Frequently Asked Questions

For a seamless first visit, ensure you bring all the paperwork provided by the breeder, shelter, or rescue group when you first welcomed your new pet home. This allows our veterinarians to review any initiated care calendars, which is crucial for maintaining your pet’s vaccination booster series on schedule.

Licensing is mandatory for all dogs aged 3 months or older. For more information, visit the Crawford County Treasurer’s office or contact us. Dog licenses can be obtained at Conneaut Lake Veterinary Hospital from January through April each year.

Certainly. Following your pet’s microchip implantation, the accompanying documentation can be presented at the Crawford County Treasurer’s office. For a fee, the county will acknowledge this microchip number and provide you with a lifetime license for your dog.

At this time, Crawford County does NOT require cats to be licensed.

To comply with regulations, owners of dogs and nonferal cats aged 3 months or older must maintain a current rabies vaccination. It is unlawful to obstruct an officer or employee of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture involved in enforcing dog laws.

• How long have you had your pet? Do you know how old your pet is?
•  Where did you get your pet?
•  Has your pet been vaccinated? Against what diseases?
•  Is your pet spayed or neutered?
•  What brand of pet food do you feed your pet?
•  Is your pet’s appetite normal? How much do they eat?
•  Does your pet seem to be drinking enough water and staying hydrated?
•  Is your pet urinating and defecating regularly? Do they ever have accidents inside?
•  Is your pet displaying any of the following symptoms: Coughing? Sneezing? Vomiting? Diarrhea?
•  Has your pet lost or gained weight recently?
•  Have you noticed any significant changes in your pet’s behavior?
•  Are you experiencing any behavior problems with your pet? (Chewing, jumping, barking, aggression, biting, scratching, etc.)
•  Have you traveled outside of the area with your pet?
•  Has your pet ever suffered a serious health issue? If so, what treatment did they receive?

We will provide a good-faith estimate of the cost of our services prior to treating your pet. However, unforeseen circumstances may arise that impact your final bill.

We will always discuss our written estimate with all clients before they leave our facility, and require a deposit based on our estimate prior to any further treatment.

Yes! Laser technology reduces the trauma to your pet and improves recovery. Advantages of laser surgery include:

• Less pain: Laser energy seals nerve endings as it moves through tissue, so your pet feels less pain following the operation.
• Less bleeding: Lasers seal small blood vessels during surgery, accelerating the procedure and reducing the time your pet is under anesthesia.
• Less swelling: As nothing more than an intense beam of light, laser energy does not crush, tear, or bruise tissue, reducing post-operation swelling in your pet.
• Reduced risk of infection: The laser sterilizes as it works, resulting in less post-operative discomfort.

When your pet is released, a medical care team member will review after-surgery discharge instructions with you. You will also receive a “To Go Home” sheet that explains what you can expect over the next few days as your pet recovers from surgery. An Elizabethan collar shirt or a suitical recovery suit may also be recommended.

Recovery at home typically takes 10-14 days. During this time, limit your pet’s physical activity (including preventing them from running, jumping, or swimming), as strenuous activity could disrupt the healing process. Your pet’s incision must be kept clean and dry, and your pet should not be bathed or groomed during the recovery period. We recommend that your pet recover indoors as much as possible. If dogs are taken outdoors, they should be on a leash and let out for short walks only. Non-feral cats should be kept completely indoors.

Although many pet owners have concerns about anesthesia, we work to ensure it poses only minimal risk to your pet while providing greater protection and comfort during surgery. In dental procedures, inhalation anesthesia is applied using a cuffed endotracheal tube, which protects your pet’s airway and lungs from accidental inhalation of water or dental debris. Inhalation anesthesia also better ensures the patient is cooperative during a procedure they do not understand, and it eliminates any discomfort resulting from the examination and treatment of diseased or injured dental tissues. While your pet is under anesthesia, we track their vitals using up-to-date monitoring techniques such as Continuous ECG monitoring  and IV fluid therapy.

No! Even in older patients, letting dental disease rage on is far more dangerous than professional oral hygiene care performed under general anesthesia.

We recommend conducting a basic blood profile here in our lab to provide an immediate baseline of your pet’s kidney and liver functions. Throughout the process, your pet’s heart and lung activity will be monitored with a pulse oximeter at no added cost.

Do NOT judge your pet’s temperature by feeling your pet, as this can be misleading. Normal temperatures for dogs range from 99.5 to 102.5 degrees F. Normal cat temperatures range from 100 to 102.5 degrees F.

There should be no drainage. A very small amount of redness or swelling at the incision may occur. If your pet allows, check the incision site daily for one week. Check for excessive redness, swelling, discharge, blood, or if the incision site is open. Do not clean or apply any topical ointment to the incision site. 

Unless you are told otherwise, your pet does not have external sutures. All sutures are absorbable on the inside. The outermost layer of skin is held together with surgical glue. If you are told that your pet has skin sutures, they will need to return in approximately 10-14 days to have those removed.

Licking or biting the incision could cause the wound to re-open and become infected. To keep your pet from licking the incision during the healing process, we recommend an E-collar or surgical recovery suit be worn at all times during the recovery period.