FAQs

Below are answers to common veterinary questions and services.

Topics

Dental

85% of all pets have dental disease by the age of 3. Not only does dental disease cause bad breath but also results in pain and loss of teeth. Dental disease is caused by bacteria forming plaque and tartar on the teeth. The bacteria irritate the gum line, the gums become inflamed in the early stages of dental disease causing gingivitis. Left untreated, this leads to periodontal disease which causes the loss of the bone and gingival support structure of the tooth and subsequent tooth loss. In addition, the bacteria from dental disease is released into the blood stream which can result in damage and infection of the internal organs, such as the kidneys, liver and heart.

A professional dental cleaning is required to remove plaque and tartar from the pet’s teeth and assess the health of the mouth.

Most pets need their teeth cleaned yearly to prevent tooth loss. This varies dependent upon the breed and the habits of your pet. For instance, small dogs usually need their teeth cleaned annually whereas large breed dogs often require less frequent cleanings. A veterinarian can perform an oral examination on your pet to determine if your pet needs their teeth cleaned.

Yes. Proper dental care at home is highly recommended to help maintain the oral health of your dog and cat between cleanings. Other oral home care options such as dental formulated foods, water additives, and dental treats can also be part of a complete dental care plan.

Typically, a veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination and complete bloodwork to determine if it is safe for your pet to undergo anesthesia. An intravenous catheter should be placed for safety. Next the pet is given medication for sedation and then anesthetized. The pet should then be monitored closely and receive intravenous fluids to support the pets blood pressure and organ health. The veterinarian will perform a through oral exam. The teeth are cleaned with an ultrasonic scaler, a tool that vibrates at a high speed, to remove large pieces of plaque and tartar. A hand scaler is used to clean under the gums of every tooth and on all sides of the tooth. Dental probes are used to measure the depth of the pockets found between tooth and gum – abnormally deep pockets indicate periodontal disease. Radiographs of the teeth are generally recommended, and may be necessary to evaluate the underlying bone structure. Once all the plaque and tartar are removed, all tooth surfaces are polished, and a fluoride treatment may be applied. Your pet will then be carefully monitored during the recovery process.

Diet and Nutrition

Our pets are designed to eat meat based diets, therefore we recommend you feed all-natural, meat based or grain free diets that are also free of all dyes, artificial flavoring, additives, low-quality grain fillers, by-products, chemical preservatives and potential allergens. Avoid regular feeding of low-quality grain based foods. Discuss your pet’s diet and their treats with your veterinarian during your regular exam. CityVet only stocks all-natural food that we believe in and that our vets feed their own pets.

Fleas / Ticks

Fleas and ticks can be prevented by giving an appropriate flea and tick preventative. Typically, year-round administration is recommended to prevent flea infestations. Flea and tick control is important both for your pet’s health but also your families. Both fleas and ticks carry disease that can be transmitted to humans.

There are many products available that prevent fleas and ticks. It is important to choose a product that works and is safe for your pet.

Yes, there are many diseases that can be transmitted from pets to humans. These diseases are called zoonotic diseases. Here is a list of common zoonotic diseases in pets:

  • Campylobacter infection
  • Cryptosporidium infection
  • Giardia infection
  • Hookworms
  • Leptospirosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Rabies
  • Ringworm
  • Roundworms
  • Salmonellosis
  • Rabies
  • Toxoplasmosis

Grooming

Keeping your pet clean and well-groomed is important for good health. The frequency of grooming depends on the type of coat, hair length, breed, and owner’s preference. Most dogs should be groomed every 6 – 12 weeks. Long haired dogs should be brushed at least weekly while short coated dogs may not need to be brushed. Brushing short haired dogs will help remove loose hair and decrease shedding. Cats are very good at keeping themselves groomed but medium and long hair cats may need to be brushed weekly. Overweight, ill, and arthritic cats may need more frequent brushing.

Most pets should be bathed every 1 to 3 weeks or when dirty, however the frequency of bathing depends on the type of coat, hair length, breed, and any skin conditions.

Heartworm Preventative

Heartworm disease is a serious disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and, if left untreated, can be fatal. Heartworm prevention is administered once a month either by pill or topical application, or a long-acting injectable heartworm prevention can be administered every 6 months in dogs. Depending on the specific product you and your veterinarian choose for your pet, heartworm prevention may also prevent intestinal parasite infestations such as roundworms and hookworms and external parasites such as fleas and ticks. In accordance with the guidelines of the American Heartworm Society, we recommend all dogs and cats be given year-round (12 months) heartworm prevention regardless of lifestyle beginning at 8 weeks.

We recommend testing annually to ensure the prevention program is working (I would use the words “fully effective” instead of “working”. Testing for heartworms is a simple blood test. Pets can get sick (vomiting, diarrhea, and/or death) if placed on heartworm prevention if they have heartworm disease. Even with prevention year-round there is a chance the product could fail (your pet spits out the pill, did not absorb the pill appropriately, topical medicine was not applied properly, did not give on time, etc.).

Yes. Heartworm disease is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito and mosquitoes are often found inside houses. The American Heartworm Society studies show the incidence of heartworm disease is just as high in indoor pets as outdoor pets.

No. Heartworm disease is a blood-borne disease that is transmitted through mosquitoes. A simple blood test will confirm whether your dog has heartworm disease.

Yes. While heartworm disease is more common in dogs it is far more serious in cats. Cats can have serious, often fatal, disease from the development of even one heartworm. Additionally, there is no treatment for cats. The incidence of heartworm disease is just as high in indoor cats as outdoor cats. Therefore, it is recommended all cats be on heartworm prevention.

Loyalty Program

A free membership – no cost for you to sign up. The only requirement is an accurate email address on file.

You will receive:

  • 3% immediate discount on flea and heartworm prevention.
  • 10% immediate discount on food.
  • 3% loyalty reward points on everything else (some exclusions apply) that are available for redemption 24 hours after earning them.

No – Loyalty points are only used as an adjustment toward your account. There is no cash value to loyalty points.

Yes – the location would need to contact petcareplansupport@cityvet.com and provide the details of the correction needed.

Yes, the items that you use your Veterinary Care Allowance towards earn loyalty points.

Rabies / Vaccines

Vaccines are an important part of your pet’s health care. Vaccines keep your pet healthy by preventing serious diseases. We will develop a vaccination schedule for your pet based on your pet’s lifestyle, health, and individual circumstances.

Dogs: The first Rabies vaccine your pet receives is good for 1 year. A booster should be given 1 year after completing the initial puppy vaccine and every 3 years after, unless state, provincial, or local requirements state otherwise.

Cats: Rabies is given yearly with a non-adjuvanted vaccine in order to avoid some of the potential side effects of the 3 year vaccination.

Spay / Neutering My Pet

We recommend spaying or neutering every pet, and we recommend spaying or neutering your pet around 6 months. This recommendation may vary based on each individual pet. Please schedule an appointment to discuss spaying or neutering your pet with one of our veterinarians. Please check your local laws as many cities have laws requiring pets to be spayed or neutered unless you have a breeding license.

Surgery

There are many steps involved in safely anesthetizing your pet. The steps taken prior to anesthesia are just as important as the steps taken during the procedure. Your pet is admitted early to permit enough time to complete the preparation. In preparation for the procedure your pet will receive a complete physical exam, bloodwork (recommended), placement of an intravenous catheter, and premedication to ease anxiety and provide smoother induction of anesthesia. The premedication often requires a minimum of 30 mins to take effect. Each of these steps require time to complete before the procedure can begin.

If your pet is on a special diet or on any medications, you should bring these with you to the hospital. We ask that your refrain from bringing beds, blankets and toys. Your pet needs a germ-free environment pre and post-surgery and we want to avoid putting them at risk.

Yes. Pets must be fasted prior to anesthesia. For most pets no food after 8:00 pm the night before the procedures. Water is ok. In the event your pet is a diabetic or an exotic breed (rabbits, guinea pigs, others) please call and discuss your situation with a veterinarian. Please allow plenty of time the morning of the procedure to review the procedures and paperwork (typically 10 to 15 minutes).

While there is always a risk when undergoing anesthesia, modern anesthesia is very safe. CityVet uses the safest, multi-modal approach individually created for each pet. This includes injectable medications for sedation and pain management as well as gas anesthetic agents. The combination of pre-anesthetic assessment of your pet (including blood work), use of modern anesthetic agents, and the latest anesthetic monitoring equipment and well-trained staff means that anesthesia is generally considered to be a very low risk for your pet.

CityVet uses advanced pain management techniques to maximize the comfort of your pet before, during, and after the procedure. Pain control improves your pet’s recovery and speeds the healing process.

Anesthesia in otherwise healthy, older pets is considered safe. It is important to have recommended pre-operative testing performed prior to anesthesia to check major organ function and allow us to tailor the anesthesia to any pre-existing medical conditions.

Prior to anesthesia, patients with kidney, heart, or other underlying diseases should be fully evaluated. Testing may include bloodwork, urinalysis, x-rays, or ultrasound. Our veterinarians will determine based on each individual situation if it is safe for your pet to undergo anesthesia.

We know you will be anxious to hear how your pet is doing. You will receive a call from one of our team members when your pet is fully recovered from the procedure. If there are any abnormalities on pre-anesthetic exam or blood work, you will receive a call prior to the procedure to review options. Remember that no news is good news, and you will be contacted immediately should the need arise. We will be available at discharge to discuss the procedure and discharge instructions with you in detail, as well as answer any questions.

Pets undergoing most outpatient procedures will be ready to go home the same evening as the day of the procedure.

Pain Management

It can sometimes be difficult to tell. Dogs and cats by nature are designed to hide their pain (signs of weakness in the wild). If you are not sure if your pet is hurting, call us to have us examine your pet. Some signs of pain are obvious, such as limping, but signs of pain are often more subtle and can include one or more of the following: not eating, a change in behavior or normal habits, sleeping more, decreased energy or lethargy, or hiding.

PetCare Plans

You must purchase a Complete PetCare Plan. PetCare Plan Rewards are pet (patient) specific.

Your pet will receive:

  • 10% immediate discount on flea/heartworm prevention
  • 15% immediate discount on food
  • 15% immediate discount on cat litter
  • 6% PetCare reward points on everything else (some exclusions apply) that are available for redemption 24 hours after earning them.

Yes – you will earn discounts and rewards on the program that gives the highest discount or loyalty points.

You purchase a Complete PetCare Plan during your visit at your local CityVet location.

No – A Complete PetCare Plan is patient specific. A Complete PetCare Plan will have to be purchased for each of your pets.

No – the PetCare Plan Rewards are specific to the patient for which the Complete PetCare Plan was purchased.

The Finance Option allows you to pay for the plan over the course of 1 year. On the day you are signed-up you are required to make a down payment of $59 and the first month’s payment. Then you will be set up to pay out the remaining balance monthly through auto-drafts.

You must provide a valid credit card for the remaining payments.

The Veterinary Care Allowance includes any medical or wellness veterinary service you would like to use it for including lab work, diagnostics, dentals, surgery etc. It cannot be used for ancillary services, such as grooming or boarding, or retail products. The complete care allowance does not have to be used in a single visit; it can be spread out over many visits.

We will convert all of the unused Veterinary Care Allowance into Client Loyal Rewards.

No – our plans represent our best recommendations for a year’s worth of wellness care for every pet, so the packages are wellness service recommendations bundled together and discounted, and also include additional benefits to the client such as PetCare Plan Rewards. The point of the plan is for you not to have to think through or remember everything you need to do to keep your pet healthy, we do that for you.

Yes – 10% off for Loyalty Members and 15% off for PetCare Plan Rewards

Yes. CityVet offers a loyalty program that offers special discounts on already low prices for food, flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. In addition, you earn loyalty points for everything else you purchase. Click here to learn more and to sign up.

Yes. CityVet’s Care to Share program rewards you for recommending us to your friends and family. Both you and your friend will receive $25. We encourage you to tell your friends and family about CityVet.