Pet Medical Center Santa Monica animal hospital services

OUR VETERINARY SERVICES

Santa Monica Pet Medical Center is a full-service animal hospital and wellness center. We provide in-house surgeries, with a full range of diagnostic laboratory services. Santa Monica Pet Medical Center is comprised of a modern hospital, surgical unit, radiology department and on-site laboratory.

We emphasize preventive care whenever possible to ensure a happy, healthy and long life for your pet.

We offer physical examination, vaccinations, heartworm and parasite prevention, geriatric health care programs for older pets, veterinary dentistry, and nutritional counseling services.

Senior Pet Care

Every year we celebrate another candle on our birthday cake, and that's one year closer to being "old". However, for your pet each birthday makes them 4, 5, even 7 years older by human standards.

Where to begin? The first step is to figure out how old your pet is. The chart below will help. Use the age and weight of your pet to find out how old they are. As you can see the larger your pet is the sooner they reach that senior age.

Pet's age	Cat	Dogs 0-20 lbs	Dogs 21-50 lbs	Dogs 51-90 lbs	Dogs >90 lbs
5	36	36	37	40	42
6	40	40	42	45	49
7	44	44	47	50	56
8	48	48	51	55	64
9	52	52	56	61	71
10	56	56	60	66	78
11	60	60	65	72	86
12	64	64	69	77	93
13	68	68	74	82	101
14	72	72	78	88	108
15	76	76	83	93	115
16	80	80	87	99	123
17	84	84	92	104
18	88	88	96	109
19	92	92	101	115
20	96	96	105	120

Senior

Geriatric

No matter what the age of your pet, proper diet, vitamins, regular exercise and routine medical checkups are important in keeping them healthy into their senior years. The fact that our pets age more rapidly than we do, also means that diseases and other health problems can develop more rapidly as well. Your pet’s best defense against health problems associated with aging are awareness and prevention. By catching warning signs of potential age related illness early on, we can help ensure that your pet will make a smooth transition from their adult years into their senior years and will lead a rich and full life as they grow older.

Veterinary Dental Care

We believe that proper dental care play an important part in your "best friend's" well being. Dental problems can lead to gingivitis and other dental conditions that can threaten your pet's health.

CLICK HERE to read how to brush your pet's teeth

Comprehensive Physical Examination

Your pet trip to the veterinarian is almost as much about educating you as checking out your pet. Besides your many questions and concerns, you need to bring two things with your pet to the exam. The first is whatever health information you have whether from your own observations or from other veterinary hospitals. The second is a fresh stool, which is examined for the presence of parasites.

While answering your questions, your veterinarian will likely do the following:

Weigh your pet and check her temperature — 100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit is normal — as well as her pulse and breathing rate.
Listen for heart and lung abnormalities and examine other internal organs by palpating, or feeling them.
Give your pet's ears a going-over to ensure they not only look right but also smell right — no infections or parasites.
Check the pet's genitals to ensure there's no sign of discharge or infection in females.
Go over eyes, nose, skin, and the anal region carefully to check for discharge or other signs of disease or parasites.
Open the pet's mouth to see that teeth and gums look as they should.

We recommend a complete physical exam for your pet on a yearly basis. Lots of changes can occur from year to year, especially as your pet gets older. Preventative health care recommendations are made based on examination findings and your pet’s individual needs and situation, which you help us to determine. This may include blood, urine, or fecal tests, vaccinations, dietary or exercise advice, and life-style changes.

An examination is one of the best parts of a veterinarian's job, and your veterinarian will work to keep it as non-stressful as possible. Your doctor wants to set up a relationship where your pet accommodates being handled without fear or aggression. You are an important part of this learning process. Do not encourage shyness or aggression in your pet by soothing her. Be positive and matter-of-fact in all your pet's social interactions, in order to raise a confident, secure pet.

Our Veterinarians are trained in state-of-the-art surgical techniques should your pet require a surgical procedure. We offer a full range of soft tissue surgeries from routine spays and neuters to more advanced procedures. We perform surgeries using the latest advances in anesthesia providing increased comfort for your pet's post operative recuperation. At Santa Monica Pet Medical Center, you won't have to wait days for laboratory analysis.

Our fully equipped laboratory allows us to perform advanced diagnostics such as electrolytes, blood chemistry, and CBC testing to help us determine the best treatment plan for your pet's medical condition. Immediate results can be shared to help you and your Veterinarian determine treatment options available for your pet's health care needs. Our modern X-Ray equipment ensures your pet has minimal exposure to radiation, while our automatic processor produces clear, quality films. Within minutes, we can have your pet's X-rays taken, processed and ready for interpretation by our doctors.