What Should You Expect?

Comfort. Ease. Exceptional Care.

Your Pet's Consultation

In general, we have clients schedule their first appointment with our veterinary dentist as a consultation. During this appointment, you can expect to be greeted warmly by our reception staff, taken to an examination room by one of our veterinary dental technicians, and to meet one of our veterinary dentists. Our vets will take the time to ask you questions about your pet's history, perform a full physical and oral examination, and make a detailed cost estimate and treatment plan that is individualized for your pet. At this consultation, we will do our best to explain what we have found on physical and oral examination, what we would recommend to treat your pet's dental problem, and explain how we perform general anesthesia and any recommended procedures.

After this appointment is over, we will recommend when to schedule your pet for his or her procedure. Depending on our schedule, and your pets overall condition, this may be within the same week or at some point in the future. We will do our best to work with you and your schedule to make sure that your pet receives proper medical care.

On the Day of Your Pet's Procedure

We will instruct you to fast your pet overnight starting around 10 p.m. the night before. This means they can have their normal dinner, after which all food and other possible food sources should be picked up and put out of reach. The only exception to the fasting rule is water, which should be allowed overnight. Please continue to administer any medications as you normally give them, unless specifically instructed otherwise.

We expect our patients to be dropped off for their procedures between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. When you have filled out all the paperwork and have left a deposit with our reception staff, we will bring your pet to our treatment area, where a full physical examination will be performed and any other diagnostic results, such as blood work, chest radiographs, and so on, are reviewed. When we have confirmed that your pet is a safe anesthetic candidate, we will formulate the anesthetic plan, including what medications, fluids, and other preventive measures should be used during your pet's anesthesia. Please see our handout on anesthesia for more information on this topic.

When it is time for the procedure, your pet will be brought to our treatment area where we can monitor him or her at all times. During anesthesia, your pet will have advanced monitoring systems in place, with a dedicated technician monitoring anesthesia while the veterinary dentist performs any diagnostics and treatments. When your pet has recovered and is able to walk normally, we will send him or her home to continue to recover with you. If there is any question about your pet's recovery and adequate pain control, we may recommend keeping him or her overnight the night after the procedure.

If you are coming from a distance and would prefer to stay in the area, our receptionists have recommendations for places to eat, shop, and relax, or you are welcome to wait in our lounge if you would prefer.

We will go over all the instructions for postoperative care and monitoring at your discharge appointment. At your two-week recheck examination, we will discuss at-home oral care techniques as well as help address any other concerns at that time.

If you are concerned about budgeting for your pet's procedure, we have a few payment suggestions for you to consider. We want both you and your pet to walk out our doors healthy and carefree.