114 2nd St Box 326 • Langley, WA 98260 • (360) 331–8090
Monday & Thursday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
VETIERINARY SERVICES
It’s easy to see that the Animal Hospital by the Sea is committed to giving pets the best possible care. We work closely with you to develop customized treatment plans that provide all the services your pets need to stay happy and healthy through each stage of life, from conception through the golden years. The Animal Hospital by the Sea is a full-service facility, offering treatment and services ranging from vaccinations, surgery, and behavioral counseling to more extensive diagnostic testing and genetic screening for those interested in breeding. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact us. We are here to help!
Please schedule an appointment today so that we may review your pet’s medical history, perform a comprehensive physical exam, and determine specific health care needs.
OUR COMMITMENT TO OFFERING ALL-ROUND QUALITY VETERINARY CARE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
PERSONALIZED VETERINARY WELLNESS CARE
Regular visits and exams allow us the time to get to know both you and your pet and address any of your questions or concerns. Becoming familiar with your pet’s appearance and behavior allows us to detect even subtle physical or behavioral changes that could indicate problems. During your pet’s annual, or for seniors, semi-annual, wellness check, we conduct a comprehensive physical exam, evaluate weight and dental status, and determine which vaccinations or screening tests are appropriate based on your pet’s lifestyle and relative risk. At the same time, we can also offer you counsel on parasite prevention, nutrition, and any behavioral concerns that your pet may develop.
VACCINATIONS
Every day your pet is potentially exposed to the threat of serious, life-threatening, or even fatal illnesses in the form of infectious diseases. A common misconception is pets that do not come in close contact with other animals have no risk. The truth is that many of these pathogens are present in the soil, in surface water, or have been aerosolized into the air. In some cases, we can bring them home ourselves on our clothes or shoes, and indoor-only pets may be exposed even through an open window.
At the Animal Hospital by the Sea, we are extremely careful when it comes to vaccinating our patients. While we administer core vaccines (as recommended by the most current AVMA guidelines) to all pets that are able to receive them, we do not have a “one-plan-fits-all” approach. We believe in protecting our patients from the diseases they are most likely to be exposed to, but do not advocate over-vaccinating against those diseases that are uncommon in our area. We review each pet’s individual lifestyle and risk of exposure when determining which vaccinations should be administered, as well as how often boosters are required.
We believe strongly in using the most advanced, safest vaccines available for your pet—the health risks that can be associated with the “discount” vaccines are not worth the savings. For those clients who have further concerns about their pets and regular vaccines, we offer titer tests to verify a protective level of immunity in lieu of repeated vaccination.
PARASITE CONTROL (FLEAS, INTESTINAL WORMS, AND OTHER UNWANTED PASSENGERS)
In the northwest, our climate is mild enough that active protection against internal and external parasites is considered a year-round necessity. Fleas present the major external health risk on Whidbey Island, and thankfully there are many easy-to-apply, non-toxic medications to protect your pets. The trick is that each and every one of these products has its own strengths and weaknesses that will make it more or less appropriate to your specific need. At the Animal Hospital by the Sea, we can help make educated recommendations on which types and brands of flea control will work best with all your pets in their individual circumstances. We understand which products will help your pet avoid heartworm or ticks if traveling out of our area, which products protect against intestinal parasites, which are absorbed through the skin to create a systemic treatment (but require a flea’s bite to be effective), which remain on the surface of the skin layers to provide a quick kill of the fleas even before they have time to bite (and therefore avoid medication entering your pet’s system), and which are available for oral ingestion to prevent exposure to those who live in chemically sensitive households. Feel free to contact us so that we can schedule a time to review our specific recommendations.
INTERNAL MEDICINE AND CRITICAL CARE
When your pet becomes ill or injured, you want to know that he or she is receiving the best care available. Our well-trained and compassionate staff members take pride in their ability to provide exceptional care for your pets, always treating them as if they were our own. Even so, occasionally we are presented with a difficult or unusual illness, in which case we are able to access consultants around the country. However, should your pet develop an injury or illness that requires medical or surgical care beyond the capabilities of our general practice, we are able to offer direct referral to several of the area’s highly trained veterinary specialists with whom we have established excellent working relationships.
The Animal Hospital by the Sea offers all routine and most emergency soft tissue surgeries as well as minor orthopedic procedures. We are proud to be able to provide advanced anesthetic techniques and monitoring in order to minimize any potential risk while your pet is under our care. Our dedicated staff comes to you with decades of experience at busy full-care, emergency, and even referral veterinary hospitals, bringing home to the island exceptional skills and familiarity acquired in the successful care of many types of difficult cases most day practices would only rarely encounter.
Maintaining your pet’s good oral hygiene and strong, healthy teeth and gums is an important part of preventive veterinary care for all pets. Dental disease is extremely common in adult dogs and cats. We are happy to provide comprehensive oral exams, monitor your pet’s dental needs, and offer a range of dental care from routine hand scaling under sedation to ultrasonic scaling, polishing, and pet dental surgery and extractions when needed.
Radiography is an essential tool in the accurate, correct diagnosis and treatment of many types of illness in our pets. Digital X-ray systems provide detailed images within seconds and allow us the opportunity to magnify and/or change the image for better viewing, as well as send them electronically to specialists for quick review. The Animal Hospital by the Sea is proud to offer our patients a top-of-the-line Direct Digital system with the speed to ensure the fastest processing possible, thereby reducing the time involved in positioning and handling of painful or stressed pets and minimizing the need to repeat X-ray exposure.
Large reference labs available to South Whidbey veterinarians do not yet provide mid-day courier service. The result is that we do not have the luxury of having our tests processed on the same day unless a client is willing to transport the samples across the ferry themselves. Unfortunately, there can be many crisis situations when “call for your results tomorrow” is simply just not good enough. At the Animal Hospital by the Sea, we offer a complete in-house laboratory that allows us to obtain the majority of our test results within minutes, giving us vital information to more quickly identify and accurately treat your pet’s condition.
For your convenience, our hospital has a full-service pharmacy on site and offers very competitive pricing on flea and parasite control medications. For those who have difficulty getting into town, we can also arrange home delivery and automatic reorders of long-term medications, diets, and supplies, including those that we do not routinely have in stock. Our online pet pharmacy features products fully guaranteed by the manufacturers, unlike most prescription products sold through commercial Internet businesses.
At the Animal Hospital by the Sea, we recognize that it can often be difficult to administer oral medication to our pets. We will work with you to provide a variety of options to make the process easier. For those “difficult-to-medicate” patients, please talk to us about getting your medication specially compounded into either a flavored liquid or, in some cases, an ointment that enables it to be absorbed directly through the skin.
These days, managing a successful canine or feline breeding program is a complex process. At the Animal Hospital by the Sea, we offer our breeder clients knowledge gained from our extensive professional and personal backgrounds. We will be delighted to help guide you through the entire process from pre-conception to puppy care. We offer or can make arrangements for virtually all health screening tests, assistance in the determination of breeding timing, insemination (vaginal and surgical), pregnancy maintenance, and can even be available for birthing and neonatal care.
As a responsible pet owner, you want to do everything within your power to make sure your pets stay healthy and safe in your home AND take care of them should they get away or go missing.
Microchips have become the most universally accepted method for you and your pet to be reunited should you become separated. A microchip is a tiny implant, about the size of a grain of rice, that is inert and does not cause any reaction in the body. When a scanner sends low intensity radio waves over your pet, the microchip acts as a reflector that bounces back a unique number or “code.” These electronic “codes” are registered in databases that are available 24/7 to help identify and get pets returned as fast as humanly possible. Most animal hospitals, emergency facilities, and shelters are equipped with scanners that can be used to identify lost animals and get them safely returned to their owners. If you believe your pet has a microchip inside but you have misplaced the number, feel free to stop by and we will use our scanners to identify it so that the records may be updated.
To increase the chances of a safe recovery, the Animal Hospital by the Sea supplies the latest, most widely used and internationally recognized ISO chips. Our program includes lifelong enrollment for your pet in the American Kennel Club’s Companion Animal Recovery program, the largest not-for-profit pet ID and recovery service.
Optimum nutrition is the cornerstone of your pets’ good health. We recognize that each pet has unique nutritional needs determined by individual lifestyle, age, and breed factors. We are available to help you choose the best diet for your pet, including deciding between commercial, homemade, or veterinary prescription diets. We have the full line of prescription Royal Canin veterinary diets available through our hospital and can provide many other prescription brands for home delivery through our online pharmacy.