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Medical Services
Folly Road Animal Hospital and Kennel provides a wide range of preventive, surgical, and other medical services to maintain and better the health of your pet.
* Prevention
* Surgery
* Behavior
* Emergency Care
* Dentistry
* Allergy Testing
* Nutrition/Weight
* Microchip Insertion
* Hip/ Elbow Dysplasia
* Senior Dog Health
* Koi and Fish Medicine
Prevention Services (back to top)
Preventive health care and comprehensive physical examinations are important to your pet's health. During regularly scheduled office visits, your pet can be brought-up-to-date on immunizations, and future health problems may be recognized before they become severe. Through regular yearly exams, the FRAH staff can work with you to ensure that your pet receives all the necessary attention for your pet's continued health.
For new owners of puppies and kittens, we offer comprehensive information on behavior issues, training, vaccines, flea and heartworm products, and grooming procedures. You are invited to take a role in determining the best program for your new pet.
Surgery Services (back to top)
At Folly Road Animal Hospital and Kennel, we can perform most surgical procedures required for the well being of your pet. Some of the surgeries we can perform are surgical sterilizations, knee and hip procedures, gastro-intestinal procedures, bladder procedures, tumor removals, eye procedures, and reconstructive work.
For procedures that require a specialist, we can make arrangements for one to visit our hospital and perform the procedure onsite. Or, we can make referrals to another facility better equipped to handle extremely technical procedures, such as a spinal injury repair.
All surgery is performed in a quiet, warm environment by fully gowned surgeons. Monitoring devices, such as an ECG machine and pulse oximeter (measures the percent of dissolved oxygen in the blood) may be used on your pet. A trained assistant always aids Dr. Sheridan in monitoring your pet under anesthesia.
Information on pre- and post-surgery procedures can be found in our Home Healthcare section here
Behavior Services (back to top)
At the Folly Road Animal Hospital and Kennel, we can also assist you with any behavioral issues that you may be having with your pet. We understand the toll a behavioral problem can take on the special relationship you share with your pet. We also believe that the emotional well-being of your pet is an important part of its overall health. For these reasons, the staff at the Folly Road Animal Hospital finds it particularly satisfying helping you solve any behavioral problems you might be experiencing. Because some behavioral problems might be exacerbated by pain or a medical condition, and because behavioral medicines may be prescribed, a veterinary exam is required. Set up a behavioral consultation with Dr. Sheridan and download and print the following behavioral history forms to assist in an accurate diagnosis.
Many of our clients have expressed concerns with thunderstorm anxiety. Pet anxiety in times of bad weather can vary from mild (hiding under furniture, refusal to go outside, etc) to extreme (destruction behavior out of fear). This is a difficult disorder to treat. One treatment may be sedation, but sedation helps decrease the destructive drive of the dog while fearful, but may not reduce the fear. The best treatment is a behavioral modification approach. This approach can be complicated and lengthy. To learn more about it, go to http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/fear.htm.
For tools to aid in behavioral modifcations, download the following form Thunderstorm Aversion History to bring in to us, or go to http://www.concept-fx.com/dog.htm.
Patient History Forms
Print and fill out the related patient history form before your appointment to assist your vetrinarian in recognizing and improving your pet's problem.
Emergency Care (back to top)
When you have an emergency with your pet, please call us 24-hours-a-day
at (843) 762-4944. If we are unable to respond in a timely way, emergency
facility information is included in our recorded phone message.
Dentistry (back to top)
Dental health is important to your pet's overall health and well-being.
Attention to your pet's dental health will help prevent tooth loss, infection,
bad breath, and possible heart and kidney trouble. We offer a full range
of dentistry options, such as preventative dental care, extractions, and
root canals. We also offer information and tools for home maintenance of
your pet's oral health.
Feel free to contact us regarding the estimated cost and availability of
these procedures. Dr. Sheridan will need to examine your pet to determine
the prognosis and actual cost of these procedures.
Allergy Testing (back to top)
Much like allergies in people, inhaled pollens, molds, and insect parts
may cause problems in pets. Usually, animals do not sneeze when they are
allergic to something - instead they itch. We can arrange to have a skin test
performed on your pet to discover the exact cause of the problem.
Under sedation, approximately 40 local allergens are injected into the skin
of your pet and the intensity of reaction is measured. Based on the
results of this test, a customized vaccine is formulated, and it can be
administered at home to help relieve the itching.
Nutrition and Weight (back to
top)
Your pet may develop health problems that require a specialized diet. Or,
your pet may simply be overweight. We offer a variety of pet foods from
Eagle Pack, Hill's Prescription Diets and Innovative Veterinary Diets that
may help. We will be happy to discuss the brand and products that are best
for your pet's health.
Microchip
Insertion (back to top)
Microchip Insertion provides a positive and permanent means of identification
for your pet. Your pet will be identified for life through its transponder's
unique 10-digit alphanumeric code. Each transponder's unique identification
number is encoded during the manufacturing process. Once the number is encoded,
it is impossible to alter.
The HomeAgain transponder carries no battery and remains inactive except
when it is being scanned. The transponder's electronic circuitry is energized
by a low-power radio beam sent by a compatible reading device. The transponder
works by sending the identification number as a radio signal back to the
reader, which then encodes the number and displays it on a small screen
similar to that on an electronic calculator.
For use in dogs and cats of all ages, a small, sterile, HomeAgain transponder
is injected into the subcutaneous tissue. The outer casing of the transponder
is made from biologically inert glass. During manufacture, this glass is
hermetically sealed to prevent moisture from the host-animal's body fluids
from reaching the electronics inside. The HomeAgain transponder is sheathed
in a polypropylene shell. This coating offers a surface with which fibrous
connective tissue begins to bond within 24 hours, preventing the chip from
moving from the site of injection.
Although, the Home Again system is labeled for use only in dogs and cats,
we have been successfully injecting it into birds, as well, without any
complications.
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Certification (back
to top)
If you are a breeder, you may be interested in having your breeding animals
certified to be free of hip and elbow dysplasia. This painful and debilitating
disease is easily reduced in dog populations by a simple screening test.
Puppies produced by certified breeding dogs are considered more valuable.
Under sedation, your pet's hips and elbows are stressed or stretched and
radiographed (x-rayed). These radiographs are sent to veterinary colleges
around the US for evaluation by board certified radiologists. A final, averaged
opinion is made and registered by the Orthopedic Foundation of America.
To learn more about hip and elbow dysplasia and other genetic diseases,
go to the OFA at http://www.offa.org.
Senior Dog Health (back
to top)
- Aging in Dogs
- Healthcare in Senior Dogs
- Diet in Senior Dogs
- Senior Dog Behavior History Form
- Arthritis
- Caring for your senior dog
Koi and Fish Medicine(back to top)
The Folly Road Animal Hospital is now providing medical care for your pet fish! Fish, just like any pet, are susceptible to a variety of diseases. These problems may range from nutritional and environmental to infectious diseases, such as bacteria and parasites. We can offer the same level of care that you may have thought were only available to your cat or dog. You can actually bring your fish into the hospital for a regular exam (follow the tips below) or, if you have a large reef tank or a Koi pond, Dr. Sheridan can make a house call to examine your entire fish population. Fish are intelligent and responsive animals. We understand the bond that fish owners establish with their pet fish and appreciate your concern with their health and safety.
Dr. Sheridan has been practicing fish medicine for over ten years and is currently responsible for the health and well-being of over seven thousand fish and invertebrates (representing over 400 species) at the South Carolina Aquarium (www.scaquarium.org). He is a member of the Charleston Koi Club and gives talks to various clubs and organizations regarding fish health. He has consulted for commercial (farm) fish operations and is the mentor for the South Carolina Aquarium’s veterinary student aquatic animal medicine internship program.
Tips for bringing your pet fish to the Folly Road Animal Hospital:
- Call ahead, so that we know you are coming!
- Bring your fish in the same water it has been living in.
- Use a large enough container –a clean bucket, a large cooler, or support plastic bags within rigid, puncture proof and waterproof containers.
- Bring another equal size container with the same water from the aquarium or pond. (We may want to add sedatives to the first container.)
- If available, bring an airstone and airpump to be plugged in when you arrive at the Folly Road Animal Hospital.
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Updated June 2008