The Ankeny Veterinary Clinic is a full service companion animal healthcare provider. Our focus is the health and longevity of your pets through personalized, quality treatment, client education, and preventative medicine. In an effort to maximize transparency and understanding, we have provided detailed information about or primary services below. Please contact us with any questions and/or appointment inquiries.
Pet Examination
We certainly understand that the health of your pets is very important to you, as it is to us, and we’re here to ensure they receive the best possible care. An animal displaying obvious symptoms can be a relatively easy diagnosis, but many conditions remain seemingly asymptomatic for some time. The goal of our pet examination is to discover and treat ailments before symptoms become severe or ideally prevent them before they arise. In an effort to achieve a long, healthy life for your pets, we recommend a full wellness examination for each pet at least once per year. It is often easiest to conduct the yearly exam at the same time as annual immunizations as it is typically a quick and inherently painless process. We also recommend scheduling a checkup for newly acquired pets because this will allow us to reassure you of their health and give us a starting point for their medical records. Our pet examinations include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Abdomen and anal sac examination to check for swellings, bloating, or any other abnormalities.
- Bellybutton check in young animals to ensure there is no hernia.
- Examination of the coat and skin – this can offer insight into the overall health.
- Checking the genital area for any malformation.
- Examination of the heart and lungs, checking for any irregularities such as heart murmurs.
- Manipulation of the joints to ensure they are mobile and functioning correctly.
- Examination of the ear canals and ear flaps for parasites, infection, growths or tumors.
- Weight check, where dietary or exercise recommendations may also be made.
- Examination of the eyes for discharge, redness, and/or abnormal responses to light. We will also examine the optic nerve in the back of the eye.
- Full dental check up including looking for signs of periodontal disease and loose or broken teeth.
- Older pets may require blood tests to check their liver, kidneys and other internal organs.
- Fecal testing may be necessary for certain situations, in which case you may be asked to provide a stool sample from your pet. Fecal testing is conducted to check for internal parasites which live in your pets’ gastrointestinal tract. These parasites can be very detrimental to both the health of the animal and owner.
If a follow-up appointment is necessary/recommended, we will let you know and assist you in scheduling a date and time that works conveniently with your schedule.
Immunization & Parasite Control
Vaccinating your pets against disease causing pathogens is one of the most important components of sound animal healthcare. Not only can these infectious agents adversely affect the well-being of your pet, but some are even transmittable to humans. We strongly recommend annual vaccinations to help protect your pets as well as the rest of your family from numerous disease threats including:
Dogs
- Leptospirosis – a bacterial infection that can affect all breeds and sizes of dogs. Lepto can be a very serious disease and can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early. It generally attacks a dog’s liver and kidneys and can lead to organ damage or failure. However, if lepto is caught early, it responds well to antibiotics.
- Canine Distemper Virus – a contagious and serious viral illness with no known cure. Young, unvaccinated puppies and non-immunized older dogs tend to be more susceptible to the disease. The virus, which is spread through the air and by direct or indirect (i.e. utensils, bedding) contact with an infected animal, initially attacks a dog’s tonsils and lymph nodes and replicates itself there for about one week. It then attacks the respiratory, urogenital, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.
- Canine Parvovirus – a highly contagious viral illness that manifests itself in two different forms. The more common form is the intestinal form, which is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and lack of appetite (anorexia). The less common form is the cardiac form, which attacks the heart muscles of very young puppies, often leading to death.
- Infectious Canine Hepatitis – an acute liver infection in dogs caused by canine adenovirus type-1 (CAV-1). The virus is spread in the feces, urine, blood, saliva, and nasal discharge of infected dogs. It is contracted through the mouth or nose, where it replicates in the tonsils. The virus then infects the liver and kidneys.
- Rabies – a contagious and fatal viral disease of mammals that causes madness and convulsions. It is transmissible through the saliva to humans.
Cats
- Feline Calicivirus – a common viral respiratory disease that attacks the respiratory tract – lungs and nasal passages – the mouth, with ulceration of the tongue, the intestines, and the musculoskeletal system. It is highly communicable in unvaccinated cats, and is commonly seen in multicat facilities, shelters, poorly ventilated households, and breeding catteries.
- Feline Herpes Virus – a common virus that causes eye and upper respiratory infections in cats.
- Feline Infectious Enteritis – a viral infection affecting cats, both domesticated and wild feline species. It is caused by feline parvovirus, a close relative of both type 2 canine parvovirus and mink enteritis. Once contracted, it is highly contagious and can be fatal to the affected animal.
- Feline Leukaemia Virus (for “at risk” cats) – a retrovirus that can be transmitted from infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can cause diseases which can be lethal.
- Rabies – a contagious and fatal viral disease of mammals that causes madness and convulsions. It is transmissible through the saliva to humans.
In addition to vaccinations, we offer heartworm testing, internal parasite treatment, and flea, tick and heartworm preventatives.
Spaying & Neutering
At the Ankeny Veterinary clinic, we encourage our clients to have their pets spayed and neutered in an effort to help control the companion animal population as well as provide your pet with long-term health benefits. According to the ASPCA, “approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year” and – due to limited space among other factors – “approximately 2.7 million [of those] animals are euthanized [each year]”. These figures are tragic, but not insurmountable. With a united effort starting at the individual and community level, we can reverse this trend and create a brighter future for the general companion animal population.
As we mentioned previously, spaying and neutering a pet has life-long behavioral and health benefits:
- Spaying your female pet prior to sexual maturity prevents uterine infections, which can be very tough on the short-term and long-term health of the animal, and breast cancer, which is fatal in ~90% of cats and ~50% of dogs.
- Neutering your male pet before 6 months of age completely removes the risk of testicular cancer and reduces the likelihood of perianal tumors.
- Female pets in heat can be difficult due to increased vocalization and frequent, indiscriminate urination. Their heat cycles last 4-5 days at 3 week intervals during the breeding season, so life with an un-spayed animal can be trying. Spayed females do not go into heat, the the behavioral dispositions typically associated with the condition are largely eradicated.
- Mature, un-neutered male dogs have a strong biological drive to find a mate and as such are much more likely to engage in undesirable behavior like digging under fences, getting into fights with other dogs, indiscriminate humping, and becoming surprisingly adept escape artists in pursuit of this desire. Neutering diminishes such aggressive behavior and helps direct their attention to their human families.
- In a household with multiple pets, spaying and neutering all animals before maturity can improve their general temperament toward each other which helps them interact in a more agreeable manner.
- Raising a litter of animals starts around $200 minimally, so neutering or spaying is a significantly cheaper, easier option!
Your pet can be safely spayed or neutered after 8 weeks of age, but we often recommend allowing them a little more time to develop before the procedure. Of course, we also highly recommend getting your pet spayed or neutered prior to sexual maturity (as early as 5 months old in both cats and dogs). Whenever you’re ready to schedule an appointment, we would be happy to advise you on a more specific timeframe that works conveniently with your schedule.
Microchipping
Microchip installation is an extremely simple procedure that can significantly increase the likelihood of your pet returning home safely should it ever become lost. The process involves the quick, relatively painless injection of a microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) between the animal’s shoulder blades. The chip is then ready to be registered online, so it is digitally linked with the owner’s address and contact information. At the Ankeny Vet Clinic we use HomeAgain brand microchips which are one of the highest performers in the field, and the only brand with anti-migration technology so the chip stays in place. The HomeAgain website is a great resource for additional information on microchipping including some demonstration videos and a section for frequently asked questions. Here is a brief excerpt from their site explaining how the microchip works once installed:
A HomeAgain microchip is a permanent pet ID. The microchip itself has no internal energy source, so it will last the life of your pet. It is read by passing a microchip scanner over the pet’s shoulder blades. The scanner emits a low radio frequency that provides the power necessary to transmit the microchips unique cat or dog ID code and positively identify the pet.
HomeAgain is the only dog and cat microchipping product on the market today that has the patented anti-migration feature to help ensure that the microchip will stay in place so that it may be easily located and scanned. If your pet gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter or veterinarian, they will scan the microchip to read its unique dog or cat ID code. This is the number used by HomeAgain to identify the pet and retrieve your contact information, which is used to contact you and reunite you with your pet.
Dental Cleaning
Clean teeth and a healthy mouth are extremely important for your pet. Just like in humans, plaque and tartar build-up on your pet’s teeth can lead to serious, even life threatening health problems. We recommend brushing your pet’s teeth regularly to keep them in top condition, but we also understand this can be difficult in general and nearly impossible with some animals. Thus, we offer our clients and their pets a complete array of veterinary dental care services including dental cleanings, tooth extractions, and other forms of oral surgery. Some clients like to schedule dental cleanings annually which can be enough for some pets, but may not be for others. We recommend scheduling dental work whenever you notice obvious signs of poor oral health:
- Constant bad breath (unpleasant breath right after eating is expected).
- Weight loss
- Decreased appetite. Infected gums and tooth pain can result in a reduced appetite and significant weight loss.
- Heavily stained and plaque-covered teeth
- Excessive drooling
- Blood in the saliva or around the teeth and gums
- Broken or missing teeth
- Lumps or other abnormal formations on or around the gums
All dental work requires that your pet receive general anesthetic, but the risks are very minimal and we conduct pre-anesthetic blood screening prior to procedures involving older patients and/or patients with pre-existing health concerns. Most dental work does not require an extended stay for your pet, so they should be ready to pick up the same day with their shiny new smile.
Prescription Pet Food
For your prescription pet food needs and convenience, we carry Hill’s Prescription, Purina Veterinary Diets, and Royal Canine Veterinary Diet products.