What to Expect
As pet owners, you deserve complete clarity into what to expect when visiting a veterinary clinic for care. Here, you’ll learn what policies, practices, and philosophies we support you and your pet with at Governor Animal Clinic, so you can know exactly what to anticipate at your first appointment.
What to Expect When Visiting Governor Animal Clinic
When you are looking for a veterinary clinic, you should be able to count on superior care and excellent service. We at Governor Animal Clinic in San Diego, CA, have assembled an expert team of veterinary professionals to bring you the best possible healthcare for your pet. We have a state-of-the-art veterinary facility, which is clean, comfortable, and efficient. Call (858) 453-6312 to schedule an appointment, and we will find a time that is convenient for you.
Once a year, you should take your pet in for a check-up. This will include a full physical exam and may include teeth and gum cleanings if needed. Our veterinarians will check the health of your pet from head to tail, and you will be very happy you came to Governor Animal Clinic for service.
Bring in any medical history you have of your pet when you come to our vet clinic. It’s best to keep a journal of your pet’s health throughout their life, including behavioral shifts. If you have something like this, share it with our team. If not, let us know everything that you think will be important; we can still work with whatever information you have.
In some circumstances, our doctors may refer you to a specialist who has advanced expertise in areas such as internal medicine or surgery.
What to Expect When Your Pet Stays for The Day
During the lifetime of your pet, there will be times when a procedure (i.e., dental cleaning or surgery) will be scheduled that will require admittance into our hospital for the day. This admission takes place first thing in the morning, when a technician will place your pet into its own individual kennel in one of our specially equipped wards. At any time during you may call and speak directly with the technician in charge of your pet’s care for an up-to-the-minute report on how she/he is doing.
Detailed notes are kept of all treatments, progress, special requirements, and care that are prescribed by your veterinarian. Our veterinarians make regular ward rounds to check on in-patients, and our technicians are continuously monitoring them throughout their stay with us. Your pets are handled with care and tenderness, and we treat them as if they were our own.
Every pet that undergoes anesthesia at Governor Animal Clinic must first be given a complete physical exam by one of our veterinarians. A blood panel is highly recommended to determine the health of the body’s systems prior to undergoing anesthesia. In some circumstances, X-rays and urine tests may also be recommended.
Prior to anesthesia, we administer sedatives, a pain-relief injection, and anti-nausea medications. These medications and sedatives greatly reduce the amount of anesthetic agent required, giving a further margin of safety. A long-acting injection for pain allows your pet to wake up from the procedure calmly and pain-free. We use the safest and highest quality anesthetics, the same as those used in human hospitals. During anesthesia, IV (intravenous) fluids are administered to help keep your pet’s blood pressure at a healthy level, protecting the heart and kidneys while also maintaining hydration.
There is a licensed RVT and veterinary assistant with your pet throughout the entire treatment procedure. Under direct supervision of your veterinarian, our technicians and assistants use state-of-the-art monitoring equipment to continuously check vital signs, blood oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, and blood pressure. Your pet is kept warm during the procedure (or surgery) with a special heating pad placed beneath them. Monitoring continues after your pet’s procedure as they wake up in our recovery ward. Here, your pets are kept warm and comfortable with soft bedding and forced-air cage warmers.
Your pet’s safety and comfort are our highest priority, which is why we use only the highest quality medications, anesthetics, and equipment. We take all necessary precautions to reduce your pet’s risk while undergoing treatments and procedures under our care.