Medical Services

When it comes to the health and security of a beloved family pet, you need facilities you can rely upon with confidence. Here at Folsom Veterinary Hospital, we promise to utilize all of our integrity and expertise, as well as our state-of-the-art techniques and equipment, to provide the best possible care for your pet on every visit.

Our experienced surgical staff offers

Folsom Veterinary Hospital
Staffed by three UC-Davis graduates

We are proud to offer a strong community service program consisting of

Boarding Facility for Dogs and Cats

Integrative and Alternative Therapy

Folsom Veterinary Hospital is pleased to offer a multitude of services to assist is the proper diagnosis and care of your pet.

• Internal Medicine - The diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of disease. Folsom Veterinary Hospital has a wide variety of diagnostic tools available
• Surgery - Performed by our own doctors in addition to having a Board Certified Surgeon available upon request. EKG, Pulse Oximetry, and Blood Pressure monitoring during surgery are all available to our patients. Laser Surgery for some conditions is also available.
• Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Alternative medicine - Integrating acupuncture, nutritional therapy, and Chinese Herbal Medicine with conventional treatments. Dr. Van Tine treats a wide variety of diseases as well as strives to restore balance and maintain wellness for disease prevention.

Diagnostic Tools

Diagnostic tools aid in identifying a wide range of conditions and disease.

• Digital X-ray - Newest radiographic technology enables us to provide state of the art x-rays and communication of results with both you and veterinary specialists if necessary.
• Ultrasound 0 Ultrasound is available in-house by our staff veterinarians, to evaluate the internal organs.Including cancer screening and pregnancy diagnosis.
• Folsom Veterinary Hospital has a board certified radiologist available upon request for x-ray consultation or detailed ultrasound studies.

In-House Laboratory

In-house Laboratory – Laboratory results while you wait.

• Blood Chemistry – Evaluates organ function, electrolyte levels, muscle damage or trauma.
  
  • Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) – Reflects dehydration, protein metabolism, and kidney status.
  • Creatinine (CREA) – Reflects kidney status more specifically. Elevations can be caused by kidney disease, urethral obstruction, and dehydration.Increased BUN and CREAT, also known asazotemia, indicates kidney disease.
  • Phosphorous (PHOS) – Serum concentrations are often associated with kidney disease, hypo/parathyroidism, cancer, nutrition and possible vitamin D toxicity. An elevated level in puppies is normal.
  • Calcium (CA) – Deviation can indicate diseases for example: Cancer, hyperparathyroidism, Addison’s disease,and kidney disease.
  • Albumin (ALB) – Helps evaluate hydration, liver insufficiency, malabsorption/maldigestion, inadequate protein intake, blood loss, and kidney disease. Also, Vitamin D toxicity or rodenticide poisoning.
  • Alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) – Elevations may indicate liver damage, liver inflammation. Cushing’s disease and active bone growth in young pets.
  • Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) – Sensitive indicator of active liver damage.
  • Total bilirubin (TBIL) – May indicate liver disease or hemolytic anemia. Also, helps identify gall bladder problems.
  • Gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) – An enzyme that indicates liver disease or corticosteroid excess.
  • Total protein (TP) – Indicates hydration status and provides additional information about liver, kidneys and infectious disease.
  • Glucose (GLU) – A blood sugar. If elevated can indicated diabetes mellitus. If decreased may cause collapse, seizures, and coma. A low glucose level can indicate liver dysfunction.
  • Cholesterol(CHOL) – Used to supplement diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, liver disease, Cushing’s disease, and diabetes mellitus.
  • Chloride(CL) – An electrolyte that is lost with vomiting and Addison’s disease. Elevations often indicate dehydration.
  • Sodium(NA) – An electrolyte that is lost with vomiting, diarrhea, kidney disease and Addison’s disease. Indicates hydration status.
  • Potassium(K) – An electrolyte lost with vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive urination. Increased levels may indicate Addison’s disease, dehydration and urethral obstruction. High levels can lead to cardiac arrest. Decreased levels indicate decreased kidney function.
  • Spec cPL – Elevated specifically with pancreatitis.
• CBC – Measures red and white blood cells, platelet numbers and distribution. This is affected by hydration status, anemia or infection. This is an essential test for animals with a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, pale gums or loss of appetite.
• Heartworm, Lyme and Ehrlichiosistest – Heartworm is a blood parasite that is transmitted by mosquitos. If left untreated can cause congestive heart failureand death. Heartworms live in the heart of your pet. A monthly prescription preventative is available from Folsom Veterinary Hospital. Yearly exam and testing is required to continue prescription. Lyme disease is passed from wildlife to your dog by tick bites. A positive test indicates exposure to the disease but not necessarily an active infection.Therefore, treatment is only indicated if animals are showing symptoms like fever, lethargy and joint pain. Ehrlichiosisis also passed by ticks and the symptoms are very similar to Lyme disease fever, lethargy and decreased appetite. It is different in that it is a rickettsia not bacteria and attacks the blood system, usually the platelets.
• Thyroid levels – An animal with a malfunctioning thyroid gland can become sick quickly. A simple blood test can be done by a veterinarian to diagnose this disease. Dogs are most likely to suffer from Hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid gland). Symptoms can include hair loss or poor coat condition, weight gain without adjustment to food intake. Treatment is done with a daily medication and yearly monitoring. Cats are more prone to Hyperthyroidism (high functioning thyroid gland). Symptoms can include weight loss, increased appetite, thirst, fever, rapid heart rate, shedding, vomiting, diarrhea and nervousness or hyperactivity. Treatment can be with oral medications with yearly blood testing or in some cases radioiodine treatment is necessary to deal with the disease. Your veterinarian can make diagnosis and recommendations necessary. Note that sometimes hyperthyroid disease can mask kidney disease. It is imperative to check chemistry values again once the thyroid levels are under control with medications.
• Feline Leukemia (FELV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Feline Heartworm test – Feline Leukemia is shed in body secretions including tears, saliva, and urine. FIV is transmitted via bite wounds thus outdoor cats are at highest risk. Symptoms are very nonspecific like lethargy, fever and loss of appetite. FELV and FIV are diagnosed by a simple blood test that is perfomed in-house. Cats will not recover from these diseases however, cats can live many years without showing symptoms. Heartworm is passed in cats the same as dogs, by mosquitoes. While cats can contract heartworm, we do not typically treat them as we do their canine counterparts.
• Giardia Test – Giardia is an intestinal protozoa that can be contracted by your pet ingesting contaminated feces or water. This is transmissible to humans. Symptoms can include explosive, mucoid and/or bloody diarrhea. A simple stool test in the hospital is available for diagnosis and is required for boarding at Folsom Veterinary Hospital.
• Intestinal Parasite Test – This diagnostic tool looks for intestinal parasites including roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and coccidia. This test is performed in-house or can be sent out to the lab. The intestinal parasite test is recommended for new pets and required for all dogs coming in for boarding. Roundworms look like long thin spaghetti outside the animal’s body and can be transmitted by the ingestion of worm eggs or to new puppies/kittens while in their mother’s uterus. These are the most common worms found in new puppies and kittens. Symptoms of ingestion are emaciation, coughing, pneumonia, vomiting and diarrhea to name a few. This can potentially be transmitted to human children and cause blindness. So it is important to identify and treat. Hookworm can be transmitted by ingestion of larvae or to puppies/kittens in utero or during breast feeding. This parasite is transmissible to humans and tends to live in soil of contaminated area. Symptoms of tarry diarrhea, weight loss, and anemia might be seen. Whipworm can be contracted through the ingestion of parasite eggs, which can be passed in the feces of contaminated animals and is very resistant to destruction in the soil. It can live in the soil causing recontamination of your pet for several months or years depending on the circumstances. Symptoms can be anemia, mucoid, bloody diarrhea and weight loss. Coccidia is a protazoal parasite that can be contracted by the ingestion of the oocytes. Symptoms in young animals can consist of runny diarrhea. The oocytes of this parasite are very hardy and can live in the environment up to one year.
• Ear mites – This is a microscopic mite that lives your pets ears. They are most commonly found in cats however, dogs can contract them. The mites move from pet to pet via close contact. Symptoms are shaking of the head, itchy ears and a thick, dark substance that collects in the ear canals. These mites are not transmissible to humans and are easily treated with a prescription from the Veterinarian.