The "featured case" pages will help you see how we work and what we do to make sure your pet is taken care of quickly, thoughtfully and keeping you "in the loop" so you can be a part of the decision making process when it comes to the care of your pet. 

We also hope you will have some fun working through the cases with us and seeing the outcome.

The names have been changed but the cases presented here are real!

This page has been so popular that we decided as we add new cases we will keep the old ones up for awhile as well.

 Patients at Companions Animal Hospital are always treated with the utmost care, compassion and respect.  When it comes to seeing a pet for a problem there is a general flow to the visit in order to find the answers to the problem and come up with a treatment plan.  The plan will vary with what the problem is, what the owner is able to do, what the pet will tolerate - there are a lot of variables!  The plan has to change and update regularly as things change with the pets condition, however, the first step is getting a good history (if possible! - see the case of "The Comatose Kitty).  Then a complete physical examination is performed.  From this a problem list is developed. 

For each problem identified a list of "differentials" is developed - this is the list of diseases that can cause that problem.  If there are many problems there may be some overlap in the differential diagnosis list.  This is significant because we may be able to narrow down the differential list if some or all of the problems can be caused by the same disease process.

At this point it is time for diagnostic tests.  This may include things like blood work, urinalysis, urine protein:creatinine ratio, radiographs (x-rays), skin scrapings, fungal cultures, culture and senstivity testing, titers and much more.  It does not make sense to run tests that are not needed, that is why developing a list of possibilities (differential diagnosis) is so important; it will help us decide which tests are most helpful.

As test results come in, or sometimes even before we get results, treatment begins to treat the problem, treat the pain associated with the disease and get the pet on the road to recovery!