Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice is a full-service mobile clinic equipped to provide exemplary veterinary care to cats, dogs and horses throughout Greeley, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, and Eaton CO cities. Dr. Ponder and his certified veterinary technician, Rachel Simonds, specialize in diagnostic, medical, surgical, and dental care, and will bring their expertise right to your doorstep. This modern approach to veterinary care allows us to establish a close, personal relationship with both you and your furry, four-footed friend, and to eliminate the stress pets often experience during visits to traditional veterinary hospitals. This makes caring for your pet much more relaxed and effective for everyone concerned.
Vaccination
Keep your pet healthy and up-to-date with the regular recommended vaccinations. Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice can immunize your pets based on their ages and exposure risks, as desired or as required by law in your area.
Veterinary Ophthalmology
Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice can also examine your pet’s eyes and eye pressure using a tonometry test. This is a pressure test on the eye that is useful in diagnosing glaucoma in older pets. Low intraocular pressure can also mean that a pet has inflammation of the eyes.
Behavioral Counseling
Nutritional Counseling
Neoplasms inside the abdomen are common. Because of their location, they can be difficult to detect and an early diagnosis is unlikely. Symptoms of abdominal neoplasisa are weight loss or abdominal swelling.
Comprehensive Examination
Wellness examinations on a regularly scheduled basis allow the veterinarian to conduct a thorough evaluation of your pet’s health. This is similar to a regular physical exam like you undergo with your primary doctor — but it’s to analyze your pet’s well-being. The exam can include checking your pet’s eyes, ears and teeth. The vet will listen to your pet’s heart and lungs for any abnormal sounds. A wellness exam can also be used to detect musculoskeletal problems, neurologic conditions, belly pain, urinary tract problems, and skin or haircoat conditions. When wellness exams are performed on your pet on a regular basis, it allows Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice to track changes in your pet’s health as he or she ages.
The most obvious symptom of flea bite hypersensitivity and FAD is severe itching of the skin, which your pet attempts to cope with by scratching and biting. At this stage, the condition is referred to as pruritis, which in hypersensitive animals can be caused by as few as one or two flea bites a week. Because of the low numbers of fleas which can cause the condition, symptoms often persist, even after flea control methods have been used. Symptoms will often occur in episodes, and in general, symptoms worsen with age. Scratching can become habitual and develop into a condition called neurodermatitis in which affected skin become become thick and leathery. After frequent scratching has been occurring for a while, the most notable symptoms are the patchy loss of hair, erythema (redness of the skin), pustules (pus-filled bumps) and crusts or scabs on the skin. Although any part of the body can be affected by flea bite hypersensitivity, the hind end is often affected more than the front or head of your pet’s body.
Behavioral Disorder Treatment
Canine distemper is a viral disease. It affects domestic dogs and several species of wildlife such as raccoons, wolves, foxes and skunks. Canine distemper is contagious and has no known cure. In domestic dogs, young, non-vaccinated puppies are most susceptible to the disease. The virus belongs to the Morbillivirus class of viruses. This means it is a relative of the human measles virus.
Pain Management
Laser Therapy treatment is used to speed up the healing process for your pet after an injury or procedure, or in long-term pain management. It is painless, and sometimes even relaxing for the pet receiving treatment. It can be used hand in hand with many other treatments, and patients may begin to see results as soon as after the first treatment.
Vomiting Treatment
Diarrhea Treatment
The intestinal form of CPV drastically reduces the dog’s ability to absorb nutrients. This means that infected animals quickly become dehydrated and weak from a lack of protein absorption. The major symptoms of CPV are severe bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, lethargy, anorexia and eventually, severe weight loss. The mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth often become redder and the animal may have tachycardia (rapid heart rate). Infected dogs may respond with pain or discomfort when the abdomen is touched. Another symptom of CPV can be hypothermia (low body temperature) rather than fever.
Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
Upper Respiratory Illness Treatment
Symptoms of heartworm disease in cats include those often associated with other diseases. These include respiratory distress, gagging, coughing and vomiting. Symptoms associated with the first stage of heartworm disease, when the heartworms are carried to the pulmonary arteries, are often mistaken for feline asthma or allergic bronchitis, when in fact, they are actually due to a syndrome newly defined as Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD). Cats may die suddenly from heartworms, although this happens rarely.
The virus causing FPV is related to the canine parvovirus as they are both in the genus Parvoviridae, however, the feline parvovirus can not be transmitted from cats to dogs, or vice versa.
Feline Retro Virus Treatment
Lymphoma is a common form of neoplasia in dogs and cats, characterized by swelling of one or several lymph nodes in the body. In cats, one cause of lymphoma can be the contagious feline leukemia virus.
Bacterial and Viral Infection Treatment
Inadvertently transmit the disease to the animal, however, this is a rare route of transmission. If your dog’s respiratory or gastrointestinal systems have a bacterial infection, this can increase his vulnerability to distemper. In particular, non-immunized dogs that have contact with an infected animal or its environment (e.g. bedding, bowls, toys) are at great risk of contracting the disease.
Ear Infection Treatment
The symptoms of nausea and vomiting can be mitigated by motion sickness medications. If the middle or inner ear is infected, antibiotics are likely to improve the condition. Ear infections should be identified and treated as quickly as possible. Inflammation may respond to treatment initially, but without good treatment, it can progress to a point where it may be untreatable. If the vestibular disease is caused by an under-active thyroid, the condition will resolve once the metabolic condition is managed correctly. If a medication is the cause, stopping the medication can bring complete resolution, however, there can sometimes be some residual hearing loss. Surgical removal of polyps can result in a complete cure, however, if there are cancerous tumors, the prognosis is usually less positive. The central vestibular form of the disease generally has a poorer prognosis than the peripheral form, primarily due to the potential for devastating damage to the brain stem. Fortunately, most cases of the peripheral form improve quickly once the underlying cause is diagnosed, addressed and the vertigo symptoms are treated with appropriate care.
Urinary Tract Infection Treatment
To diagnose diabetes, your veterinarian will initially conduct a urine test for the presence of glucose, ketones and/or urinary tract infection. If necessary, a blood test will then measure your cat’s blood glucose concentration. If glucose is present in your cat’s urine, a blood test will determine blood glucose concentration and fructosamine concentration. A consistently raised blood glucose concentration could indicate that your cat’s pancreas is not secreting sufficient insulin, or, your cat’s body is behaving as if it is “resistant” to the insulin being produced. Regardless of the underlying cause for the increased blood sugar, your cat is suffering from diabetes mellitus. The diagnosis is considered as confirmed when glucose is found at consistently high concentrations in blood and in urine.
Cartilage is a slippery substance which acts as a buffer or “cushion” between the bones in a joint. It allows the bones to move over or around each other without pain. Arthritis occurs when the cartilage within a joint becomes damaged. Eventually an arthritic joint becomes inflamed and painful. There are over 100 different types of arthritis recognised in humans. In pets, the most common form is osteoarthritis, sometimes called degenerative joint disease. Other types include rheumatoid arthritis and septic arthritis which is caused by joint infection. Arthritis commonly affects older and middle-aged pets. However, the condition is not limited to these age groups and younger animals can also suffer from the disease. When arthritis eventually causes changes in the joint which result in pain, this often becomes apparent by changes in the animal’s behavior – the primary symptoms of the disease. Because arthritis commonly develops with age, pet owners sometimes confuse changes in their animal’s behavior as normal age-related changes (such as a decrease in play), whereas in fact, the animal might be suffering quite severe arthritic pain.
Hip Dysplasia Treatment
Some cat breeds are more susceptible to arthritis than others. Hip dysplasia (abnormal development of the hip joints) is seen especially in Maine Coon, Persians, Siamese and other breeds. Patella luxation (dislocation of the knee cap) is more common in Abyssinian and Devon Rex breeds. In dogs, the larger breeds such as Labrador, Retriever, German Shepard and Alaskan Malamute are all more susceptible to hip dysplasia than other breeds.
Diabetes Treatment
Diabetes mellitus is a disease caused either by a lack of insulin, or an inadequate response of the body to this hormone. After your dog has eaten, the digestive system breaks-down the food into various parts. One of these is carbohydrates which are further converted into simple sugars such as glucose. Glucose is absorbed from the gut into the blood where it is transported around the body. Insulin, which is produced by “beta cells” in the pancreas, helps in the process of moving glucose into the cells of the body where it is converted into fuel. If there is insufficient insulin available, or the body responds inadequately to insulin, glucose is unable to enter cells and can build up to high concentrations in the bloodstream. The resulting condition is called hyperglycemia. As a result, an animal may behave as if it is constantly hungry (the cells are not producing fuel), but may also appear malnourished, again because the cells are unable absorb glucose.
Vestibular Disease Treatment
Vestibular Disease is also known as “Old Dog” Syndrome. Most mammals gain their sense of balance and spatial orientation from organs in the inner ear and parts of the brain, collectively called the “vestibular system”. If the vestibular system becomes diseased, this affects the ability of the animal to balance itself. There are two forms of vestibular disease. The most common form is peripheral vestibular disease which arises from disorders affecting the inner ear and nerves (i.e. not the central nervous system). The second form, called central vestibular disease, is a much less common condition although it is considerably more serious as it originates within the central nervous system. Both forms result in the animal experiencing a loss of balance and other symptoms of vertigo and dizziness. This disease can appear extremely dramatic to dog owners, particularly the first time the symptoms are observed. However, most cases improve quickly with appropriate care, treatment and addressing the causes of the condition.
Thyroid Disease Treatment
Epilepsy Treatment
Heart Disease Treatment
An electrocardiogram (EKG) is a diagnostic test that measures the electrical activity in your pet’s heart. The EKG is a screening test that can diagnose several different heart conditions, such as an irregular heart rate or electrical rhythm.
Kidney Disease Treatment
Periodontal Disease Treatment
Oral hygiene is a very important issue for dogs and cats. The bad breath that is so common in pets is also often the first sign of dental disease. By 2 years of age, 85 percent of dogs and cats have periodontal disease. Periodontal disease begins with the accumulation of plaque on the teeth which, if not removed, then hardens into tartar. Tartar accumulation causes sensitive, sore, and swollen gums as well as gingivitis. At this point your pet is suffering from advanced dental disease. As well as the visible cosmetic problems, advanced dental disease also has an effect on many internal organs. Bad teeth in dogs and cats has been scientifically linked to heart, lung, and kidney problems, which can shorten the life of your pet.
Cancer Treatment
The various types of neoplasia require different individual treatment. This may include one, or a combination, of therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, hyperthermia (heating) or cryosurgery (freezing). Your pet’s overall health is, of course, important. Veterinarians may recommend dietary changes or other alterations to your pet’s life to help your pet respond better to the proposed treatment. Discuss with your veterinarian, the best treatment options for your pet and especially the risks and side-effects associated with these options Pain management is an extremely important aspect of treatment. In some cases, depending on the recommended course of treatment, your veterinarian may refer you to a cancer specialist, or speciality clinic. Some types of neoplasia can be cured, but other types can only be managed to decrease their spread to other organs and tissues of the body. This will prolong your pet’s comfort and quality of life as much as possible. Early detection of a neoplasm and the type of neoplasm are often the greatest factors which determine the success of treatment.
Dentistry. A pet’s bad breath may signal more than the need for teeth cleaning at home. It can signal the need for professional cleaning by a veterinarian and possibly extractions or dental surgery — all services provided by Eagle Spirit. Bad breath may also indicate dental disease, such as periodontitis, that can cause infection to spread throughout a pet’s body.
Ophthalmic Surgery
Surgery Our mobile clinic has a modern surgical suite, with advanced equipment to handle all of your cat’s needs. We are equipped to handle general surgeries including spay/neuter procedures, oral and ophthalmic surgery.
Veterinary Surgery
Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice believes your companion deserves the same level of care and attention expected from your human medical practitioners. Dr. Ponder offers veterinary surgical services in Greeley, CO, in our state of the art mobile veterinary practice.
Spaying and Neutering
The appropriate age for this procedure varies depending on the breed of your pet. Our vet verifies that your companion is physically developed enough to proceed with the surgery. There may be some soreness experienced afterward by your pet. There will also be restrictions around how active your pet can be for a certain period.
Our mobile veterinarian takes you through each step of the procedure beforehand, going over the expected outcomes and making the experience as stress-free as possible. We recommend pre-surgery blood work for pets six years and older to rule out possible issues that might complicate any procedure.
X-Ray
Microchipping
The American Humane Society has determined that lost or stolen pets are 20 times more likely to be returned to their owners if the pet is microchipped and registered. Eagle Spirit Veterinary Practice offers microchipping and registration as part of our mobile practice. A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted in your pet using a large-bore needle. The procedure is similar to getting a regular vaccination shot. The microchip contains identifying information so that you can be contacted if your pet is ever lost and turned in at a pet shelter or veterinary clinic.
Remember, annual blood work and exams are important for keeping senior pets healthy and catching symptoms before they become a problem. Request a visit for your pet today!