General Medicine - Cebu Veterinary Doctors

The Cebu Veterinary Doctors is a full-service facility, complete with in-house diagnostic laboratory, radiology, ultrasound machine, dental machines, a surgical suite equipped with full instrumentation, and an entire range of prescription drugs and special diets.

Anesthesia and Surgery

All patients scheduled to undergo elective surgery and anesthesia are required to have a pre-anesthetic blood work analysis. We recommend that this must be done within one to two months of the procedure. This will help us detect subclinical diseases and address your pet’s problems as soon as possible, thereby minimizing any complications.

Patients undergoing anesthesia and surgery, excluding those undergoing minor surgeries, are placed on intravenous fluids to maintain normal blood pressure levels and ensure good circulation in all vital organs. Intravenous fluids minimizes anesthetic risk and provide access for emergency intravenous medications should they become necessary. The intravenous fluids also keep the patient well hydrated and help speed the patient’s recovery.

During major surgeries and throughout anesthesia, patients are monitored with a pulse oximeter, an ECG, and a respiratory monitor. Our veterinarians use these devices to monitor the patient’s blood pressure, oxygen level, heart rate, cardiac rhythm, and respiratory rate. Monitoring these parameters help our doctors protect the patients during a procedure. Aside from these monitoring devices, they are also constantly watching the patient during the procedure, checking their gum color, temperature, breathing, and depth of anesthesia. Patients under anesthesia are placed on heated pads to keep them warm and comfortable until they fully recover.

Diagnostic Laboratory

Our in-house diagnostic laboratory offers a wide array of routine laboratory tests and can be of immediate assistance in any emergency situation. Complete blood counts, serum chemistries, clotting tests, and urinalysis can be done in minutes. We have a number of microscopes for cytology smears and fecal examination. Our veterinarians also have access to a wide range of diagnostic tools for dermatological evaluation. Diagnostic test kits and culture media are also available in the laboratory.

Blood Typing

In our practice, we frequently encounter cases of anemia (low blood count) in dogs and cats. Most anemias are mild and can easily be corrected by treating the underlying cause such as intestinal parasites and malnutrition. Others are severe that a blood transfusion is often required to extend the life of the patient. Cases of severe anemias are often complicated that replacing blood is needed in order for treatment of other problems to succeed.

Prior to blood transfusion, donors and recipients are blood-typed and cross-matched to determine compatibility of their blood. In our hospital, blood-typing and cross-matching in dogs is usually done with a test kit. We get the results in a few minutes.

Donors are selected basing on their body weight and volume of circulating blood. A donor's body weight should be at least 20 kilograms regardless of breed. Generally, donors with lower blood volumes need to donate more blood compared to those with higher blood volumes. A potential blood donor should have enough blood volume to sustain itself after blood extraction.

Knowing your pet's blood type is important. A predetermined blood type saves us time in selecting available donors by narrowing them down to a group with the same blood type. Although incompatible blood transfusions can be done in life-saving circumstances, this can only be done once because the recipient's body will develop antibodies against this particular blood group and will react dangerously if given a second transfusion of the same incompatible blood group. Therefore, succeeding transfusions should be matched for compatibility before transfusion.

Critical Care

For patients under critical care, we have veterinarians working around the clock. With the help of a pulse oximeter, an ECG, and a respiratory monitor, our veterinarians are able to keep a watchful eye over our critical patients. They would periodically check the patient’s temperature, blood pressure, oxygen level, heart rate, cardiac rhythm, and respiratory rate. The values are recorded to better assess and determine the patient's prognosis.

Radiography

One of our most reliable diagnostic tools is the x-ray machine. It helps us in evaluating the heart, lungs, chest cavity, urinary tract and bladder, abdominal organs, joints and bones including the skull and teeth. The x-ray machine also enables us to visualize the internal organs without actually seeing them. This method is called diagnostic imaging. Although our x-ray machine was initially designed for human use, the settings are now calibrated for use in dogs and cats.

Ultrasound

The ultrasound machine like the x-ray allows us to “see” some organs through diagnostic imaging. This machine allows our veterinary doctors to evaluate soft organs such as the liver, heart and kidneys in real time. Our ultrasound machine has also been useful in evaluating the fetus particularly its viability and size.

Pharmacy and Prescription Foods

Our pharmacy carries a wide range of routine as well as prescription medicines for our patients. We are also stocked with a number of drugs used for emergency and critical care. We also have dermatological products, drugs, supplements and even shampoos for all types of skin. Prescription diets are available for patients with certain conditions such as heart disease, liver and kidney disease, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, and bladder stones. Regular diets for different breeds and life stages are also available in our pharmacy.

Shuttle Service and Pet Ambulance

Existing clients within Metropolitan Cebu, who are unable to ferry their pets to our hospital, can avail of our shuttle service. We are currently using our Mitsubishi L300 for this purpose. It is fully air-conditioned and equipped with a cage to carry your pet safely and comfortably to or from our hospital. Clients can also ride comfortably with their pets in the Mitsubishi L300.

Clients with pets in an emergency situation such as difficulty in breathing are advised to come immediately to our hospital. In the event that it is not possible to bring them immediately, we can send our veterinarian and pet ambulance to your location. Our Pet Ambulance is fully equipped with emergency drugs, intravenous fluids, oxygen and life monitor.

Cebu Veterinary Doctors

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