Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital

Welcome to Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital where we've been caring for pets since 1976. Located on Springfield Avenue in the heart of Berkeley Heights, NJ, our hospital offers a "small town" feel combined with cutting-edge veterinary care. Whether your pet simply needs vaccines or requires a surgical procedure, we are the veterinarian for you. We will treat you and your pet like family!

SERVICES

Wellness Exams

We recommend annual wellness exams for dogs and cats under 7-years of age so we can help maintain their optimal health. Since pets over 7-years of age are considered seniors, their bodies change at a faster rate, so a wellness exam every 6-months is ideal to help keep them healthy and happy. Twenty-percent of lab tests performed during routine check-ups reveal medical conditions that would have gone undetected, such as diabetes, kidney or thyroid disease. Don’t wait for symptoms – early detection can save lives!

Spay & Neuter

A spay, or ovariohysterectomy, is a female procedure, while a neuter, or castration, is a male procedure, both are recommended at 6-months of age.

There are many important reasons to spay or neuter your dog or cat:

Unspayed females are at a higher risk for mammary tumors and uterine infection (pyometra). Female dogs and cats never completely stop going into heat, so there are potential problems of pregnancy at an advanced age.

Uncastrated males can develop behavior problems such as urinating in the house or spraying on the furniture; mounting people or objects; and aggressive tendencies making them less desirable companions.

By spaying and neutering our pets, we can all help to reduce the overpopulation of dogs and cats.

Our greatest concern is the well-being of your pet. Before putting your pet under anesthesia we perform diagnostic tests to determine if your pet has any special needs and is healthy enough for anesthesia. IV fluids are administered during the surgery procedure to help sustain body temperature, fluid and electrolyte levels. It also helps to dissipate anesthesia when your pet is waking up.

Your pet is given a sedative and pain management medication prior to surgery to minimize anxiety and discomfort. A sterile surgical pack is used, just as in a human hospital, to minimize risk of post surgical infection.

Your pet is on a heated surgery table to maintain their body temperature and is electronically monitored while under anesthesia to measure their heart rate and oxygen level within their body. A highly trained veterinary technician monitors your pet the entire time they are under anesthesia and until they are recovered .Your pet will recover in an ICU cage (Intensive Care Unit) on a soft fleece blanket. Your pet receives a complimentary pedicure while under anesthesia and suture removal, if necessary, in 10- to 14-days.

Parasite Prevention and Testing

(Healthy Pets = Healthy People)
We recommend annual fecal testing (to check for intestinal worms) for all our dog and cat patients, as well as annual heart worm tests for dogs. We also recommend year-round parasite protection for all patients. Even indoor cats should be treated preventative because the outdoors can get tracked indoors on our clothes and shoes, and by our dogs and other pets. Parasite prevention is easy with once-a-month chewable tablets and/or topical treatments. If your pet is not already on a prevention program, ask us how to get started today!

There are many common dog and cat parasites that can pose a threat to your pets and families, year-round. They include:

Roundworms – can infect children eating contaminated soil while playing in sandboxes; resemble spaghetti; found in the small intestine of dogs or cats; common symptoms in pets include diarrhea, anemia, dehydration, and weight loss; puppies often have a “pot-bellied” look.

Hookworms – can infect puppies, kittens and humans by penetrating skin through feet or belly; attach to the intestinal lining, creating bleeding internal wounds; common symptoms in pets include weakness and pale gums; in humans, red, itchy lesions.

Whipworms – an intestinal parasite whose eggs can survive for years in the soil, re-infecting your pet even after successful treatment; can infect humans who come into contact with contaminated soil.

Ringworms – can be transmitted from pets to humans through direct contact as well as soil contamination; common symptoms in pets include patchy hair-loss; in humans, a circular rash on the skin that's red and inflamed around the edge and healthy looking in the middle.

Fleas – they bite animals and people alike. In pets they can lead to anemia, dermatitis and tapeworm infections.

Heartworms – live in the heart and lungs and can be life-threatening to your pet.
Ear Mites – mites live in an infected dog’s cat’s and ears, feeding off the ear lining, causing intense scratching and/or head shaking.

Vaccinations

Canine Vaccines
• Rabies – given every 3-years after initial vaccine
• Distemper – given every 3-years after the initial set of puppy vaccinations.
Recent studies have shown a prolonged immunity for this vaccination in adulthood
• Bordetella (kennel cough) - given yearly after initial set of puppy vaccinations
• Influenza
• Lyme Vaccine – given yearly after the initial puppy vaccinations. This is perhaps the most commonly diagnosed of the vaccinated diseases in our area
• Leptosporosis – given yearly after initial puppy vaccinations. This disease has been recently diagnosed more frequently

Feline Vaccines

• Rabies – given yearly
• Distemper – given every 3-years for cats that are strictly indoors; yearly for cats that go outdoors
• FELV – feline leukemia

Orthopedic and Soft Tissue Surgery

Doctors at the Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital are trained to handle a wide variety of surgical cases using traditional and electrocautery techniques. Surgeries such as Cesarean sections, fracture repairs, tumor removals, foreign body removals and cystotomies are all performed at our facility. Elective procedures such as spays and neuters are also done on a regular basis. If a case requires a specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon, our doctors all work hand in hand with board certified specialists that can be consulted concerning your pet's needs.

Micro Chipping

Our doctors and staff have reunited several lost pets with their owners over the years, aided only by their microchip number. Because we have seen the benefits of microchipping first-hand, we recommend it for all our dog and cat patients. Our hospital’s microchip services include:

• The HomeAgain® 15-digit microchip (134-kHz) for dogs and cats
• Microchip enrollment assistance
• Microchip can be inserted in a brief visit (like a vaccine) or during any anesthetic procedure
• Free microchip scanning of found pets

The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is coded with a unique, unalterable ID number. The veterinarian will insert the microchip under your pet’s skin, between the shoulder blades, in much the same way a vaccine is administered. Once the microchip is inserted, you simply enroll your pet’s ID along with your contact information in the microchip registry, which is open 24/7. If your lost pet is taken to a shelter or animal hospital, the staff will use a special hand-held scanner to find the unique microchip ID number. They will then call the registry to match the ID number with your contact information. You will then be contacted so that you can make arrangements to bring your pet home again!


Pharmacy

Our hospital features a large in-house pharmacy, stocked with most of the medications and products that our veterinarians prescribe and recommend for our dog and cat patients, saving you a trip to the pharmacy on the way home!

Some of our common types of medications and products for dogs and cats include:

• Antibiotics• Eye Drops and Ointments• Ear MedicationsAnalgesic, Pain and Arthritis Management such as Rimadyl®• Thyroid Medications• Anti-Epileptic Medications• Heart Medications• Topical Medications (Ointments, Creams, Sprays, etc)• Skin Medications, Medicated Shampoos and Dips• Intestinal Medications• Deworming Medications such as Drontal®• Heartworm, Flea and Intestinal Parasite Prevention Medications such as Interceptor®, Parastar®, Advantix®, Frontline® Plus• Hormones• Vitamin and Mineral Supplements• Dental Products• Anti-Anxiety Medications

We can also refer you to a compounding pharmacy for special medications or to assist with any special medication needs your pet may have.


Dental Care

The Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital is equipped with a dental suite to handle your pet's dental needs. Using an ultrasonic dental scaler, drill and polishing unit your pet's teeth will be cleaned by Certified American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians. They will also instruct you on how to keep those teeth clean and your pet's breath fresh.


Diagnostics

We offer a wide range of tests and procedures to help diagnose, monitor and care for your pet. The turnaround time is quite fast, with many test results available while you are still in our office. Some of our hospital’s more common diagnostic services for dogs and cats include:• Radiographs/X-Rays (on-site)• Blood Tests• Pre-Anesthetic Blood Tests• Health Screen / Complete Blood Panels to check overall body function• Drug Monitoring Tests (thyroid, anti-seizure, diabetic, NSAID pain medications, etc)• Heartworm Tests• Toxic Substance Testing• Canine Parvovirus, Feline Leukemia and FIV Tests (on-site)• Toxoplasmosis Titer• Rabies Titer Tests• Vaccine Titer Tests• Wisdom Panel (breed testing for dogs)
• Urine Tests and Cultures• Fecal Testing• Cytology• Biopsy• Bacterial Culture and Sensitivity• Skin Scrape, Skin Tests, Dermatophite Test Medium• ECG• Ultrasound (on-site)• Atopy and Food Allergy Testing• Consultation Services with Board Certified Specialists available.

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