Our veterinarians take every precaution to make sure your pet comes out of any procedure, whether major or minor, on the way to a swift recovery. To ensure your pet’s safety, we provide round-the-clock care and monitoring for all surgical patients during business hours. We perform all pet surgeries under anesthesia and advocate the use of pre-anesthetic blood work to detect any underlying disease that may affect the response to anesthesia. With your pet’s comfort and safety at the forefront, we utilize pain management protocols before, during, and after surgery until they are completely recovered. This includes monitoring of vital signs, assessing your pet for pain indicators and keeping them well fed, warm and comfortable in their surroundings.

 

We recommend yearly visits for most pets with our younger pets and older pets coming in more frequently. Yearly exams include physical examinations by our veterinarians plus annual vaccinations or booster vaccinations, parasite screening & prevention and various lab tests performed. For puppies and kittens, we need to see them on a more frequent schedule during their first year of life. For pets over age 7, we recommend exams and blood work every 6 months to help us detect diseases and issues before they become a problem.

 

Besides just BAD BREATH, dental disease:
• Releases bacteria in the blood stream
• ncreases risk for heart, liver and kidney disease
• Can cause severe pain and problems for your pet

Pets need regular dental cleanings to increase quality and length of life. Regular professional dental cleanings:
• Allow us to chart dental disease over time
• Means less time under anesthesia
• Reduces need for more advanced and expensive treatment in the future such as teeth extractions and oral surgery
Dental disease is THE most common disease in dogs. Recent studies show that 85% of cats and 92% of dogs over age 3 have periodontal disease.

What Happens During My Pet’s Dental Cleaning?
A thorough dental cleaning can only be accomplished while the pet is under general anesthesia. The anesthesia we use is safe for all animals and your pet is constantly monitored during the dental procedure.

Prior to anesthesia, blood tests are performed to help uncover any hidden illnesses. A professional cleaning (sometimes called a prophylaxis) removes plaque and tartar from the teeth. Your pet's entire mouth health (teeth, tongue, gums and lips) will be examined and assessed.

 

Pet’s nutritional needs change with age and activity level and pets should be feed a certain number of calories per day. If your pet has special dietary needs or simply needs to lose or gain a few pounds, our veterinarians can help you keep your pet in good health. Keeping your pet at a healthy weight and exercising regularly will help your pet live a longer, healthier & happier life. Our staff can advise you on food portions, selections and appropriate exercise regimens for your pet.

Did you know that specially formulated diets can assist in the management of kidney disease, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease? We offer counseling in dietary selection and feeding practices for pets during various life stages, such as growth, pregnancy, nursing and for senior pets. If your pet has a medical condition, we can help you select the most appropriate diet to suit your pet’s needs.

 

Pets cannot tell us how they feel and are able to hide their pain from us (especially cats). Changes in behavior such as appetite change, lethargy, energy level, aggressiveness, inappropriate elimination and vocalization (barking/meowing) can be symptoms for behavior or health issues. Call our vet hospital for an exam appointment right away.

 

Isolate your pet from other animals and small children to prevent the spread of the parasite to them. Bring your pet into our vet clinic for a thorough testing for parasites. Parasite medicines are treated with medicines, but as always preventative measures are best for your pet and your wallet. We have safe and effective parasite prevention products available.

 

Our vet hospital and doctors do not maintain a 24-hour emergency schedule. Rather, it is recommended in the event of true pet emergencies to please reach out to the Animal Emergency Clinic of Northeast Louisiana in West Monroe, LA.
Animal Emergency Clinic of Northeast Louisiana
2005 N 7th Street
West Monroe, LA 71292
(318) 410-0555 (call ahead, if possible)

Animal Emergency Clinic of Northeast Louisiana is open when we are closed on nights, weekends, and holidays. The emergency animal clinic is staffed with a doctor and team members who can assist with any type of medical or surgical emergency.

 

Melton Veterinary Hospital recommends waiting until your pet is at least 5 months of age before seeking a spay or neuter procedure. We can perform these surgeries on animals of any age after 5 months and recommend this surgery to help prevent pet overpopulation in our area. Spaying/neutering also has health and behavior benefits to your pet.

 

One infected mosquito is all it takes to infect your dog with the baby form (larval stage) of the heartworm parasite.

Heartworms are a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets. Twelve-inch-long worms (looks like spaghetti) live in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of infected pets, causing lung disease, heart failure, organ damage and can be fatal if untreated.

How does my pet get heartworms? Heartworms living in an infected dog, cat or wildlife produce baby worms that circulate in the bloodstream. When a mosquito bites an infected animal, it picks up these worms and when it bites another animal, the worms enter through the bite wound. Heartworms can grow and live for 5 - 7 years in dogs and 3 years in cats.

How prevalent is heartworm disease? Heartworm disease is a year-round problem. In our area, 1 in 10 dogs tested positive for heartworms.

What can I do to protect my pet? Heartworm disease is preventable! Dogs should be tested annually and before starting prevention. Provide heartworm prevention 12 months of the year. Prevention is the safest and most cost-effective option, but treatment is available for dogs (although costly and lengthy). Cats should be tested before starting prevention and re-tested as the veterinarian deems appropriate. There is NO treatment in cats, so prevention is critical and the only means of protection.

Melton Veterinary Hospital has safe, effective products available that cater to you and your pet's lifestyle and your budget. Heartworm prevention should be provided 12 months of the year - we have an option for an injection every six months to help you with not having to remember to administer monthly.

 

Call us with any questions about financing and accepted forms of payment. We do not want concerns about payment to prevent you from providing your pet with needed veterinary care. Melton Veterinary Hospital requires full payment at the time services are rendered. We are happy to provide you with estimates prior to treating your pet and before surgery. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Card, cash, personal checks with proper identification and CareCredit.

We realize pet medical bills might not be in your budget and encourage our clients to take advantage of CareCredit financing rather than forego treatment when your pet needs it the most. CareCredit is a healthcare credit card designed to help you pay for your pet’s health and wellness over time without having to pay for everything all at once.