Services
Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental Services offers a variety of services so your pet can receive the best treatment possible.
We provide the best care for your four-legged friends!
As veterinary professionals and pet owners ourselves, we understand it can be challenging to provide all the care you want to give your pet when you must shuttle from one pet service to another, especially given Vermont driving distances and conditions. To help make your experience easier, we continually review our scope of services and expand them as pets’ and clients’ needs dictate.
What to expect during your visit
When you are looking for a veterinary care clinic, you should be able to count on superior care and excellent service. We at Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental Services in Rutland, VT have assembled an expert team of veterinary professionals to bring you the best possible health care for your pet. We have a state-of-the-art veterinary facility that’s clean, comfortable, and efficient. Call 802-773-4771 to schedule an appointment, and we will find a time that is convenient for you.
Once a year, you should take your pet in for a check-up. This will include a full physical exam and may include teeth and gum cleaning if needed. One of our veterinarians will check the health of your pet from head to tail, and you will be very happy you came to Riverside Veterinary Care for service.
Bring in any medical history you have of your pet when you come to our vet clinic. It’s best to keep a journal of your pet’s health throughout his or her life, including behavioral shifts. If you have something like this, share it with our team. If not, let us know everything that you think will be important. Our doctors can still work with whatever information you have.
In some circumstances, one of our veterinarians will refer you to a specialist who has advanced expertise in areas such as internal medicine or surgery.
We currently provide the following services:
Wellness Examinations
From the first visit and throughout their entire life, we’ll be there to provide the absolute best care for your pet. Our wellness care measures can maximize the fullness of that life both in terms of what your pet can do and for how long. Annual physical exams are important! Many of our younger patients have annual exams, but for aging pets or those who have medical conditions, we recommend exams every six months.
Digital Radiography
There have been many advancements in digital X-ray technology, and we can now manipulate the digital images that we take. This allows us to diagnose issues that may not be seen on a traditional X-ray. Because the X-rays are digital, we can also easily share the images with specialists or other veterinarians we may consult for more difficult cases.
A radiograph (X-ray) is a type of photograph that looks inside the body and reveals information that may not be discernible from the outside. Radiography can be used to evaluate your pet’s internal organs like the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs, as well as bones. When it comes to accurately diagnosing your pet, radiology can be an extremely valuable tool in our diagnostic arsenal.
Ultrasonography
We offer ultrasonography in order to quickly and thoroughly diagnose and evaluate disease.
Surgery
Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental Services is fully equipped to do most soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries. We understand your concerns about the risks of anesthesia and utilize the most up-to-date monitoring equipment to help alleviate these concerns. Equipment includes pulse oximetry—which helps to evaluate the oxygen saturation of the blood—doppler blood pressure monitoring, and ECG.
A tailored anesthetic protocol is prepared for every patient. This personalized approach includes careful selection of which sedative drugs are used prior to inducing anesthesia, pain management medications, antibiotic selection, and fluid therapy during the surgery to help maintain adequate blood pressure.
We perform many types of surgery for all pets, including spaying/neutering, tumor resections, corrective surgery, orthopedic surgery, and emergency surgical procedures. If your pet needs surgery, please be sure to meet with our team immediately to get all of the information you need. We don’t cut corners, and we don’t compromise on care. Our team will be with your pet every step of the way and here to answer any and all questions you may have. Upon discharge, we take the time with a discharge consult to ensure that you are well informed about the aftercare your fur baby will require after his/her big day at the vet. Once home, we’re here if you have any questions at all.
Microchipping
The chance of being reunited with a lost pet increases greatly if they’re microchipped. Microchipping can offer reassurance that, if lost, animal shelters and veterinarians can identify your pet. A tiny microchip is placed under the skin between your pet’s shoulder blades. The microchip has an identification number on it, which can be read by a scanner. A veterinarian’s office or animal shelter can scan the chip to find out who owns the animal.
Preventive Care
Preventive medicine is the key to health and longevity in both pets and people. Vaccinating your pets against contagious diseases is one of the most important elements of their preventive health care and long-term health.
At Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental Services, we offer our services for keeping your pet living life to its fullest. Some of our recommendations include:
- Annual physical exams
- Vaccinations
- Ongoing dental care
- Parasite (flea, tick, and heartworm) prevention
- Annual bloodwork
- Senior care
No single vaccine program will be ideal for every pet in every situation, and that’s why we will work on an individualized basis with you and your pet to make sure they are getting just what they need to remain healthy. We recommend vaccinations for puppies beginning when they are between six to eight weeks old, starting with a parvo/distemper series. We test for and treat against heartworm disease and Lyme disease. For pets who are boarded frequently or attend pet daycare, we strongly advise a kennel cough vaccination. Kittens get distemper vaccinations in addition to the rabies vaccine. We highly recommend testing for and vaccinating kittens against feline leukemia. We also recommend testing for FIV and feline AIDS. We also treat other types of pets like ferrets, rabbits, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs. Some of these pets may also require vaccinations or other procedures.
Dermatology
Skin diseases in pets are common and can greatly affect the quality of life. Scratching, chewing, and licking are common signs of a dermatologic issue and treatment can sometimes be very challenging. Our dermatology service is here to help! We will work closely with your primary veterinarian to not just relieve the signs but to get to the root of the problem and find the best long-term management plan for you and your pet.
Comprehensive Dental Care
Why is dental care so important? Recent studies have shown that 70% of adult cats and 80% of adult dogs show symptoms of oral disease.
In fact, most pet parents are not aware that their pet is dealing with dental issues. Bad breath, plaque build-up, excessive drooling, decreased appetite, and sore or bleeding gums when eating or chewing are signs that your pet’s teeth may require veterinary attention.
Just as it’s important for you to see a dentist regularly, it’s important for dogs and cats as well. Your pet’s oral health is directly connected to their overall health. Signs of dental disease include bad breath; loose, broken, or missing teeth; yellow or brown teeth; red, inflamed, or bleeding gums; difficulty or pain when chewing; pawing at the mouth; and excessive drooling. If you notice any of these symptoms, please contact our team, and we’ll be happy to help.
We are proud that we have the most up-to-date equipment to treat dental disease, including digital dental X-rays. This allows us to detect if there is any disease beneath the gumline that we would not be able to see otherwise. We are often able to see undetected abscesses, broken teeth, resorbed roots, retained roots, and more thanks to dental radiographs.
Feline Boarding
Whether you are going out of town for vacation or business, we know it is hard to leave your pet. The guilt and stress over it make it even more difficult. Nobody ever wants to leave their baby, but imagine if your pet gets to go and stay with people that treat them like their own!
The Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental Services team is here to keep your four-legged family members safe, happy, and comfortable during their stay. Our facilities include clean and climate-controlled, and kitty condos available for your furry companion year-round.
Nutritional Counseling and Products
An estimated 59% of cats and 54% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Good nutrition and weight management are key to your pet’s overall health. These healthy habits are created at a young age for your pet, and it’s up to you to help them maintain these habits. Through a good diet and proper exercise, you greatly increase your pet’s chance at a long, healthy life.