We offer a wide variety of services for the complete care of your pets from the time you bring them home all the way through their golden years. We are equipped to handle anything from the routine to any emergency that may come up, as well as boarding, hospitalization and intensive care. We also realize that some pets and conditions require the need of specialists, and we have a wide base of referral veterinarians that we call on to assist us.

Routine Care

Nothing is more important than routine examinations and preventive medicine for your pet. Remember that your pet ages at a faster rate than we do, approximately 5 to 7 years for each calendar year, depending on species and breed. This means that medical conditions can come on relatively quickly, hence the need for thorough physicals each year. Depending on the age and breed of your pet, an annual blood profile and urinalysis is recommended for animals over 5-7 years.  When annual vaccines are given, your pet receives a complete physical to try and detect any potential disease before it worsens. Good histories are an important part of any physical exam, and we rely on you to provide us with as much information as possible about your pet’s normal routine. Common indicators of disease are changes in weight, thirst, appetite, energy levels, breathing, coughing and stool character. Often times just by talking with you, we get hints about medical conditions that a physical exam might not reveal. 

Medical Care

Even with the best of preventative care, there may be times when your pet feels under the weather. If so, a physical exam will be done as well as whatever diagnostic procedures may be necessary. These include fecal exams for parasites, blood work including chemistry profiles and red and white cell counts, urinalysis, x-rays, and ultrasound. It is our goal to diagnose and treat your pet as efficiently as possible. Our reason for being here is to maintain the health of your pet. It is our philosophy that we work together as a three way team including you, your pet, and the doctors and staff. There is nothing more rewarding to us than relieving the discomfort and pain that illness may cause. We know that your pet is a special member of your family and we pride ourselves that you trust us with your pets’ care.

Surgical Care

Whether your pet is being spayed or neutered or in need of a more complicated procedure, our doctors and staff are dedicated to the well being of our patients. We realize that anesthesia and surgery for your pet are procedures to be taken seriously. All patients are given exams prior to any anesthetic procedure. Often times we will need to do a general blood panel on your pet to assure that we can make anesthesia as safe as possible. This is particularly important in older patients. All surgeries are performed with constant monitoring of anesthesia our trained technicians.  Anesthetic monitoring also includes blood oxygen levels and blood pressure.  They are also monitored post-operatively through recovery. Pain management has come a long way in veterinary medicine and we use various medications, as well as acupuncture to ensure comfort.

TPLO SURGERY FOR CRANIAL CRUCIATE INJURIES

Injury to the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is one of the more common orthopedic injuries in the dog.  This ligament is known as the ACL in people.  There are many surgeries described to deal with cruciate injuries in the dog.  The two most common are the Lateral Retinacular Imbrication (“Lateral Suture” or “Flo” techniques), and the TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy).  We offer both techniques at Gunbarrel Veterinary Clinic and are happy to discuss them with you.

Dental Procedures

Prophylactic dental care has also come a long way for our pets. It is one of the more common procedures we do and we think one of the more important. Dental disease can lead to loss of teeth, loss of appetite, systemic infections, heart disease, and kidney disease. We evaluate the status of your pet’s teeth and gums with each physical exam and make recommendations based on our findings. Some animals are much more susceptible to dental disease than others. The best thing you can do at home is to brush your pet’s teeth. There are also new diets which can lessen the amount of dental disease. If your pet needs a teeth cleaning, it is done in our hospital under a general anesthesia. Scalings and polishings take 30 – 60 minutes to perform, and unfortunately our patients won’t sit quietly in our dental chair while we do our work. We often need to do pre-anesthesia blood work on dental patients, as a good many of them tend to be older animals.  We also offer dental procedures without anesthesia on appropriate patients.  This is done by appointment on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Wednesdays of each month.

Geriatric Care

A significant number of pets we see are senior citizens of the canine and feline world. We feel it is particularly important to monitor these pets routinely. It may be necessary to increase the frequency of physical exams for your older pet. Routine blood work and urinalysis are also important as many problems can be caught early, and therefore treated earlier. We look at each pet as an individual and make suggestions based on what we see, feel and learn from you. We realize that as a pet ages many issues get more difficult to deal with. It is our desire to help you with as much as possible through your pet’s later years.

Acupuncture

Dr. Brad is a graduate and member of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. IVAS is the only accredited certification program for veterinary acupuncturists. Acupuncture can be used for a great many conditions in animals quite successfully. For more information about acupuncture, please see About Acupuncture.

Boarding Services

We offer a full service boarding facility for both dogs and cats. Animals can be boarded 365 days per year, including holidays. Please see Kennel Services for more information.  Our new boarding kennel for dogs, and “kitty condo” area for cats was designed with comfort in mind for your pets while you’re away.  We have an excellent staff dedicated to their care.  Dogs may also participate in Doggy Day Care while being boarded, and cats enjoy the “room with a view” comfort that is completely separate from the dogs!

Emergency Services

Daytime emergencies are available at the clinic during regular office hours. Doctors are available for consultation about after hours emergencies. To reach the doctor on call, simply call the clinic at (303) 530-2500 and follow the directions to page the attending doctor. For extreme emergencies needing immediate care, we refer after hours cases to one of the emergency facilities in the area (Boulder Emergency Clinic at 303-440-7722 or Animal Emergency Center in Longmont at 303-678-8844).

Our doctors and staff are highly trained and motivated individuals who work to care for your special family members. We offer a wide range of services and welcome any questions or comments you may have.