The ACH Standards of Care

Standards of Care

Exams – We believe all pets should be examined at least once yearly in order to maintain good health.  Evaluating their full body system is important in giving them the happiest, healthiest lives possible.  This is why we do full exams at Animal Care Hospital and require it once a year on all of our patients.

Vaccinations – We do not perform vaccine-only clinics at ACH because we believe in the annual physical exam.  We also find that many clients are misinformed or simply unaware of what their pets receive at vaccine clinics.  Most people have no idea that there are several vaccines that do not have to be given annually any more, especially in cats.  No one educates people during a vaccine clinic.   We are often asked why our vaccines cost more than what they cost at a vaccine clinic and our answer is that if you consider what it costs you to give the same vaccine yearly as opposed to every 3 years (as we do at ACH), it actually costs you less!  We also offer heavily discounted packages for puppies and kittens in order to help clients get the most information and best care possible without having to try to guess at what is needed for their pets!   

Annual Wellness Testing – Early detection is very important in managing the health of our furry friends, which is why we encourage annual bloodwork and sometimes other tests such as xrays, ECG, or ultrasound.  The sooner we can detect a problem, the better chance we have to address it and manage it. 

Pain management – We believe strongly in pain management at ACH.   We can vastly improve the quality of life of senior pets with combinations of medications and supplements.  Surgical patients all receive pre-emptive pain medication and pain medication to go home.  We strongly believe that pets feel pain despite some of the varied opinions on the subject and treat our patients accordingly.   Some hospitals give pain medication as an “option” and we disagree strongly with this, so we include it with our procedures.

Dentistry –  Our doctors and RVTs are trained under a board certified veterinary dentist in San Diego and we also do continuing education on dentistry every year.  We feel this is a  very important aspect to proper care for our pets.  Proper dentistry also includes dental xray, polishing, probing and charting.  Any hospital that does not do this is not following the current Standard of Care.  Know what you are getting with your pet’s dentals!!!!

System support during surgery – IV catheter placement and IV fluid therapy, (known as fluid support through a vein), intubation (breathing tube placement), monitoring oxygen levels, monitoring the heart through ECG, and maintaining and monitoring body temperatures are all standards of care at ACH.  Most surgeries and all dental procedures should be done with these minimum standards in order to provide the best care possible for your pets.  If you are not sure if your pet is receiving this level of care, then you should be sure to ask questions about what level of care is being provided to your pet!  “Cheap” is not always “equivalent”!

Client communication -  We strive to do a follow up call with every client who visits our clinic for any medical service.  We want to know how our patients are doing after something simple like a vaccine, to something more complex like surgery.  We also strive to call clients back the day that labwork is available.  We understand how scary it can be to wait for lab results and we try to minimize that concern as much as possible with our call backs.  Doctors and staff all call clients daily.

Continuing Education – Our doctors are all required to obtain a minimum amount of continuing education per year as determined by the California Board of Veterinary Medicine, but they usually get a lot more training than the minimum required.  We believe that continuing to learn and grow is what allows us to maintain our Standard of Care.  It also allows us to continue to offer the best care possible to our patients.

Remember that all veterinary hospitals are NOT created equal!  You should be able to make informed decisions and know the right questions to ask about what is being provided for your pet.   Many clinics cut costs by not providing basic standards of care such as IV support, intubation, etc.  Many also do not use Registered Technicians which is an important difference that sets ACH apart from “cheaper” clinics.  You do get the most for your money at ACH!  Come visit us any time for a tour and ask questions – that’s how we learn and can make better decisions for our beloved pets, and the ACH Team can help!