As general practice veterinarians, Westwood Hospital for Animals performs most of the procedures needed for your pet’s health. When necessary, the services of specialists in the area are used.

Annual visits are the minimum care for your pet. At these visits your pet is given a physical exam and a medical history is taken to note any changes that you as the owner have noticed since the last exam. Our doctors value your thoughts and input regarding your pet’s health, and this is the time to ask any questions you may have. We also will administer vaccinations* and recommend lab testing to further evaluate the health of your pet.

*Indiana law requires a current rabies vaccine for all dogs and cats, regardless of indoor or outdoor living status.

We believe strongly in blood testing and urinalysis to evaluate fully the status of your pet’s health. Problems that may not be clinically evident can be diagnosed much earlier with these tests, and treatment can begin sooner.

Westwood Hospital for Animals has negotiated with our lab for very affordable fees for our lab tests. Tests that may cost $500 for humans can be performed for approximately $90 through our lab, and gives us a great look at a pet’s overall internal functioning.

Westwood Hospital for Animals utilizes digital radiography in our hospital. This means no storage or disposal of old X-ray film or the chemicals used to process the images. This enables us to send copies home with you on CD, and to e-mail images to a radiologist or other specialist for consultation.

We also have special radiology imaging for your pet’s teeth. This enables us to look at the roots of the teeth for fractures and for pathology.

In the spring of 2009 we will be installing an ultrasound unit that will enable us to use this diagnostic tool here in the hospital rather than referring patients to a specialist for ultrasound. If needed, we can transmit these images to a board certified radiologist for further review.

More than 80 percent of our pets have a need for dental care and we are able to perform most procedures here at our hospital. We use a state-of-the-art ultrasonic dental station to clean all tooth surfaces (especially the surfaces under the gum line that you can’t see) and then polish the enamel. We have low- and high-speed drills that enable us to section teeth for extraction if needed. Also available is a new dental bacterin (vaccine) that prevents plaque build-up by killing the most common types of bacteria in the mouth, and sealants to apply to the tooth surface that helps control tartar development.

All of the doctors with Westwood Hospital for Animals perform most routine surgical procedures such as ovariohysterectomy (spay), castration (neuter), feline de-clawing, cancer surgeries, exploratory surgery, and ophthalmic procedures. Dr Steele has taken advanced training in orthopedics, and performs most of our procedures that involve the bones.

All of our doctors have extensive training in using a laser in place of a scalpel. The laser can greatly reduce bleeding and post-operative pain in some procedures.

Internal medicine cares for our “sick” pet cases that may consist of protracted vomiting, diarrhea, not eating, or just not feeling well. These cases may require in-hospital treatment. We have a complete on-site laboratory to quickly process needed blood and urine tests to help diagnose our sick patients. We have registered veterinary technicians who perform these tests and take care of our patients’ nursing needs. When needed, we have several specialists to consult with or refer cases to here in the Indianapolis area.

To accommodate those with after-hours emergencies we utilize the Airport Animal Emergi-Center, with three of our doctors being involved as owners. The emergency center is open the hours that we are closed, and will refer all patients back here at the beginning of the next day. The emergency center is staffed with the most experienced ER veterinarians in the area.

This is an area of practice that is becoming its own specialty. We can help you with basic behavior counseling, but refer any case we do not feel comfortable with to a certified behaviorist. This is due to liability issues that may arise, such as bite cases.

Payment is expected at time of services. We understand that emergencies arise and we will be glad to work with you in these cases. If your pet requires hospitalization, a down payment may be required for these services. We accept most major credit cards, along with personal check (with driver’s license or Social Security number provided) or cash.

Financing is available through Care Credit, which is a medical line of credit for you or your pet that is accepted by many providers. More information is available at CareCredit.com or through our office.

We try to provide an estimate for patients requiring surgery or hospitalization. This estimate can be sent you via e-mail, regular mail, or picked up at our office.

Westwood Hospital for Animals stocks most of the medications that are used in general practice. It is a convenience for our clients, and we know exactly what our patients are receiving. Our pricing is usually competitive with on-line pharmacies that solicit business through the media.

If you prefer, we can mail your pet’s medications to you for a nominal charge.

We do not honor prescriptions through faxed orders. If we receive a faxed request for a signed prescription from a pharmacy, we will ask that you pick up a written prescription from us, written on our own prescription pads and listing our license numbers. We do charge a fee to write a prescription for an outside pharmacy, as we still have to check the patient’s record to be sure the request is valid, and that no drug interactions may occur. The doctor must review the record and then document the request. The fee for this service is typically $5.00 to $10.00.

As our staff is involved in the community with various projects, Westwood Hospital for Animals supports many of our local charitable organizations. Some of these are Race for the Cure, Brownsburg Cheer Committee, Shop-With-A-Cop, Special Olympics, as well as others involving our clients and school projects.

Westwood Hospital for Animals is accredited to mentor students while they are in pursuit of their degree as Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or Registered Veterinary Technician. Mentorships are handled on an individual basis with preference given to students in this area. These programs are usually from eight to ten weeks in length and are a requirement for the student’s graduation.