Choosing a veterinary practice comes with questions, from what to expect at your first visit to which services are available for your pet. We’ve answered some of the questions we hear most often to help you feel prepared and know what to expect when you visit Colonial Animal Hospital.
We provide veterinary care for dogs and cats, from routine wellness visits and preventive care to diagnostics, surgery, dental care, and treatment for medical conditions.
Some urgent cases can be accommodated depending on your pet’s condition. If your pet needs emergency care beyond what we can provide, we can refer you to a nearby emergency hospital.
Yes. We accept CareCredit to help make veterinary expenses more manageable. We also offer a new-client promotion and a referral program with credits for participating clients.
You can apply online, and the application process typically takes just a few minutes. CareCredit makes the application and approval process simple through its financing program.
CareCredit can be used for many eligible veterinary expenses, including examinations, diagnostic services, dental procedures, surgery, medications, and other qualifying treatments.
Yes. CareCredit is also accepted by participating providers in areas such as dental, vision, and other healthcare services.
No. Pawlicy Advisor is available to pet owners at no cost and does not require an obligation to purchase a policy.
With many pet insurance plans, you pay the veterinary hospital at the time of treatment and then submit a claim to your insurance provider. Your insurer reimburses eligible expenses according to the policy’s coverage, deductible, reimbursement terms, and exclusions.
Some pet owners choose coverage when their pets are young and healthy. Because many policies exclude pre-existing conditions, enrolling before health problems develop may provide access to broader coverage options in the future.
The best time to enroll is while your pet is young and healthy. Most pet insurance plans don’t cover pre-existing conditions, so enrolling early may provide broader coverage and greater financial protection in the future.
Healthy adult pets should generally receive routine veterinary examinations at least once a year, while puppies, kittens, senior pets, and animals with ongoing health concerns may need more frequent visits.
Yes. Indoor cats can still develop medical conditions, dental disease, parasites, and age-related health problems, and routine exams give us an opportunity to identify concerns that may not be obvious at home.
A wellness visit typically includes a physical examination and a discussion of your pet’s health history, lifestyle, nutrition, preventive care, and any concerns you’ve noticed. Depending on your pet’s age and health needs, we may also recommend vaccines, diagnostic screening, parasite prevention, or other preventive services.
Some health problems can develop before a pet shows noticeable symptoms. Routine diagnostic screening can give us useful baseline information and may reveal changes that deserve further evaluation.
Yes. Nutrition and weight management are part of preventive care at Colonial Animal Hospital, and we can recommend appropriate diets and strategies based on your pet’s age, lifestyle, and health needs.
Before a scheduled procedure, your pet receives a physical examination and pre-surgical bloodwork to evaluate their current health and check organ function that can affect anesthesia. We’ll also discuss the planned surgery with you and answer your questions before proceeding.
Your pet is monitored with equipment that tracks cardiac function, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, and body temperature throughout anesthesia. A trained veterinary technician remains with your pet during anesthesia induction, the procedure itself, and recovery.
Yes. Pain management is an important part of surgical care at Colonial Animal Hospital. Depending on the procedure and your pet’s needs, pain medication is provided before, during, and after surgery.
Our goal is to send patients home the same afternoon or evening whenever it is safe to do so. In some circumstances, however, a pet may need to remain hospitalized overnight or be transferred to a local critical care hospital for additional care.
Your pet will recover from anesthesia in a warm, quiet, comfortable area under veterinary supervision. The doctor will call you after the surgery and once your pet has recovered from anesthesia, and you’ll receive instructions for caring for your pet during recovery at home.
Bad breath, red or irritated gums, drooling, trouble chewing, loose teeth, or changes in eating habits can point to dental disease. However, pets may have significant oral problems without showing obvious signs at home.
Looking at the visible part of a tooth only tells us part of the story. Digital dental X-rays allow us to evaluate the tooth below the gumline and identify problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
A proper dental cleaning requires access to the entire mouth, including areas beneath the gumline, as well as a thorough oral examination and dental X-rays. Anesthesia allows the veterinary team to perform this work safely and thoroughly while keeping your pet still and comfortable.
There isn’t one schedule that works for every dog or cat. Your pet’s age, oral health, and tendency to develop dental disease all play a role, so we’ll recommend a cleaning schedule based on what we find during their dental evaluations.
Regular brushing can help reduce plaque between professional cleanings, and veterinarian-recommended dental products can provide additional support. Ask our team which options make sense for your pet and how to incorporate them into your routine.
X-rays can help investigate pain or injuries, evaluate pets after accidents, look for bladder stones or swallowed foreign objects, and screen for certain underlying conditions. They provide a quick way to see inside the body and gather information that cannot be obtained from a physical examination alone.
Not every pet needs sedation, and our team always tries to position pets gently to minimize stress and discomfort. If a mild sedative is necessary to help your pet remain comfortable and still enough for quality images, we will discuss this with you before administering it.
Ultrasound provides detailed information about soft tissues and allows veterinarians to see organs moving in real time. This can help identify structural abnormalities as well as certain changes in how organs are functioning.
Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the body. The sound waves themselves are not felt by your pet, and the procedure is generally painless.
All X-rays are reviewed by a board-certified veterinary radiologist. This additional level of review helps our veterinarians interpret the images accurately and use those findings to guide your pet’s care.
Treatment sessions are typically brief, making laser therapy easy to incorporate into many pets’ existing care plans. Your veterinarian can give you a better idea of the expected treatment time based on the area being treated and your pet’s condition.
Laser therapy is noninvasive, so sedation is generally not necessary. Most pets can remain awake and relaxed while the treatment is performed.
Yes. Laser therapy can be incorporated into a broader treatment plan when your veterinarian determines it may benefit your pet, alongside medications, surgery, wound care, or other appropriate therapies.
Your veterinarian will monitor your pet’s comfort, mobility, wound healing, or other relevant changes over the course of treatment. Your observations at home are also valuable, so let us know about changes in your pet’s activity, behavior, or comfort between visits.
Laser therapy is not the right treatment for every condition or every patient. Your veterinarian will evaluate your pet’s health and the problem being treated to determine whether laser therapy is an appropriate part of their care plan.
The right schedule depends on your dog’s coat, lifestyle, and grooming needs. Dogs with continuously growing or easily tangled coats may need more frequent appointments than dogs with short, low-maintenance coats.
Some pets with skin concerns can still benefit from professional grooming, but their specific condition may affect which grooming services are appropriate. Our groomer has experience working with dogs with scabby and scaly skin, and our veterinary team can help determine the best approach when medical concerns are involved.
Yes. Regular brushing at home helps prevent mats and tangles from building up and can help keep your dog’s coat in better condition between appointments.
Overgrown nails can become uncomfortable and may interfere with normal walking, so keeping them trimmed is an important part of routine grooming and paw care.
Grooming provides a closer look at areas such as the skin, coat, ears, and paws, so changes can sometimes become easier to notice. If something looks unusual or your dog seems uncomfortable, let your veterinary team know so it can be evaluated.
