Our Services
Bellevue Veterinary Hospital
General Vet Services
Physical Examinations
Dentistry
Dentistry
Several of our veterinarians have participated in, and continue to pursue, intensive training in the most up-to-date theory and techniques in veterinary dentistry.
Radiology, Ultrasound, Equipment
Radiology and Ultrasound
Our hospital has various specialized tools for performing diagnostic tests in-clinic, such as radiology/ultrasound and blood testing.
We have blood analyzers that give our veterinarians the potential for obtaining rapid diagnoses, as well as allowing pre-anesthetic screening to be performed prior to surgeries.
As well as our on-site digital x-ray equipment for full size and dental x-rays, we also have in-house ultrasound services for further diagnostic imaging.
Surgery
Surgery
Our veterinarians perform a wide variety of surgical procedures, and our clinic has modern, state of the art anesthetic and monitoring equipment to increase the safety to our patients.
Surgical patients are:
- on intravenous fluids,
- have blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and various other vital parameters closely monitored,
- are on water-heated beds during surgery and recovery
- given pre-emptive multi-modal pain control and also monitored for any hints of break-through pain so that medications can be promptly and appropriately tweaked/added.
The health, comfort, and safety of each patient is our greatest priority.
House calls
House calls
Veterinary care can be brought to your home.
The option for mobile veterinary service provides convenience to you and your pet. Whether it’s performing a check-up at home because your dog has poor mobility, or your cat is anxious about travelling, or maybe it just works best for you, our house call service can deliver quality care and comfort. During the COVID-19 pandemic, house calls are being provided outdoors or in an open area (open garage or outbuilding).
We have the answer
Dentistry F.A.Q.’s
Why should we consider our pets' teeth?
Dental health has a significant influence on the rest of the body. When not kept in check, bacteria in the mouth can invade below the gum line, cause dental decay and affect deeper tissues and cause chronic infections. Sometimes these infections can even travel further to other organs through the bloodstream. Our veterinarians recommend maintaining your pet’s dental health through annual check-ups. Some pets will require more frequent cleanings and dental exams than others, depending on age, breed, and individual variation.
Potential Consequences of Not Maintaining Dental Health:
- Gingivitis
- Periodontal disease
- Foul breath
- Pain
- Infection
- Tooth loss
- Systemic disease
- e.g. kidney disease
Why does a veterinary dentistry require a general anesthetic?
Two main reasons:
- “Prevention is the best medicine” … and
- Recognizing disease early will usually allow for more successful treatment results.
Granted, most of the time (hopefully) your pet is probably feeling just fine and there are no signs of disease. Checking for signs of disease at least annually, increases our chances of preventing future problems or catching things early.
What about teeth that need to be pulled?
So they are not all treated exactly the same.
But most extractions require local anesthesia (or similar to the “freezing” that you get at the dentist). In veterinary dentistry, this decreases the amount of anesthetic gas required to keep the patient anesthetized. It also improves the patient’s comfort level during recovery and beyond.Other analgesics are given during and post-operatively as well as following the procedure for 2-3 days, depending on the patient (and on the extraction).
Extractions of multi-rooted teeth usually require cutting them into their individual root/crown sections. This allows each piece to be manipulated separately.
Many extractions also involve making a “flap” of tissue (gingiva & periosteum) and then suturing that closed (with dissolvable suture) after the tooth is out. (The photo shows sutured extraction sites – 2 adjacent teeth have been extracted.)
What about pain?
Good pain control decreases the amount of anesthetic required to keep the patient “asleep” for a surgical procedure.
Various methods of surgical and medical analgesia = pain control are used (daily) in our hospital. These different approaches are summarized as follows:
Pre-anesthetic medications: Before the patient goes under general anesthesia, a sedation is given that also includes some pain control medication. If pain control is dealt with before it’s really needed, the patient experiences less discomfort to begin with and will require less pain medication overall.
Local anesthesia: This is when lidocaine or bupivicaine is instilled locally around a nerve that influences the site of the procedure or surgery. A good example of this is when we use dental nerve blocks during a tooth extraction in veterinary dentistry.
Intra-operative pain medications: Often medications are given intravenously just prior or during a procedure to add pain control to our anesthetic protocol.
Post-operative analgesics: These medications include injectable drugs given in the clinic after the procedure, as well as meds that go home with the pet for a few days after a procedure.
Medical short-term & long-term analgesics: These medications are often anti-inflammatory drugs to ease the discomfort of a temporary injury or alleviate the inflammation of ongoing arthritis. Sometimes other types of prescription pain relievers are also added or used on their own.
Get in Touch
ADDRESS
Bellevue Veterinary Hospital
1016 Bellevue Road, Box 336
Parksville, BC • V9P 2G5
CALL US
(250) 248-2031
Please call the hospital for an appointment. Our phone lines are open 7 days a week from 8AM to 5:30PM