Arvada Veterinary Hospital

Arvada Veterinary Hospital is a full service small animal hospital serving the health needs of dogs and cats.

Dental Cleaning:  We provide full dental services from routine general cleaning to having our dental specialist, Dr. Peter Emily doing root-canal surgery, vital pulpotomies and other endodontic as well as periodontic procedures.  Routine teeth cleaning is an important part of keeping your pet healthy. Bacteria from the mouth can "shower" the blood system with bacteria and can localize and cause problems in different body systems like the liver, kidneys, or heart.  Please contact us to schedule a free dental exam with our technicians to see if your pet needs to have its teeth cleaned.  Good health begins in the oral cavity! 

Vaccinations:  New research shows that dogs and cats do not need yearly "core vaccinations" after their first year booster!  Blue ribbon panels from many organizations and veterinary schools have clearly documented this fact.  The evidence is clear that yearly boosters with core vaccines after one year boosters are not only unnecessary but in fact may be harmful to your pet.  Conversely, a few common vaccinations  MUST be given yearly to protect your pet.  Based on this scientific information, we recommend the following schedule: 

Puppies:  Distemper, Parvovius, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza (DA2PP) at 8,12,and 16 weeks:  Rabies at 16 or 18weeks                                                      

Adult Dogs:  DA2PP after one year of age: Repeated in two years and every three years thereafter.  Rabies after one year of age and every three years thereafter:  Leptospirosis and Bordetella should be given according to your dog's lifestyle and need to be boosted every year.  Giardia should not be given except in unusual circumstances.         

Kittens:  Panleukopenia (Distemper), Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus (FVRCP) at 8 and 12 weeks:  Rabies at 12 to 16 weeks:  Leukemia virus vaccine should be given to all kittens that go outdoors or are exposed to cats that go outdoors!!  Leukemia virus is not necessary if your kitten does not go outside or is not exposed to cats that go outside.                                                    

Adult Cats:  FVRCP after one year of age:  Repeat in two years and every three years thereafter.  Rabies after one year of age and every three years thereafter.  Leukemia virus must be given yearly to be effective. (See above)  Giardia should not be given except under unusual circumstances.  

Heartworm: Over the years Colorado has had an increase in heartworm disease.  This has been do to our warming climate and also the influx of dogs we have seen from areas of the country that are endemic with heartworm. Because of these changes and the fact Heartguard Plusprotects against intestinal parasites (that can be contagious to humans especially children) AVH recommends keeping your dogs on preventative year-round.  If you elect to keep your dog on preventative during the 6 month spring/summer months we will need to test yearly before refilling your prescription.  If you keep your dog on year round preventative,  we only have to test every-other year.  This is recommended by The American Heartworm Society.  (See "canine guidelines" under Veterinary Resources towards the bottom of their home page)

Spays; AVH is proud to be one of the few veterinary hospitals in the Denver metro area that has the capability of Laparoscopic Surgeries:  Our equipment is a system by BioVision which allows us to use only a single port for Ovariohysterectomies (spays).  This incision is an 8mm incision (3/8in) vs. a 2-4 inch incision in a typical open abdominal spay. Your dog has up to 65% less pain which means less need for pain medications with dangerous side effects. Many of our clients don't even need to give the pain medications we routinely send home. Faster recovery means less down time for your furry friend.  We actually encourage activity the next day. The procedure is safer because of complete visualization of the abdominal cavity.  Traditional spays are essentially blind procedures. We can actually see if there is any abdominal bleeding which is the most common problem in open abdominal spays.   

Gastropexies: In this laparoscopic procedure, the outer wall of the stomach is "tacked" to the inner wall of the abdomen.  This procedure can be performed on any dog but should be performed on dogs proven to be predisposed to a condition called Gastric Dilatation with Volvulus (GDV) otherwise known as "bloat". (click to get information on bloat.) This is where the stomach actually twists upon itself, creating a potentially life threatening condition. The most common breeds predisposed to GDV are Great Danes, Mastiffs, Akitas, Shepherds, Wolfhounds, Dobermans, Setters, Weimaraners or any "deep chested" dog.  Gastropexies can be done, and is actually recommended, at the same time of a spay or neuter so your dog only has to undergo one anesthetic experience.

Wellness exam:  Even though your pet only needs vaccinations every 1-3 years, we believe your pet should be seen every 6 to 12 months for wellness exams.  As a pet ages, yearly blood work needs to be done to determine how well their internal organs are functioning.  Diabetes, liver failure, kidney disease, and thyroid disease are but a few problems that can be detected early so treatment can be done to prolong your beloved pet's life.  If your pet is on life long medications (Rimadyl, Metacam, thyroid medications, and heart medications) yearly blood work is necessary to make sure the proper dose of medication is given or to determine if there are any complications caused by the medication. Most blood tests can be run in our hospital for faster results.  Remember, 1 year in a pets life is like 7 years in our life. Click here to determine your pets age compared to humans!!