minimise stress on pets when visiting our Hospitals. If your pet is particularly stressed around other animals or in certain situations please speak to our staff when making your booking, so we can accommodate as many special needs and minimise stress for you and your pet as much possible. 

With notice we offer house-call consultations, however they do need to be arranged in advance to ensure adequate time and staffing is allocated.

Microchipping

There are few things that are more distressing than when a pet goes missing. Our Team truly loves the sound of our microchip scanner beeping! It tells us the lost pet we are caring for has a microchip. It means within only a few minutes we can make a call and let you know your pet is safe.

Advantages and reasons to microchip include the following: 

  • It is a permanent method of pet identification.
  • It provides the best chance for your missing pet to be returned you.
  • It is a legal Victorian requirement for ownership of all cats and dogs.
  • It lasts for the lifetime of your pet.

A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is injected under your pets skin between the shoulder blades. It can be done during a normal consultation without sedation. The microchip is coded with a unique number to your pet and is the most effective form of permanent identification. This code is placed onto a national computer database that can be accessed 24 hours a day, so it is particularly useful in the return of lost pets. They can also assist where the ownership of an animal is in dispute.

It only takes a few minutes to have a microchip implanted. All microchips are implanted by our veterinarians who are specifically registered as “qualified microchip implanters”. The fee also includes a life time registration on a national database.

It is also important to remember that if you move house or change phone numbers you should update your pet’s microchip details accordingly. It’s very frustrating when a lost pets details are not current – in this situation the worst case scenario is your pet may be sent to the pound!

Please phone us if you have any questions about getting your pet microchipped, or to book an appointment.

Dental Care

Dentistry is an important field of veterinary science. We have seen an increase in awareness of the importance dental care to the overall health of the animals we treat. Alarmingly, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats suffer from some form of dental disease by the age of three.

Just like humans, your pet’s teeth need looking after too! The health of their teeth and gums has a significant impact on their overall wellness and quality of life. Imagine how your mouth would feel and smell if you never brushed your teeth. Imagine having a really bad toothache and not being able to tell anyone about it!

Dental disease begins with a build up of bacteria in your pets mouth. Bacteria, combined with saliva and food debris, can cause plaque to accumulate on the tooth. Over time plaque turns to tartar (brown or yellow material starting near the gum line of the tooth). Without proper preventive or therapeutic care, plaque and tartar build-up leads to gingivitis and periodontal disease, which affects the tissues and structures supporting the teeth. Periodontal disease can cause oral pain, tooth loss and even organ problems. It also has the potential to shorten your pets lifespan.

Common signs of dental disease include:

  • Yellow-brown tartar around the gumline
  • Inflamed, red gums
  • Bad breath
  • Change in eating or chewing habits (especially in cats)
  • Pawing at the face or mouth
  • Excessive drooling
  • Pain or bleeding when you touch the gums or mouth

Vaccination Advice

Vaccination has revolutionised control of infectious disease in our pets. It is essential that all pets are adequately vaccinated to help protect the pet population as a whole. Responsible pet care requires puppies and kittens to be given their initial course of vaccinations, but this does not protect them for the rest of their lives. Adult dogs and cats require regular booster vaccinations to maintain immunity against disease. Its important to also note that rabbits and ferrets also require regular vaccinations! An equally important part of the vaccination is the health check with each visit.

Following vaccination your pet may be a little quiet or off-colour for a day or two, or may have some slight swelling or tenderness at the injection site. Access to food and water and a comfortable area to rest are usually all that is required for a quick recovery. However, if the response seems more severe, you should contact us for advice.

If you’re uncertain about your pets current vaccination status, please speak with our Staff to discuss your vaccination needs. If you have a number of concerns to discuss at the annual check-up and vaccination, we recommend booking an extended consultation

Medication Policy

Repeat Prescription Animal Remedy (PAR) Medication Prescribing Policy – Diamond Valley Veterinary Hospitals

 

If your pet has been prescribed medication that requires repeat prescribing by the veterinarian/s in charge of your pet’s care, please read this information carefully.

 

  • Prescription Animal Remedy (PAR) class medications and prescriptions can only be provided to animals under our care, upon the authorisation of one of our registered practising veterinarians or from a veterinary specialist with shared care of the patient.

 

  • The repeat prescribing of PAR medications requires that your pet is clinically assessed periodically by a registered practising veterinarian. For this, follow up consultations are required. Your veterinarian will advise you of how frequently these clinical reassessments are required, but for most cases this will be a maximum interval of 6 months. Veterinarians are obliged both by Law and their professional ethics to comply with this condition of PAR medication prescribing. We must comply with the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981and the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2017, AND follow the guidelines as set out by the Victorian Veterinary Board.

 

  • Some PAR medications require periodic blood test monitoring to assess the health of your pet and/or the therapeutic drug levels during the prescribing period. Your veterinarian will advise you of these requirements.

 

  • Please allow at least 48 hours for repeat PAR medications to be dispensed. It takes time for the veterinarian to review a patient’s medication prescribing history and it may take additional time to have the medication stocked in our pharmacy. In consideration of other clients with pre-arranged appointments, repeat PAR medication supplies will not be able to be made up on demand without sufficient prior notification. We recommend that you telephone the hospital at least 48 hours in advance for repeat medication prescribing authorisation.

 

  • Special order medications need to be paid for in advance, as our wholesaler will not accept returns for products ordered over 7 days prior, AND charges us a fee to handle any returns.

 

  • Some special order medications may take longer than a few days to order in from our wholesale suppliers. In some cases, certain medications may take at least one week to become available from our suppliers. Your veterinarian will advise you if this may be the case and whether you may need to give at least 1 week notification of a repeat prescription supply being required.

 

  • Our Practice will take no responsibility for the delayed supply or inability to supply repeat prescription medications if the above conditions and recommendations have not been complied with.