Veterinary Services

Small Animal Services

Small Animal Services in Los Lunas, NM

Los Lunas Animal Clinic is dedicated to our small animal pet owners. We know the importance your pet plays in your life, and since animals are unable to communicate their problems, annual exams are our only means of discovering health problems in time to treat them properly. As the animal comes in each year, the doctor will be able to choose the appropriate vaccinations and recommend other tests or treatments as necessary.

Our Programs

Our programs are designed to deliver the highest level of care for our patients. These disease prevention programs are based on a commitment to the health, safety, and individual protection needs of each pet. They include open communication, a history, a physical examination, a tailored vaccination protocol, and the use of today’s best technology. Together, you and Los Lunas Animal Clinic can assess your best friend’s health and collect the necessary information to determine the appropriate vaccination program.

Programs

Responsible Healthcare for Pets
Annual Wellness Program
Puppy and Kitten Vaccination Packages
Senior Healthcare Program

Pet Preventative Medicine

Regular checkups allow us to establish a baseline in your pet’s health and make us aware of any changes that may indicate future problems. We highly recommend bringing your pet in for regular exams. Often times health problems that go undetected can become more serious issues when left untreated, so checkups are important even when your pet appears healthy.

Pet Surgery

We believe in utilizing the highest level of medical technology, and our surgeons are experienced and highly trained. We also realize that it can be stressful to have your pet undergo surgery. We want to assure you that your pet is in good hands and that we will do everything to provide the best care possible. We will communicate with you about the things you need to know before, during, and after your pet’s surgery. It is our goal to make the entire process go smoothly and to eliminate the stress and worry of surgical procedures.

Pet Diagnostics

Our hospital provides a wide variety of in-house diagnostic testing with the most state-of-the-art technology available. It is our goal to provide your pet with the highest level of care possible, and our diagnostic tools help us do that.

Laboratory
Blood tests and other laboratory tests are essential in keeping your pet well and diagnosing illness. Los Lunas Animal Clinic offers an in-house, state-of-the-art laboratory enabling us to provide accurate laboratory results within a very short period of time. The faster we are able to diagnose your pet’s health issue, the faster we can treat it! In addition, we work with an outside lab to offer any specialized tests your pet may need.

Radiology
A radiograph (X-ray) is a type of photograph that looks inside the body and reveals information that may not be discernible from the outside. Radiography can be used to evaluate your pet’s internal organs like the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs, as well as bones. When it comes to accurately diagnosing your pet, radiology can be an extremely valuable tool in our diagnostic arsenal. There have been many advancements in digital x-ray technology, and we can now manipulate the digital images that we take. This allows us to diagnose issues that may not be seen on a traditional x-ray.

Ultrasound
Ultrasonography, or ultrasound, is a diagnostic imaging technique similar to radiography (X-rays) and is often used in conjunction with radiography and other diagnostics. It allows us to visualize certain organs very thoroughly, including the heart, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, bladder, spleen, and intestines. It can also be useful to detect and monitor pregnancy. We work closely with specialists – people who have dedicated their entire lives to imaging – so you get the most out of this fantastic diagnostic tool.

Endoscopy
Endoscopy involves the use of either a rigid or flexible fiberoptic instrument to allow visual examination of the internal organs without invasive exploratory surgery. A small camera at the end of the endoscope provides images of the internal structures of the body, allowing the Internist to view disease processes and take biopsies for further diagnostics. It can often be used for foreign body removal as well. This procedure allows for a non-surgical alternative in some cases for pets that minimizes anesthesia time and allows for a shorter recovery and hospital stay.

Pet Acupuncture

Many people are starting to explore other forms of medicine, other than traditional medicine. This is also true in veterinary medicine. Los Lunas Animal Clinic is excited to be able to offer holistic and traditional medicine to help our patients heal!

Acupuncture has been shown to help pets with pain, osteoarthritis, vomiting, cancer pain, endocrine disorders, and much more. It helps pets even more than you and I might realize so be sure to discuss your pet’s case with your veterinarian to see whether or not acupuncture might be helpful! You may want to consider adding acupuncture to keep your pet as active and healthy as possible.

Many owners worry that their pets won’t tolerate acupuncture. However, the opposite is true. Many quickly learn to love it!

Here at Los Lunas Animal Clinic, we are proud to offer Homeopathy, also called Alternative Medicine. Many owners do not like to give traditionally prescribed medications so we have many alternatives for pain, vomiting, allergies, and many other conditions. We are excited to be able to offer this service since many veterinarians do not!

Call for pricing, limited appointments available.

Bark Control

The barking dog presents a serious and annoying problem in crowded urban or suburban areas or kennels. When all attempts to break this habit fails, then surgical removal of the vocal cords may be necessary. The procedure is humane and should be considered no more radical than spay or neutering. No known adverse psychological effects accompany debarking since dogs do not have a concept of the volume of their bark.

Learn more about the debarking procedure and aftercare.

Pet Intensive Care

At Los Lunas Animal Clinic, your pet is part of your family and we want you and your pet to feel safe and comfortable as well as confident in the knowledge that he or she is receiving the best care possible. In our fully equipped intensive care unit, our veterinarians and certified veterinary technicians work closely with pets needing more monitoring and care.

Our intensive care unit is also where your pet is taken to recover from anesthesia and surgery. Like other veterinary hospitals, we use anesthesia to sedate your pet for a number of procedures, from surgery to less invasive procedures like dental cleaning and endoscopic exams. We do this to ensure the least stressful and pain-free experience we can offer for your pet.

While we use the safest anesthetic procedures and medications available, there is still risk with any anesthetic or surgical procedure. In intensive care, one of our certified veterinary technicians continuously monitors your pet’s vital signs, safety, and comfort level following all procedures utilizing anesthesia.

We also aggressively address your pet’s pain level so that his or her recovery is as pain-free as possible. By taking this extra step in caring for your pet, we seek to ensure that anesthesia is a safe procedure at Los Lunas Animal Clinic.

Similarly, while many pet surgeries are routine and are performed regularly by our veterinarians, we recognize that they have a traumatic effect on your pet’s body. Post-surgery monitoring continues past your pet’s awakening from the anesthesia. Your pet remains in our intensive care unit until we feel he or she can be safely discharged and returned to your loving care.

Pet Exams & Consultations

Our staff will get a chance to talk to you and see if you are having any trouble with your pet. We will also go over diet, preventative medicine, and exercise to ensure that your pet is as healthy as possible. Then, one of our veterinarians will do a complete physical examination on your pet. It is always good to have a baseline in case your pet ever becomes ill. We also want to monitor your pet’s weight, ensuring that your pet stays a healthy weight. It is much easier to start a diet when a pet is a pound overweight instead of fifteen! Our veterinarian will also look for any potential problems. Our goal is to catch any problems before they become major ones. The sooner that we are able to catch a problem, the easier it is to treat it and the more likely that your pet will make a full recovery!

Pet Vaccinations

There are a variety of diseases which affect our pets and other animals. This makes proper vaccination vital in protecting them from the many types of illnesses they are susceptible to. It’s important to consult with us about the unique risks of living in our region. We will be happy to discuss the benefits of protecting your pet with vaccinations, as well as, provide you with information on the required vaccinations for your pet.

Canine Orthopedic Surgery

At the Los Lunas Animal Clinic we perform many types of orthopedic surgical procedures on both dogs and cats. We have a special interest in these areas and are properly equipped and experienced to handle most problems. Our state-of-the-art facility offers a heated surgery table, Radio-Frequency instrumentation, ultrasound, intra-op digital radiographs, high-tech patient monitoring, comprehensive blood analyzers, and much more. We are AAHA certified to give you the utmost confidence in the “behind the scenes” care and compassion for which you insist on.

We focus a significant portion of our practice on the health of canine hips and stifles. We utilize both OFA radiographs and techniques along with the PennHP method of evaluation to screen for orthopedic problems early.

Pet Dentistry

Just as it’s important for you to see a dentist regularly, it’s important for dogs and cats as well. Your pet’s oral health is directly connected to their overall health. Bad breath is usually the first sign of this condition. The same bacterium that causes bad breath, if left untreated, can spread through the bloodstream and damage the kidneys, heart, and other organs.

Other signs of periodontal disease include bleeding gums, loss of appetite, pawing at the face, irritability, lethargy, and depression. Your pet is never too old for routine dental care. You can reduce the risk of periodontal disease with a comprehensive dental examination, professional dental cleaning, and good home preventative care.

Pet Pharmacy

We offer limited on-site pharmacy products and drugs for use in treatments on property, and starter prescriptions. We are making every effort to provide the most economical access possible to the products you need to care for your pets.

We continue to offer written prescriptions for you to fill at your personal pharmacy.

We also offer access to the convenience of the Online Pharmacy. This pharmacy compares to any of the major commercial pharmacies. They offer prescription diets, drug compounding, complete dosage options, and equine products.

Please let us know your preferences.

Pet Nutritional Counseling

Obesity is a common problem among pets, as it can be easy to over-feed a pet that knows how to beg. But being overweight is a serious problem for animals, and can cause real health problems as they get older. With proper diet and exercise, all pets should be able to meet their dietary needs and be within a healthy weight range.

Pets’ nutritional needs change as they enter different stages of their lives. The best way to make sure your pet’s needs are being met is to consult with us about a diet made specifically for his or her lifestyle.

Pet Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy (ice) is used during the initial phase of an injury (72 hours) in order to minimize tissue damage, pain, and swelling. It is also used during the rehabilitation phase in order to diminish any secondary inflammatory response.

Some examples of cryotherapy agents are:

Ice
Bag of frozen peas or corn, wrapped
Moldable frozen gel packs

When used properly, this modality can be a very important part of your pet’s home treatment program. Human studies have shown that patients receiving cryotherapy post-surgically quite often need less pain medication.

Benefits of cryotherapy include: