Anaesthesia/Surgery

At St Francis Veterinary hospital we offer a wide range of surgical procedures, you can have confidence that our experienced team will work hard to ensure the procedure is completed according to the highest surgical standards and is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Your pet is precious to us, therefore we use the safest anaesthetic techniques possible. This includes using the latest and safest drugs, using an i/v catheter when administering sedatives and general anaesthetics AND having a veterinary nurse or another veterinarian monitor your pet throughout the procedure. Your pet is monitored using specialized equipment that will track blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature and oxygen levels.

Our highly skilled and experienced veterinarians perform many types of surgeries including and not limited to:

Sterilisation, Dentistry, Growth Removals, Cystotomies and other Soft Tissue Surgeries.

We understand the decision to allow your pet to undergo surgery is never easy, our veterinarians will be happy to answer any questions regarding your pet’s specific surgery to ensure that you feel comfortable with your decision.

Diagnostics

When performing routine wellness examinations or diagnosing an illness, what our veterinarians can’t see is as important, if not more important, than what they can. All essential lab equipment is available in-house allowing for rapid and reliable evaluation of all clinical samples collected. Our in-house blood machine can perform numerous blood tests providing same-day answers to most diseases your pet may be suffering from.

Example of diagnostics performed: Ear Cytology (microscopic examination of ears checking for bacterial and/or yeast infections) Faecal Flotation Test (checks faeces for intestinal parasites) Feline Leukemia and FIV Tests; blood chemistry tests (kidneys, liver, blood glucose, thyroid) full blood counts and blood pressure. We also utilize IDEXX Laboratories, a reputable reference lab, for any other necessary diagnostics.

Radiology

Our hospital offers radiology services for pets. Radiology is the study and science of x-rays. Our onsite digital x-ray machine is capable of detecting arthritis, fractures, bony tumours and other forms of cancer; heart enlargement and congestive heart failure; bladder and kidney stones; stomach or intestinal foreign bodies; pneumonia and other lung diseases and much more. X-rays can also detect foreign bodies, such as stones and bones, in the stomach or intestines. With our digital unit images are created instantly which is a great time saver in the case of an emergency.

Dental Care

Because dental diseases can cause health problems with your pet’s heart, liver, kidneys and other organs, having your pet’s teeth cleaned regularly is essential to good health. We offer a free dental check-up service to allow us to provide you with an accurate estimate. Up to 80% of dogs and 70% of cats that don’t receive proper dental care will develop signs of dental disease by the age of three. A dental procedure involves scaling and polishing your pet’s teeth under a full general anaesthetic and at times extractions. Tooth extractions range from retained baby teeth to more complex extractions which will require a high-speed drill to remove, don’t worry we will most definitely provide your babies with pain control should there be any extractions needed. Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is one of the most significant things we can do to help our pets have a long life.

Ultrasounds

An ultrasound is a non-invasive procedure that produces a real-time moving picture of your pet’s organs, allowing our veterinarians to visualize objects that cannot be detected by X-rays alone. St Francis Veterinary Hospital makes use of the services of an ultrasound specialist who comes directly to the clinic and performs the ultrasound providing us with a detailed report and diagnosis for your pet to help assist you and our veterinarian on the necessary treatment required. The procedure does not require a sedation and is normally completed within 30 minutes.

Pharmacy

For your convenience, our hospital has an in-house pharmacy, enabling you to pick up your pet’s medications at the time of your visit. All of our medications are handled and stored at the proper temperature and environment to make sure your pet receives the best quality medicine. We carry a wide variety of prescription medicines in our clinic. Please note all prescription refill requests will be reviewed and processed within 24 hours of our receipt of your request. In many cases, prescriptions can be filled much sooner. Please understand, however, that we are not a pharmacy. Our primary function/goals are to take care of sick pets. We would appreciate your assistance in planning accordingly.

Microchipping

The heartache that we experience when our pets are missing can easily be resolved by the insertion of a microchip. Pets that are microchipped are returned home much sooner than pets who aren’t. Microchipping your pet is a fundamental way to protect your pet and an important part of responsible pet ownership. A microchip is a permanent pet identification and takes less than 10 seconds to implant. Our veterinarian will inject the microchip (which is about the size of a grain of rice) between your pets shoulder blades, this can be performed during a consultation. The microchip is registered with a unique identification number, which is filed in a database with your contact information which can be changed at any time. All veterinary clinics and many shelters have a microchip scanner which will be able to pick up your pets’ identification. This will enable the clinic to contact you immediately.