Health Maintenance Services
Nutritional Counseling
Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar offers nutrition counseling as needed during office visits.
Why is this important? Pets are living longer, healthier lives than ever before and a big part of that is due to our expanded knowledge of the importance of proper nutrition to overall health. In fact, nutrition is the biggest health variable controlled by a pet's caregiver.
During your pet's comprehensive physical examination, we can evaluate his or her body condition and give recommendations based on what we see.
For most pets, our recommendations will include information on proper serving size and other feeding strategies to maintain optimal body weight and nutritional health. We will also help you wade through the claims made by pet food producers so you can make the most informed choice.
Prescription Diets
Some pets have more serious nutritional challenges or chronic conditions that can benefit from a special diet. We carry prescription diet foods and special low fat treats. If we identify an issue in your pet, we will offer advice and provide information about diets that benefit specific medical conditions such as liver disease, bladder and kidney stones, renal failure, food allergies, diabetes and other conditions.
We carry a diverse inventory of prescription foods. These diets are used to treat a variety of dieases and conditions, including kidney disease, allergies, urinary bladder stones and crystals, intestinal ailments and more.
If your pet requires a prescription diet we do not carry, we may be able to order it for you. Please check with us for information regarding your pets specific nutritional needs.
Class IV Laser Therapy
Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar has invested in a class 4 surgical laser machine for dental and soft tissue procedures. The use of the laser allows for less trauma during surgery and faster healing.
Pet Identification and Microchip System
A microchip is a tiny electronic device about the size and shape of a grain of rice. It is implanted beneath a pet's skin between the shoulder blades and stays there for the pet's entire life. This procedure is as easy and as painless as a vaccination.
Each microchip has a unique number. This number, along with information about the owner and pet, are added to a national pet registry. Most veterinary hospitals and animal shelters have electronic scanners for detecting and reading these implanted microchips. If a lost pet is found and a microchip is scanned the registry is called and the owner can be contacted.