Pet Portal
RainTree Veterinary Hospital Services
Wellness Care
The value of a complete medical history and annual physical exam is undeniable. Our exam times are 30 minutes with extended appointment times for more complex cases. We make educating our clients a priority. During your pet's annual physical exam, we will discuss current diet, body condition, oral health, joint health and any other concerns you may have.
Each vaccination protocol is tailored to your pet’s needs and is based on their health, age and risk factors. Vaccinations are an important part of maintaining good health and reducing the spread of disease. In addition, preventative care also includes deworming and flea and tick prevention and any special needs your pet may have if you travel within or outside of Canada.
Dogs
Fleas, ticks and intestinal parasites can be a problem all year round here on Vancouver Island. Luckily, there are many safe medications we use to help treat and prevent infestations.
We recommend distemper, parvo and adenovirus as core vaccines, as well as rabies, bordetella (kennel cough), leptospirosis and lyme dependent on the lifestyle of your pet. After the initial puppy series of boosters (8,12,16 weeks), we generally recommend vaccinations every 3 years, however some vaccines such as bordetella are still required annually.
Cats
We recommend discussing three vaccines for cats. Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia (FVRCP), Feline Leukemia and Rabies. The need for vaccines varies widely with indoor vs outdoor cats, making lifestyle and history very important to discuss.
Senior Pets
Here at RainTree Veterinary Hospital, we have a soft spot for geriatrics. We put an emphasis on educating clients on what signs to look for in their aging companions and recommend annual blood and urine testing and may recommend biannual exams dependent on their health. Mobility assessments can be very valuable in detecting early arthritis or back pain.
Laboratory
We have an in-house laboratory which allows us to run several diagnostic tests rapidly, including complete blood counts, chemistry or organ function tests and fecal and urine analyses. If further analysis is required, we can also send specialized test and samples to outside laboratories such as Idexx and Histovet.
Pharmacy
Our in-house pharmacy allows us to dispense most medication that your pet may need with full instructions on dosing and possible side effects. Special formulations can also be ordered and prepared from summit compounding pharmacy in Ontario and sometimes we send you to the human pharmacy if it makes most sense.
Imaging
Our digital xray unit allows us to take quick images and can then show you your pet’s xrays on a computer screen. Xrays are very helpful to diagnose many conditions such as heart or lung disease, bone and joint diseases and abdominal conditions, such as bladder stones.
Your veterinarian may suggest your pet needs an ultrasound or endoscopy. We have a very experienced ultrasonographer or endoscopist who can travel to our clinic so your pet can stay with us for his or her tests.
If required, we can send xrays and ultrasound images for review by a board cerified radiologist or cardiologist.
Surgery
Before all anesthetic procedures, we recommend preanesthetic bloodwork and a full physical exam to assess risk. Close monitoring of your pet during their procedure is of utmost importance to us. We ensure each patient has an intravenous catheter and fluids, heart rate and blood pressure monitoring.
An ovariohysterecomy or spay involves removing the ovaries and uterus and is a day procedure. Spaying your pet protects her from potentially deadly disease including bacterial infections, mammary neoplasms (cancers) and of course, prevents pregnancy.
Castration or neutering is removal of the testicles. Neutering your pet protects him from potentially deadly disease such as testicular or prostate conditions and of course prevents pregnancy and decreases certain behaviours.
We also offer many non-routine surgical procedures such as cystotomies (bladder stone removal), abdominal exploratories, lumpectomies and extracaspular cruciate ligament repairs.
Historical reasons for spaying and neutering at a young age are being challenged. Spaying and neutering does eliminate the risk of pyometra (infection of the uterus), some mammary tumours, testicular and prostatic disease. Joint disorders (hip and elbow dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament disease) and common cancers (osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumours and lymphoma) and the correlation to age of spay/neuter is being studied.
Our current recommendation is to neuter your male dog after they are fully grown (12-24 months dependent on breed). Our current recommendation for your female dog varies widely with breed. As a general rule, we recommend to allow for maximum growth but spay before the second heat. We are happy to discuss any questions you may have and are certainly keeping a close eye on new studies that are being done.
We recommend spay/neuter cat at 6 months of age to avoid unwanted pregnancies and behaviours such as roaming or spraying. After spay or neuter, your pet’s metabolic rates can change. Ask us about your pet’s caloric needs.
Dentistry
We are committed to educating you on the importance of oral health. When tartar is allowed to build up, infection can result along the gumline or worse, to the root. Left untreated, the infection can cause pain and lead to serious health issues.
COHAT is an abbreviation for comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment. If your pet is coming to our hospital for this procedure, we will recommend a preanesthetic blood panel to assess kidney and liver function and assess your pet’s heart health before general anesthesia.
Once under general anesthesia, the veterinarian will do a full dental exam and chart the teeth (making note of teeth missing or diseased). Full mouth dental xrays are then performed to look at all the roots and assess if any teeth require extraction. If everything looks good, all the teeth are scaled, root planed and polished before waking your pet up.
Perhaps, most important is how to keep your pet’s teeth clean afterwards. We are happy to discuss products approved by veterinary dentists with the VOHC seal and teach you how to brush your pet’s teeth!
Why does my pet need to be anesthetized to have a dental cleaning?
Removing tartar visible on the crowns is not nearly enough. Periodontal disease is most severe under the gums. To reach these areas, the patient must be placed under general anesthesia, so that we can explore and clean under the gumline. We are also able to take radiographs that allow us to see the condition of the roots and jaw. Removing tartar on an animal that is awake provides only cosmetic improvement and does nothing to improve oral health.
What are FORLs?
Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions are a common dental disease in cats over 4 years of age. In this disease, cells destroy the root surface. They were previously thought to be feline cavities but are distinctly different in that they are not caused by bacteria.
The symptoms you may see are chattering, sensitivity when chewing (dropping food, eating on one side) and sometimes salivation as they are believed to be painful.
On examination, your veterinarian will identify missing teeth or teeth where portions of the crown are missing. Early FORLs can be seen on xrays, making this vitally important before your cat’s dental cleaning.
Due to it’s painful nature, the best treatment is extraction of the entire tooth or crown amputation (intentionally leaving the root to continue to resorb). Crown amputation alleviates the pain by removing the sensitive part of the tooth.
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Canine rehabilitation adapts human physical therapy techniques to increase function and mobility of joints and muscle in dogs. It can reduce pain and enhance recovery from injury, surgery, degenerative diseases and obesity. Dr. Rainford is a certified canine rehabilitation therapist. She spent many extra hours of training to learn how to perform in depth mobility assessments and design treatment and exercise plans as well as monitor your pets progress.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is defined as the insertion of needles into specific points on the body to produce a healing response. Each point initiates a specific action when stimulated. Our focus is acupuncture for musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, disc disease, spinal cord and other traumatic injuries. Scientific research has shown that this ancient method works by stimulating the central nervous system. It stimulates nerves, increases circulation, relieves muscle spasms and releases hormones such as endorphins and cortisol to help with pain relief.
For dogs and cats, the insertion of acupuncture needles is virtually painless. Many animals will become sleepy and relax during treatment. Side effects are rare, but some animals may feel lethargic for 24-48 hours before the benefits are apparent. The length and frequency of treatment depends on the condition being treated. We are very excited to be able to offer this service to our patients and those referred to us.
Laser Therapy
Light emitted at specific dose and wavelengths have been proven to decrease inflammation, increase circulation, reduce pain and accelerate healing. Like plants absorbing sunlight, the cells in the body absorb laser light. Class 3b and 4 lasers are equally effective for us in laser therapy as it is the wavelength of light that is most important. Class 4 lasers do reduce treatment time due to power level.
PEMF (Pulsing Electromagnetic Field Therapy)
Very simply, cells contain ions (electrically charged particles) that govern all cellular processes. When the body is stressed, the cellular membrane that moves ions into and out of the cell is compromised. A damaged or sick cell does not hold its' ideal charge and slows circulation down. PEMF helps the cell to be properly charge and thereby increases blood flow and thereby accelerating healing and decreasing inflammation. Our PEMF bed is used for most of our rehabilitation treatments and the depth of the field can penetrate through the entire body of a dog laying on the bed and reaching deep into joints and muscles. The treatment cannot be felt by the patient but the effects are noticeable. After repeated treatments, some of our patients will seek out the bed!
