Yes, and what changes is what gets noticed. When the same veterinarian has seen your pet year after year, the medical history stops living in a file and starts living in someone’s head. That is usually where early problems get caught. At American Heritage Animal Hospital, Dr. Cat McGinnis sees patients for exams and appointments most of the time, so you are not sitting in a room explaining your dog’s whole life story to a doctor reading the chart for the first time.
One blood panel only tells you about your pet’s health as of today
A single blood panel tells you whether the numbers sit inside the normal range this morning. It does not tell you which way they are trending. Only by monitoring your pet’s bloodwork year after year are we able to see the true progression of your pet’s internal health.
Say your dog’s kidney values have been in the upper half of normal for three years running, and this year they are higher again but still technically normal. A veterinarian seeing that result for the first time reads it as normal, because it is. A veterinarian who has been seeing your pet and its blood values for many years will notice a trend developing. She will be able to tell you when whether a diet change or perhaps closer monitoring in needed. Noticing these changes early will allow the vet to make informed recommendations to prolong your pet’s life. Kidney disease does not usually announce itself. It creeps up.
Weight works the same way. A cat who has lost half a pound since last year looks no different across an exam room, but that quiet loss is often the first sign of hyperthyroidism or diabetes. These are the things that a vet your familiar with and see every year will notice.
Knowing what normal looks like for your pet
Dogs and cats cannot tell you where it hurts, so a lot of veterinary medicine is comparing the animal in front of you against the one who came in last time.
A quiet Labrador is a warning sign if she normally tries to climb into your lap the second you sit down. To someone meeting her for the first time, a quiet Labrador is just a well-behaved dog. Dr. Cat remembers that your lab was hyper and giving kisses throughout the visit last year. She knows that if your normally angry cat is passive, that this indicates something is wrong. She understands why you held off doing your dog’s dental last year, but will help figure out a way to get it done this year, so dental disease doesn’t become life threatening. You don’t get this kind of relationship with your clients and patients by just thumbing through a record 5 minutes before you see a patient. It happens with time and mutual trust.
A calmer pet is an easier pet to examine
Fear gets in the way of the exam itself. A dog who is trembling and anxious has a heart rate that tells you nothing useful and an abdomen too tense to feel properly. A frightened cat will not let anyone look inside her mouth, which is where a lot of feline problems show up first.
Pets who recognize the room and the person handling them settle faster than pets who do not. Being appointment-only helps as well, because nobody is being hurried through a slot to catch up with a full waiting room and we can be patient with pets and give them breaks if necessary to make the visit go smoothly.
What we do not promise
While Dr. Cat is here most days, you may not see Dr. Cat at every single visit. Plenty of appointments do not need a veterinarian at all, like a nail trim or a technician check. If Dr. Cat is away for a longer stretch, a relief veterinarian covers, working to the protocols she sets.
What you will not find here is a roster of doctors you have never met, where the person examining your pet is different every time and your pet’s history has to be pieced together from notes on a screen.
Why an independent practice can work this way
American Heritage Animal Hospital is privately owned. Dr. Cat owns it and works in it, and no head office sets our protocols or decides how long an appointment is allowed to take. That is what makes it possible to keep the same doctor for the same patients and to build a plan around one animal and one family’s budget.
American Heritage Animal Hospital is one of the few independently owned veterinary practices in the area, making the personalized, relationship-based care we provide increasingly rare.
Come and meet us
If you are new to Snellville, or you have simply had enough of starting over, call us at 770-972-7026. We are at 3475 Stone Mountain Highway and we are accepting new clients.