Thursday, January 26, 2017

Pet Dental Month=Clean Teeth, Discount


February is National Pet Dental Health Month, and if your pet has never had a dental, this is the perfect month to start. We are offering 10% off every dental scheduled in February.  

In addition to routine teeth brushing, it is recommended that dogs and cats have annual comprehensive teeth cleanings and oral exams twice a year. Why is this so important?

Periodontal disease is a common issue in cats and dogs and causes them to experience discomfort and pain. Not only does it affect their mouths, but can cause problems in their kidneys, hearts and livers if untreated. Periodontal disease begins with plaque build-up that develops into tartar, which can get underneath the gumline and damage the jawbone and tissues that connect teeth to the jawbone.

When we examine your pet’s teeth, we grade them on a periodontal disease scale of 1-4.

1 is normal—minimal tartar


4 is severe—infection, teeth extractions typically necessary  

Here at Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic, we know how important it is to perform a thorough and successful dental on your pet. What sets us apart from places like spay and neuter clinics?

First, let’s discuss dentals at spay and neuter clinics. Although they are usually offered at a lower rate, dentals at spay and neuter clinics are quick procedures with minimal attention to detail. These types of clinics often see 50 or more patients in the course of one day. Blood work is not required, x-rays are rarely given and if a patient has grade 4 periodontal disease, they are referred to another clinic with the proper resources anyway.


Dentals at PCVC:



We start by giving your pet a comprehensive oral exam, which tells us the severity of his or her teeth. After we know what type of services are needed for your loved one, we provide you with an accurate estimate for a dental cleaning. We always include pre-surgical blood work. Why? When we run a blood test, we can determine if your animal is healthy enough for safe anesthesia. In our experience, we have tested animals scheduled for dentals and discovered they have kidney disease or other issues that make them an unfit candidate for an anesthetic dental.

Radiographs

We do dental x-rays on every mouth that comes in for an extensive cleaning. Our technicians, who perform cleaning and polishing on your pet’s teeth, are highly skilled in administering dental x-rays. We have found things such as residual roots in the gums that would have gone unnoticed if we had not taken radiographs. They also help us know if teeth need to be extracted. If teeth need to be extracted, our technicians will pass the task on to our veterinarians.

Anesthesia

Dr. Folland and veterinarians everywhere agree that anesthesia is the best method for performing dentals. It can be painful for your pet to experience a dental, especially if extractions are necessary. Anesthesia prevents any discomfort or pain your pet may experience during the cleaning. Also, pets tend to move around, escape from the table or bite those performing dentals. Anesthesia is helpful for everyone involved with the procedure.

Be assured that your pet will be monitored from the moment the pre-anesthetic is administered, to when he or she wakes up from the dental. We take precaution with every animal that goes under anesthesia. This sets us apart from spay and neuter clinic dentals. Because they have a high volume of dentals, they are unable to monitor each animal throughout the entire process. We ensure that you and your pet have the best experience possible. Please feel free to speak with any of our staff if you have questions and concerns.



If you schedule a dental within 30 days of your pet’s exam, you’ll always get 10% off your dental bill.

Don’t forget to schedule your dental today!             

Monday, January 16, 2017

Technicians are the Lifeblood of a Vet Clinic


Being a technician is not only about playing with puppies and kittens. What an average person may not realize is that every one of our technicians performs duties that take at least 15 people in the human world to complete.

To your pet they are a...

1.      Nurse

2.      Nurse aid

3.      Lab technician

4.      Dental hygienist

5.      Surgical technician

6.      Anesthesia technician

7.      Pain management technician

8.      Pharmacy technician

9.      Rehabilitation therapist

10.  Orderly

11.  Administrative assistant

12.  Counselor

13.  Radiology technician

14.  Phlebotomist

15.  Housekeeper

*And they learn how to do all these positions in only two years of schooling and constant on-the-job training.

Veterinary technicians are a rare breed. It is not the money that keeps them coming back to work every day, as they make just over minimum wage, but their passion and love for animals. As Audrey, one of our technicians, puts it:

My job is not about pride and getting the blood or the catheter in, it is about being gentle and understanding to a scared animal that doesn't know what is going on and doesn't feel well.”

Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic is fortunate to have some of the greatest technicians in the world (we are not biased). We specialize in exotics as well as dogs and cats, so our technicians have undergone rigorous training and education. Every day they work hard drawing blood from reptiles, performing dentals on cats and dogs (and ferrets), educating our clients, assisting in surgeries, comforting grieving owners, restraining birds, snapping x-rays of rabbits, analyzing lab work, filling prescriptions—the list goes on and on.




Allow us to introduce our wonderful technicians:

Crystal is our lead technician and has been with PCVC since 1997. She loves exotics, and is in the process of becoming a specialized exotics technician. Her interest in veterinary medicine began when she was teenager, and although she wanted to be a veterinarian at first, she realized she was more interested in being a technician. She has been in the field for 22 years. For her, the best part of her job is interacting with animals and helping them get back to health.

Audrey is a certified veterinary technician from Chicago and has been has a technician for 17 years, and certified for 12 of those years. Her love for exotics, especially ferrets, has made her job interesting and enjoyable. Ferrets are her absolute favorite animal. She even contemplated working in ferret research to help find cures for their diseases. Every day Audrey hopes that she can make a difference in the lives of our patients and clients, as well as learn something new.

Jen has been a technician for almost four years. Her sweet demeanor and patience with our clients and patients has made her a valuable part of our clinic. She loves working with so many different types of animals and learning something new every day. When she was younger, she always wanted to be a marine biologist and work with dolphins, but didn’t pursue it because of her fear of water. She knew, however, she wanted to work with various species of animals and pursued a career as a veterinary technician.

Dean is another one of our technicians who has a passion for snakes. If you bring in a snake, just know that Dean will be there to help. He graduated from the veterinary technician program at Utah Career College (now Broadview University).

Christine is the newest addition to the PCVC team and is being trained in exotics. We are excited to have her at our hospital.






A vet tech’s job is draining physically, mentally and emotionally. Our techs work long hours and are always paying attention to detail. If there were no vet techs, the veterinary world would be a dreadful place. We are extremely grateful for the technician staff at PCVC. They keep our clinic alive and running. Thank you!