Our staff at Sheepshead Bay Veterinary Group is filled with passionate animal lovers who are here to help you and your pet! They are highly trained and dedicated to making sure that your pets receive the care and compassion every time they walk in the door!
We offer the following services to keep your pets healthy:
Dental Care
Routine dental care is very important for your pet's health. During a routine wellness exam the doctor will evaluate your pet's dental condition and may recommend dental work. Sheepshead Bay Veterinary Group is equipped to provide extensive dental services, from scaling and polishing to extractions, root canals, crowns, and various form of oral surgery. We are also equipped with a digital dental X-ray machine, which enables us to get an in-depth look at the extent of your pet's dental condition. We also have an array of products that we can recommend to prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease, including enzymatic toothpaste, water additives, dental chews, and natural sprays and gels. For our exotic patients, we can provide tooth trimming for rodents and rabbits and beak trimming or filing for birds.
Surgery
Sheepshead Bay Vet Group is equipped to perform all types of surgeries, from routine spays and neuters to emergency surgeries, as well as most types of soft tissue, orthopedic, and ophthalmic surgery. We also use an electrosurgical unit to remove small lumps and to stop bleeds. We take all types of precautionary measures to ensure a safe procedure and smooth recovery. We strongly encourage owners to perform pre-anesthetic blood work, even for young and healthy animals to make sure there are no problems that we and the pet owner may be unaware of at the time. In many cases, especially in older pets and in pets with even an innocent heart murmur, we will run a pre-surgical electrocardiogram (EKG). Sometimes the doctor will recommend an X-ray and/or an ultrasound, both of which are done on premises.
Older pets or pets with abnormalities in their blood work will be kept on IV fluids.
We use the newest and safest anesthesia and anesthetic techniques, including intubation and connecting the animal to a rebreathing machine. The animal is also kept on a warming blanket during the time of surgery.
During anesthesia a surgical assistant monitors all of your pet's vital signs, including EKG, respiratory and heart rate, oxygen concentration, temperature, and blood pressure.
Sheepshead Bay Vet Group is a strong proponent of pain management during and after surgery, including for routine surgeries, such as spays and neuters. Our goal is to make your pet as comfortable as possible.
Advanced Digital X-rays
X-ray imaging is one of the most important diagnostic tools in medicine. X-rays can provide us with quick diagnoses to such problems as swallowed objects, broken bones, bladder stones, spinal injury, tumors, and many more. They can also often point us to a target organ that can be causing your pet's problems if it is enlarged or an unusual shape. In case of pregnant animals, we are able to see how many puppies or kittens there are and if they are positioned correctly.
Dental X-rays can help us diagnose such problems as abscessed or broken teeth or if there is a mass in the pet's mouth. Sheepshead Bay Vet Group is one of the very few veterinary hospitals equipped with a 9-megapixel digital X-ray as well as a digital dental X-ray. This provides us with a high resolution image for a better diagnosis and enables us to save an image to a disk in case we need to refer you to a specialist or simply E-mail the image to a specialist for a quick consult.
Spay and Neuter
Spaying and neutering are important and necessary medical procedures that enhance the quality of your pets' life. Not only does spaying and neutering have positive effects on your pets' health, it's also vital to controlling the homeless pet population.
Microchipping
One can never be too careful. The most obedient dogs can sometimes get scared and take off running. Strictly indoor cats sometimes manage to get out of the house, even in high-rise apartments. And, unfortunately, pets get stolen.
The American Humane Association reports that only 17% of lost dogs and only 2% of lost cats find their way home. Microchipping your pet increases their chances. Nowadays almost all veterinarians and shelters are equipped with a microchip scanner. The microchips the we, at SBVG, use can even be read by readers as far away as Europe, Australia, and Israel.
Microchipping is an inexpensive, minimally painful procedure. A microchip is a tiny computer chip (about the size of a grain of rice) that is injected with a syringe under the loose skin between the shoulder blades. Animals do not need to be anesthetized and most do not react to the injection any more than they would to a vaccine.
Unlike identification tags, microchips do not wear out or get lost. Once inserted, they stay active for life.
Vaccinations
Vaccination has been an important part of both human and veterinary medicine for many years. Ever since people began to understand the importance of vaccinating their pets, deadly diseases that plagued the pet population as recently as the 1980's are becoming rarer and rarer. There are several types of vaccines available for both dogs and cats.
The routine or "core" vaccine available for dogs is the "4-in-1" it includes Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus/Hepatitis, and Parainfluenza. This vaccine is administered to puppies three times in the first year of their lives, beginning at 6-8 weeks of age. It is then repeated a year later and a vaccine schedule will then be determined by your veterinarian depending on your dog's specific needs.
Lyme vaccine is required for dogs that travel to an area where there are deer and would be exposed to deer ticks. This vaccine is done twice at a 3-week interval and then repeated annually.
If you travel to a country area where there is a lot of standing water, discuss vaccinating against Leptospirosis with your veterinarian.
Bordetella vaccine protects against a bacterium that causes kennel cough in dogs. It is required by the New York State law to be administered to dogs that would be taken to a boarding facility, day care, or a groomer.
There is a new vaccine available that promises to help protect dogs from recurring periodontal disease. You can discuss it with one of our vets at the time of your dog's next dental appointment.
The "core" vaccine for cats includes Panleukopenia ("Distemper"), Rhinotracheitis (herpes), and Calicivirus. Like with dogs, it is done 2-3 times for kittens and then a schedule is determined depending on your cat's specific needs.
Cats that go or live outdoors should be vaccinated against the feline leukemia virus, a deadly virus similar to HIV in people. This vaccine is done annually or as recommended by your veterinarian.
Vaccine against Rabies is required by law for both dogs and cats. It is designed to protect both you and your pets against this deadly disease. There is a 1- and a 3-year vaccine available. You can discuss your pet's rabies vaccine schedule with your vet or a staff member at the time of your next visit.
Rabies and Distemper vaccines are available for ferrets. They are strongly recommended if you take your critter outside or if you will be introducing a new ferret to your household.
Wellness Exams
At Sheepshead Bay Veterinary Group in Brooklyn, NY , we believe that regular checkups and wellness exams are critical to your pets' well-being. These wellness exams give us a chance to evaluate the overall health of your pet while also giving us a baseline for their unique bodies and tendencies.
Not only do these exams keep us up-to-date with your pets' health, but they also allow us to detect potential problems before they become serious. This thorough checkup gives us vital information to help keep your pet healthy!
Nutritional Counseling
Sheepshead Bay Veterinary Group offers nutritional counseling for pet owners of Brooklyn, NY and surrounding communities. If you have any questions about your pet's diet or would like more information about your pet's nutritional needs, please contact us today. We can set up a nutrition plan for your pet.
Obesity is a common problem among pets, as it can be easy to overfeed a cute dog or cat that knows how to beg. Being overweight is a serious problem for animals, and can cause real health problems. With proper diet and exercise, all pets should be able to meet their dietary needs and stay within a healthy weight range.
Behavior Management
We offer solutions for a variety of behavioral issues that pet owners are faced with. Behavioral problems can be challenging and frustrating for both pets and pet owners, so it is our goal to work with you towards a solution.
There are many behaviors that can be negative or destructive, and many pet owners feel helpless in bringing peace to their home. We want you to know that we are here to help, and that undesirable behaviors can be corrected.
Parasite Prevention
The idea of your pet being infested with parasites is a disturbing thought, but it's also a medical issue that can have serious consequences if not properly dealt with or prevented. Parasites pose a variety of health issues for our pets, who can be very susceptible to certain parasites depending on age, region, and other factors.
At Sheepshead Bay Veterinary Group, we emphasize the importance of preventing parasites. Through preventative measures, you can successfully protect your pet. Pets that are not protected often develop parasites, leading to serious problems for them and their owners.
Boarding
We will provide food at no extra charge, unless you would prefer to bring your own. Dogs get walked three times daily and cages get cleaned at least twice a day. Litter boxes get cleaned as soon as your cat goes to the bathroom. Fresh water is available at all times. Your pet will be provided with a clean blanket to lay on every day. There is a small fee if your pet needs to be medicated during his or her stay with us.
We do have certain requirements before admitting your pets for boarding. They need to be up to date on their vaccinations. Dogs need to have a Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine in addition to their regular vaccine. The pet needs to have been examined by one of our doctors within six months of the day he or she has a reservation for boarding. Pets need to have current flea protection when they are admitted.
