VETERINARY CARE SERVICES

Our veterinarians provide general wellness, plus surgical, dental, and specialty care during daytime business hours. We are also open from 8am-8pm, 7 days a week for emergencies. See our non-emergency service options below.

Veterinary Care for Dogs and Cats

Annual Wellness Exams, Vaccines, Preventive Care and Routine Blood Screenings

Preventive Wellness Care

In addition to being one of Charlottesville’s most recognized emergency veterinary hospitals, VETSS is also available for routine wellness and preventive care visits.

  • Annual wellness exams, vaccines, and routine blood and parasite screenings
  • Drop-offs welcome with convenient pick-up times after the workday is over
  • Reasonable pricing on excellent service from qualified staff and high-end equipment
  • Preventive medicine: Trust the source and save money on your pet’s flea, tick and heartworm medications
  • Continuity of care when your pet does have an urgent or emergency medical need
  • Medication refills in hospital or through our trusted online pharmacy
  • Access to your pet’s important medical records in case of emergency

We know that each pet’s care needs and home environment are different. We will tailor your pet’s wellness care to suit his lifestyle, health history, and special needs. Click the menus below to get an idea of the care to expect for your pet. Please don’t hesitate to call us for more information or to schedule your pet’s next visit.

For Dogs

Puppies

Your puppy will receive a series of vaccinations every 3 to 4 weeks until about 16 weeks of age. Intestinal parasites are common in puppies, can be transmitted to humans, and aren’t able to be seen by the naked eye (usually!). Identifying these nasty critters requires regular intestinal parasite screenings (fecal tests) run by your veterinarian. We accompany this with routine deworming to ensure your puppy is healthy and parasite-free. Be sure to bring a fecal sample to each visit.

Vaccination series will begin, and your veterinarian will help guide a vaccination program that best suits your puppy. We will also help you begin heartworm, flea, and tick prevention at your puppy’s first
visit and ensure that they stay on a routine prevention program for life.

This is a great time to discuss pet insurance, at-home dental care, and spay/neuter expectations as well.

Adult Dogs

Every adult dog needs annual wellness exams — Did you know? Dogs age up to 7 times faster than humans! Each annual visit begins with a discussion between you and your pet’s veterinary team about your pet’s nutrition, lifestyle, and any ongoing concerns. Our veterinarians examine each pet from head to tail.

Annual wellness visits generally include updating vaccination status for both core and elective vaccines. Our team will offer routine blood screenings, heartworm testing, and fecal testing or deworming. We will discuss your pet’s medication needs, including preventions for fleas, ticks, and heartworm disease.

Senior Dogs

Senior and geriatric pets need extra special care and attention. In an effort to stay ahead of diseases and conditions that more commonly affect senior pets, we recommend bi-annual routine wellness visits for dogs over 7 years of age. It is even more essential in senior pets to provide routine blood screenings and diagnostics in order to evaluate internal organ function, aging changes, and hopefully, catch or manage conditions early to ensure longevity of your pet’s overall health. Our veterinarians will help to screen for conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, renal disease, neurologic deficits, hearing and vision loss, and help monitor the development of lumps and bumps and normal age-related changes in behavior.

For Cats

Kitten

Mew! Mew! Every newborn kitten deserves a healthy start. Our patients receive a series of vaccines every 3 – 4 weeks until about 16 weeks of age. Intestinal parasites are common in kittens, can be transmitted to humans, and aren’t able to be seen by the naked eye (usually!). Identifying these nasty critters requires regular intestinal parasite screenings (fecal tests) run by your veterinarian. We accompany this with routine deworming to ensure your kitten is healthy and parasite-free. Be sure to bring a fecal sample to each visit.

Vaccination series will begin, and your veterinarian will help guide a vaccination program that best suits your kitten’s lifestyle and needs. We will also help you begin heartworm, flea, and tick prevention at your kitten’s first visit and ensure that they stay on a routine prevention program for life. Yes, even indoor cats aren’t fully protected from infected mosquitos, fleas, and ticks.

This is a great time to discuss pet insurance, at-home dental care, and spay/neuter expectations as well.

Adult Cats

Every adult cat needs annual wellness exams. Each annual visit begins with a discussion between you and your pet’s veterinary team about your pet’s nutrition, lifestyle, and any ongoing concerns. Our veterinarians examine each pet from head to tail.

Annual wellness visits generally include updating vaccination status for both core and elective vaccines. Our team will offer routine blood screenings and fecal testing or deworming. We will discuss your pet’s medication needs, including preventions for fleas, ticks, and heartworm disease.

Senior Cats

Senior and geriatric cats need extra special care and attention. In an effort to stay ahead of diseases and conditions that more commonly affect senior pets, we recommend bi-annual routine wellness visits for cats over 10 years of age. It is even more essential in senior pets to provide routine blood screenings and diagnostics in order to evaluate internal organ function, aging changes, and, hopefully, catch or manage conditions early to ensure longevity of your pet’s overall health. Our veterinarians will help to screen for conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, renal disease, neurologic deficits, hearing and vision loss, and help monitor the development of lumps and bumps and normal age-related changes in behavior.

Contact us to schedule a wellness visit with one of our veterinary professionals.

Veterinary Care for Exotics

We have limited to capacity but may be able to see certain exotics in emergency cases. Please call ahead to find out if our doctor on duty is able to treat your exotic pet.

Surgical Services

As a full-service emergency hospital, we are able to provide a comprehensive approach to a multitude of medical conditions in cats, dogs, and some small companion animals. This includes routine and emergency surgeries. We are lucky to have access to many referral hospitals for specialty services such as cardiology, ophthalmology, nutrition, orthopedics, and more. If your pet requires specialty care that we can’t offer here, we will make the referral process to the appropriate specialist as easy as possible.

Click the menus below to learn more about our special procedures.

Hospitalization and Critical Care

The medical team at VETTS is trained and equipped to perform essential critical care for emergency guests:

  • Oxygen Therapy
  • Fluid Therapy
  • Blood Transfusion
  • ECG & Cardiac Consultations
  • Isolation and hospitalization
  • Emergency surgery
  • Basic and advanced life support and CPR

Many emergency patients require hospitalization for post-surgical recovery, or medical observation:

  • Inpatient critical care & monitoring
  • Outpatient medicine & surgery

Pet Dentistry & Dental X-ray

Dental diseases can lead to infections of the heart, kidneys, and liver.

Our in-house veterinary team can perform oral exams, full-mouth dental radiography, dental cleanings, and oral surgeries—including extractions. Contact us to schedule a dental appointment.

Ophthalmology

VETSS performs tonometry to determine glaucoma risk in our guests. We are lucky to have a long standing relationship with ophthalmologist, Dr. Michael Blair, who performs more detailed ophthalmic exams and surgeries at Animal Eye Care of Richmond.

Routine & Emergency Surgery

Our modern surgical suite for both routine and emergency surgical needs. We routinely perform spay and neuter procedures on cats, dogs, and several exotic companion animal species. Our surgical suite is equipped with state-of-the art monitoring and surgical equipment. Your pet’s surgical team is trained in veterinary anesthesia and life support. Each patient is monitored by a designated Licensed Technician, EKG, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and maintained on IV fluids, gas anesthesia, and appropriate analgesia (pain control).

Surgical procedures routinely performed include:

  • Growth/mass removals
  • Foreign body removal
  • Wound repair and stitches
  • Ear infection treatments and hematoma surgeries
  • Amputations

We also provide free post-surgical incision checks for all surgeries. Contact us with your questions.

Digital Radiology (X-Ray)

X-rays allow veterinarians to view an animal’s internal body structures. This is particularly useful for diagnosing hip problems in dogs.

Ultrasound Imaging

Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive, pain-free procedure uses sound waves to examine a pet’s internal organs and structures. This helps us discover, diagnose, and treat complex conditions without radiation or side-effects to ensure maximum comfort for your pet.

State-of-the-art equipment

It is essential for emergency veterinary hospitals to have access to state-of-the art equipment to help facilitate efficient and effective diagnostics. Here at VETSS, our equipment includes:

  • Intravenous Infusion Pumps
  • Blood Pressure Monitors
  • Digital Radiology
  • Pulse Oximeter
  • Ultrasound
  • Respiratory Ventilator
  • Multiparameter Anesthetic Monitors

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