We are proud to provide superior veterinary care throughout St. Louis.
Below you’ll find more information on the services that we offer. If you need any additional information or have specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. The Chippewa Animal Hospital is here to help in any way possible.
Fully Stocked Pharmacy
When your pet needs a specific medication, it’s important that you’re able to get it as quickly as possible. Chippewa Animal Hospital keeps a fully-stocked pharmacy right here in our hospital so that your pet can get what they need while you’re in the building. In addition to being convenient, this also ensures that you’re getting medication for your pet from a reliable source.
Whether your pet requires medication for a chronic medical condition or needs short-term medication while recovering from an illness, injury, or surgery, you can trust that we have what you need. Our staff will fill your prescriptions with care and attention to detail. You can count on us to provide you with accurate information about your pet’s medications, including proper dosing information, and to alert you to any potential drug side effects or interactions. We are also here if you experience any problems with your medication after you return home. Of course, we’re always here if you need any assistance.
If you want to be sure to get the most value for your dollars, as well as convenience and the best customer service, call us for your next prescription or medication refill. We are pleased to provide our clients with a fully stocked pharmacy, and we stand behind every product that we dispense.
If you have any questions at all, please call us directly at 314-772-0292.
Nutritional Counseling
Nutrition plays a massive role in your pet’s life and is a big factor in your pet’s overall health and well-being. We want you to look beyond the pet food aisle at the grocery store, and work with our team to create the right diet for your pet. Creating a good nutrition plan for your pet begins the moment they come home, and it depends on many factors – we can help. More importantly, your pet’s nutritional needs change as their lifestyle changes as well. It can be overwhelming trying to find the right food for your pet, and we’re here to help. We offer expert advice to help you negotiate the complicated array of choices. Let our nutritional counseling service help you achieve and maintain optimal nutrition for your pet.
It’s important to know that specially formulated diets can assist in the management of various medical conditions like kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease. Work closely with your veterinarian to find the right food and the right intake amount for your pet. Whether your pet has special dietary needs or has weight management needs, our nutritional counseling services can help you accomplish your goals and keep your pet in good health.
Our veterinary team is here to discuss your pet’s needs as their life and health changes, and we’ll be sure to send you home with a plan to keep them happy and have them feeling their best!
Puppy & Kitten Care
There are not many things more exciting than bringing home a new puppy or kitten! With that excitement comes a lot of questions and things to check off of your to-do list. Not to worry, Chippewa Animal Hospital has you covered! From their first visit, we’ll be there to get your new pet on a good vaccination and checkup schedule. During their first visit, we’ll perform a full nose-to-tail physical examination to look for any concerns with your pet’s health. These exams are incredibly important and full of information. We’ll discuss nutrition, vaccine schedule, training, grooming tips, and how to keep your new pet protected against parasites. Even the most experienced pet owners can become overwhelmed by bringing a new pet home; we’ll do our best to make the transition as simple as possible.
During these initial visits and vaccination appointments, our team will be sure to put together a baseline of your pet’s health so we’ll be gaining just as much new information as you. We’ll work hard to help you understand your pet’s health considerations, and we encourage you to be involved in decisions regarding your puppy’s or kitten’s health care. Please do bring any and all records that you may have for your pet so we can get any relevant information on file.
Other topics of discussion for this visit include:
Parasite Screening
Puppies and kittens eat or sniff at many things that can carry the eggs for internal parasites. Checking yearly for intestinal worms and administering necessary treatments is an important means for assuring your puppy or kitten will be able to absorb nutrients and grow from the food you provide.
Spay and Neuter
Our vets will discuss a proper timeline to start considering and scheduling a neuter or spay operation for your pet. More information can be found here.
Senior Care
Like humans, our pet’s healthcare needs change as they age. Unsure of whether or not your pet is a “senior?” As a rule of thumb, small dog breeds may be considered senior at 10-13 years, while giant breeds are classified as seniors at ages as young as five. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to discuss this with our veterinary team when you’re in the hospital to see us.
While pre-senior pets should see us at least once a year for wellness exams, we do recommend bringing in your senior pet for exams twice a year. Advances in veterinary medicine have continued to help pets live longer than ever before. However, with this increased lifespan comes an increase in the types of ailments that can afflict senior pets like weight and mobility changes; osteoarthritis; kidney, heart, and liver disease; tumors and cancers; hormone disorders such as diabetes and thyroid imbalance; and many others. Being proactive rather than reactive with your senior pet’s care is essential!
Protecting Your Senior Pet
Protecting senior pets from diseases remains an integral part of keeping them healthy. As the body ages, the unnecessary stresses from preventable diseases can significantly harm a pet, so staying on a vaccination schedule is even more critical. This includes keeping your senior pet free from fleas and ticks will help protect them from disease as well as from discomfort and the depletion of nutrients.
We do offer nutritional counseling for pets of all ages, but this is incredibly important for your senior pet. After dogs and cats reach seven years of age, the needs of their bodies change, and they require a quality senior pet food. Consult with our veterinarians on the pet food that will be most beneficial for your pet.
Everything from mobility checks to wellness exams will continue as usual, and our team will be sure to make sure you’re well taken care of every step of the way.
Vaccinations
Many of the diseases that can affect dogs and cats are preventable through proper pet vaccinations. It’s that simple, and it starts during your first visit and continues through annual exams.
What are vaccines?
Vaccines are special proteins that prime the immune system to fight off specific infections. They work in two ways: to reduce the severity of such diseases should they strike or to completely prevent infection.
Unfortunately, we can’t protect against every disease. The vaccines we do use, however, allow us to implement programs that protect pets against some of the deadliest diseases.
What are the common diseases we’re protecting pets from?
Dogs: parvovirus, distemper, and infectious hepatitis.
Cats: panleukopaenia, feline herpesvirus, and feline calicivirus; for outdoor cats, protection can include feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus.
Staying on a regular vaccination schedule can prolong your pet’s life by avoiding dangerous diseases.
Wellness Exams
A wellness exam encompasses all of the services we offer at Chippewa Animal Hospital. During these appointments, your pet will undergo a thorough nose-to-tail review with our veterinary team, where we’ll provide an analysis of their overall health. We’ll be checking eye, mouth, ear, and nose checks, weight checks, and check the skin.
Our goal at the end of every appointment is to have you go home educated and your pet happy. We believe that preventative medicine is the key to your pet living a long and healthy life.
Most importantly, these appointments are a great time to discuss parasite prevention programs, diet and exercise, your pets elimination patterns, behavior, infectious disease prevention and perform any necessary follow up lab testing needed for chronic ongoing medication.
Keeping your pet on a proper wellness exam schedule will ensure that our team is able to stay on top of their health, and be prepared for any changes we’ve begun to notice.
Dental Care
Your pet’s oral health is much more important than you think!
Recent studies have shown that 70% of adult cats and 80% of adult dogs show symptoms of oral disease. Bad breath, plaque build-up, excessive drooling, sore or bleeding gums when eating or chewing, and decreased appetite are signs that your pet’s teeth may require veterinary attention.
Maintaining strong dental health and a regular cleaning program not only assures that your pet’s mouth and teeth will remain in excellent condition, but will also help to prevent infections that can spread through the bloodstream to affect major organs such as your pet’s liver, kidneys, and heart.
We provide dental x-rays and cleanings for our patients and work with you on getting them on a proper at-home dental care schedule. Through proper maintenance, diet, and regular cleanings, your pet’s mouth will be clean and healthy. They’ll be happy you decided to take such excellent care of their teeth!
Hospice and Euthanasia Services
As our pets get near the end of their life, it can be hard to know what treatment plan is best – we’re here to help make these decisions easier. It starts with hospice care. Pet hospice is for patients who have a terminal disease. We shift from trying to cure them to trying to keep them comfortable and happy. We also strive to make sure that the bond between you is preserved by supporting you during this difficult time. It’s during this period that we work with you to put together an end-of-life plan.
Once a decision has been made, we will walk you through all of the final steps. You choose the moment that is right for your family, and we’ll be there with you every step of the way. Our comfort room is a quiet, non-clinical space where you can spend as much time as you need before and after euthanasia. We arrange after-care on your behalf with the help of our partners.
What to expect during this visit:
All pets will receive a sedative injection to relax them before euthanasia. If your pet is eating and not vomiting, having some special treats or even table food available to distract them can ease this process. The injection is given under the skin and may sting for a brief moment. After that, your pet will fall asleep. Once they are sleeping and you are ready, the final injection will be given. Your family will be given time to say goodbye to your pet. If you find yourself needing more or less time, feel free to say so.
Microchipping
Microchipping is an incredibly simple process and is essential in keeping your pet safe. According to PetFinder, over 10 million pets go missing every year, and one in three pets will go missing at some point in their life.
What is a microchip?
A microchip is a tiny device which contains unique identifying information about a pet. It is approximately the size of a grain of rice contains a code that corresponds to the contact information of the pet cat or dog’s owner. This allows missing cats/dogs to be returned to their rightful home as quickly as possible.
Once in place, shelters, animal control, and other veterinary offices will be able to identify your pet if they are found after being separated from you.
When your pet is microchipped, your vet will ask you for your current contact details, and these will be added to a national register. Your name, address, and telephone number will be permanently connected with the unique 15-digit number on your pet’s microchip, so if your pet goes missing, it can be traced back to you immediately. However, it is important to make sure that your contact details are up to date. To update your contact details, contact your vet, and they will help you to update any relevant details on the register.
Parasite Prevention and Control
Protecting your pet from common parasites is essential to their overall health, and can typically be done with one or two products given monthly. Fleas, ticks, and heartworm are parasites that can cause serious irritation and even worse problems for your pet if they become infected.
Fleas and ticks are not only a source of irritation to your pet, but they can also harbor disease and adversely affect your pet’s health. Heartworm is a dangerous parasite that lives in the heart of dogs and cats, damages the heart muscle, and can be fatal.
What are they?
Fleas are small, jumping insects that live off of the blood of animals. They can carry dangerous diseases and will often cause allergic dermatitis (severe itching) in pets.
Ticks are external parasites that live off of the bodily fluids of animals. They can carry diseases from one animal to another and are the main cause of the spread of diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Heartworm is a parasite that can live in the heart of dogs and cats. Mosquitoes carry the worm from one infected animal to another. Several hundred worms can live in the heart of a dog and infection from the parasite causes significant damage and can be fatal.
Talk to us today about getting your pet on a parasite preventative and keep them protected at all times.
Radiology (X-Rays)
When every second matters, our diagnostic tools continue to set us apart. We believe that quicker diagnosis leads to quicker treatment, and that’s always in the best interest of your pet.
We have the latest in radiography and ultrasonography at our disposal. These imaging modalities in tandem with our in-house laboratory, provide us a window into your pet’s well-being.
A x-ray is a type of photograph that looks inside the body and reveals information that may not be discernable from the outside. Radiography can be used to evaluate your pet’s internal organs like the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs, as well as bones. Radiography is painless, safe, and completely non-invasive, and it uses only very small doses of radiation. Radiographs help us look inside your pet when health issues arise, looking for any changes in the areas surrounding internal organs and bones. In addition to the size, shape, and position of your pet’s organs, we’ll look for anything else that may indicate that something is wrong. Radiographs help us diagnose health issues like kidney, heart, or liver disease, intestinal blockage, cancer, tumors, bladder stones, broken bones, chronic arthritis, certain spinal cord diseases, and a variety of other conditions.
Surgery
We understand that it can be stressful for your family when your pet undergoes an operation, and we’ll be there every step of the way. From routine surgical procedures, such as spaying and neutering, to more complex surgeries, we look forward to the opportunity to care for your pet’s surgical needs.
Before your pet’s operation, we’re going to provide instructions for the night before, as well as prepare you for the day of surgery.
What happens during the operation day?
All of our surgery patients receive a pre-anesthetic blood test to assess the kidneys, measure the red blood cells, and determine hydration status. All patients have a checkup before giving any premedications. They are then placed on IV fluids for the length of the procedure. All of our patients receive these as well as pain relief and antibiotics as appropriate. These are not an optional extra; they are part of our duty of care to all patients. During anesthesia, respiration, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels, heart rate, and blood pressure are monitored continuously to help ensure the safety of your pet. After the procedure – all patients are moved into recovery in the main room of the hospital so that our team can closely monitor them.
Once the operation is complete, our team will call you with results and be sure to go over post-operative care routines so that your pet can heal as quickly as possible.