Pet health, plainly

Your pet's first visit: a checklist

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:34:03 GMT

Bring any records from a previous vet, or have them faxed ahead to us. Bring a list of current medications, the name of the food you feed, and a fresh stool sample if you can manage it.

Fill out the new client form online before you come, or print it and bring it with you. It saves about ten minutes in the lobby.

For cats: leave the carrier out at home for a few days beforehand with a blanket inside so it is not a scary object. Cover it with a towel in the car. For dogs: a leash, not a retractable one, and skip breakfast if the doctor may need to draw blood.

Plan on about thirty to forty minutes. The doctor will examine your pet, talk through a vaccine and prevention plan, and give you an honest estimate for anything that is due. You will not be surprised at checkout.

When to call us and when to go straight to the ER

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:34:01 GMT

Go to an emergency hospital right now if your pet has trouble breathing, has collapsed, is having a seizure that lasts more than a few minutes, has a swollen or hard belly and is retching without producing anything, has been hit by a car, has eaten antifreeze, rat poison, or a large amount of chocolate or xylitol, or is a male cat straining to urinate.

Call us first thing in the morning if your pet vomited once or twice but is otherwise bright, has mild diarrhea, is limping but bearing weight, has a small cut that has stopped bleeding, or is scratching an ear.

If you are not sure, call. During hours, (615) 833-4423. After hours, our on-call line is (423) 515-3331. Our emergency partners are Nashville Veterinary Specialists on Sidco Drive, BluePearl in Brentwood, and Nashville Pet Emergency Clinic on 12th Avenue South. Directions to each are on our Emergency page.

What a dental cleaning actually involves

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:33:59 GMT

Clients often ask why a pet dental costs more than their own cleaning. The short answer is that a pet dental is a surgical procedure. Here is what actually happens.

Drop-off is at 8:15. We run pre-anesthetic bloodwork to check liver and kidney function, place an IV catheter, and give a pre-medication so your pet is relaxed before anesthesia. Once under, a breathing tube protects the airway and delivers oxygen and gas anesthetic.

A veterinary assistant monitors heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen, and temperature the whole time. The doctor probes every tooth, takes dental X-rays, and scales above and below the gumline. Anything broken or abscessed gets extracted, and we call you first.

Teeth are polished, the mouth is rinsed, and your pet wakes up on a warm blanket with someone next to them. Most go home by mid-afternoon and eat dinner that night.

Heartworm season in Middle Tennessee runs all year

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:33:57 GMT

If you grew up up north, you may remember heartworm prevention as a summer thing. In Nashville it is not. Our mosquitoes are active from March into November and a warm week in January will bring them out. That is why we recommend year-round prevention for every dog and, increasingly, for cats.

Heartworm is spread by a single mosquito bite. The larvae mature into foot-long worms that live in the heart and lungs. In dogs, treatment is possible but hard: months of restricted activity, a series of injections, and a bill that runs into the thousands. In cats there is no approved treatment at all.

Prevention is a monthly chew or a twice-yearly injection, and it costs a fraction of treatment. We test dogs once a year with a few drops of blood so we catch anything that slips through.

If your dog has missed doses, do not just restart. Call us at (615) 833-4423. We will test first, because giving prevention to an infected dog can cause a reaction.