Veterinary Services for Pets and Companion Animals

Here at Alpine Veterinary Hospital, we pride ourselves on having high quality, top of the line medical and surgical treatment of all animals. We service dogs, cats, pocket pets, and more.

Examinations

Routine exams are essential for maintaining happy and healthy animals! As dogs, cats, pocket pets, and birds are known to age more quickly than humans, we advise yearly check-ups, then semi-annual check-ups for our older patients. Many of our annual exams include essential vaccines that aid in preventing the onset and spread of disease in our pets and livestock. Please check out our vaccines link for more information!

Our physical examinations include checking all vital signs (heart rate, temperature, respiratory rate, body condition, mucous membranes), evaluating eyes and vision, ears and ear canals, hair coat and skin, teeth and gums, performing abdominal palpation and chest auscultation, and then discussing nutrition and behavior.

Imaging: Radiography and Ultrasonography

We have both in-house and in-the-field mobile digital xray and ultrasounding capabilities at both locations! Radiographs and ultrasonographic images allow us to visualize things that we are unable to feel or see with the naked eye. Many diagnoses require the use of x-rays such as spiral fractures, blocked intestines, kidney stones, twisted stomach, heart failure, lung tumors, and much more. Our ultrasound machines allow us to see many soft tissue problems AND blessings, such as puppies and kittens! Our hospitals are also equipped with a dental x-ray machines!

Surgery

Our doctors perform general and elective surgical procedures every day, including spays, neuters, mass removals, and more. They also frequently perform more complex orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries, including cruciate ligament repair, bladder stone removal, fracture repair, stomach de-rotation, and more.

Surgery: Orthopedics

One of the most common injuries to a dog's knee is tearing their cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). When the CCL has been injured or torn, the shin bone ( tibia) moves forward which means the knee lacks stability. Dogs with this injury cannot walk normally and they experience pain. The instability damages the cartilage, meniscus and surrounding bones leading to osteoarthritis.

Alpine Veterinary Hospital has two doctors that are certified to perform Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA) surgeries. What is a TTA surgery? It is a surgery commonly performed on dogs that have ruptured/torn their cranial cruciate ligament; which is equivalent to a human's ACL. The surgery involves cutting the front part of the tibia (bone below the knee) and placing a special orthopedic spacer in between the two sections. A special orthopedic plate and screws are also used to help keep the two sections in place. This surgery changes the angle of the knee and restores normal biomechanical function and stability for the dog to use his or her knee properly again. Dogs need to be a minimum of 30lbs for this surgery

Surgery: BOAS

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome is a common condition that affects dogs with short faces. It entails

Stenotic nares (small nostril openings)
Elongated soft palate
Everted laryngeal saccules
Hypoplastic trachea (small windpipe)

This condition can make it harder for your dog to breathe, and over time it can cause the tissue at the back of the throat to swell and further increase the work it takes your dog to breathe. BOAS can also predispose your dog to aspiration pneumonia and GI reflux.
Here at Alpine, we can surgically correct two of these abnormalities. We can make the nostrils larger and remove the excess tissue from the soft palate. Both of these corrections can help your dog get more air with every breath and ultimately breathe better throughout its life. This can also decrease the likelihood of further complications secondary to BOAS. Schedule a consultation for surgery today!

Dentistry

Our state of the art ultrasonographic dental machines allow us to perform high quality scaling, polishing, bonding, drilling, extractions, and more. The major key to our success at ensuring a healthy mouth is the use of our dental x-ray machine, which helps us to diagnose fractures, abscesses, dead teeth, retained teeth, and jaw abnormalities.

Many of our birds and pocket-pet patients (such as rabbits and rats) require frequent beak and tooth trimming in order to maintain proper health and nutrition.

Ophthalmology

Eyes can pose many problems for animals, and we’re here to help! We have the ability to do thorough eye exams, stain for ulcers, and assess tear production. We also perform basic ocular surgeries including grid keratotomies, third eyelid flaps, enucleations, and more.

Acupuncture

Dr. Alex Baker is a certified veterinary acupuncturist and offers this incredible service to both small and large animals. A therapeutic method that uses sterile needles inserted in specific locations. Acupuncture involves using knowledge of the nervous system, anatomy and body system functions to stimulate healing, control pain and rehabilitate the nervous system. We can find areas of tension, discomfort and dysfunction that will help guide the treatment plan. The effects of acupuncture include; decreased pain, increased blood flow, release of the body’s anti-inflammatory substances, muscle relaxation and increased healing time.

Learn More About our
Acupuncutre Services

Chiropractic

Dr. Alex Baker is a graduate from Options for Animals - College for Animal Chiropractic and is able to perform chiropractic adjustments on both small and large animals. Animal Chiropractic is the field of holistic care that focuses on the health of the nervous- skeletal- muscle systems.

Learn More About our Chiropractic Services

In-House Laboratory

We have blood machines that help us to evaluate multiple parameters in our small and large animals including CBC and Blood Chemistries. A CBC, or Complete Blood Count, assesses the animal’s white blood cells (infection fighting cells), red blood cells (oxygen carrying cells), and platelets (clotting cells). The Chemistry panels help us to evaluate the health of multiple organ systems including the liver and kidneys, and blood sugar regulation.

Our doctors and veterinary technicians are also proficient at preparing microscope slides in order to evaluate blood and tissue smears, cytologies, bacterial samples, fecal floats, urine sediments, and more.

Laser Therapy

Our new state-of-the-art cold lasers have helped change the game in multiple soft tissue injury and wound cases. Ask us for more details!

Grooming

We offer general shaving, and clipping (nothing fancy!) for mostly cats who require sedation to get the job done. We leave the other cuts to the professionals!