When you come with your pet to Buddy’s, we don’t just examine your pet. A lot happens during your time with the doctor - there’s more going on than just examining your pet from head to toe. We want to see the whole picture, focus on your pet and the reason you’re there, be it for general wellness, testing, behavior, etc. It is our goal to give you the best of our knowledge, expertise and time. 

At Buddy’s:

• We will give you 110% when we are with your pet. 
• We will ask a lot of questions. It’s important we know everything that is going on with your pet.
• We will examine your pet. The doctor will explain everything as it is being done.
• We will provide a treatment plan and estimate for any further testing or procedures we may recommend for your pet. 
• We may ask you to bring your pet back for rechecks, especially if your pet is experiencing behavior or dermatological issues.

Before we vaccinate your pet, we first take into account your pet’s age, lifestyle, and health status.  Age is most important when discussing which vaccines we will recommend giving your pet. For puppies or kittens, we follow guidelines from the AVMA Home | American Veterinary Medical Association (avma.org), American Animal Hospital Association AAHA, and Feline Practitioners (AAFP | American Association of Feline Practitioners (catvets.com). For older and more frail pets, we’ll discuss whether or not to vaccinate.

With lifestyle, for example, if you have a cat that is  never going to go outside or have any interaction with another cat, we may choose not to do all vaccines based on that. 

Pets with an underlying disease or immune system that is already suppressed or challenged in any way, we most likely recommend not vaccinating. If you prefer to not vaccinate your pet at all, we encourage titers. Titers are special blood tests that show us the levels of antibodies your pet has to see if they are safe and protected. 

At Buddy’s:

• We follow all manufacturer's guidelines and research. 
• We keep diligent track of where the vaccines are coming from. We track all serial numbers and expiration dates in case of any recall or adverse reaction so we can report it and follow up quickly with each patient who received it. 
• We use new needles every time we give vaccines to your pet, which decreases their pain, risk of infection and possible foreign bodies.
• We are 100% available for support should your pet have an adverse reaction, which may include, but is not limited to diarrhea, pain and/or swelling at the injection site, vomiting, and lethargy.

Heartworm is a parasite carried by mosquitoes. It is recommended by the Companion Animal Parasite Council Companion Animal Parasite Council | Home (capcvet.org) that animals living in Wisconsin are on year round prevention. There are lots of reasons for this, most importantly because the life cycle of heartworm disease and the life cycle of the mosquito are both quite complicated. And because of how the temperatures get in Wisconsin, your pets are actually at risk at times when you would think they would not be. It is the same with ticks. It does not get cold enough in Wisconsin for enough consecutive days to kill ticks. So, there is tick activity year round. Fleas may not be a huge problem year around in Wisconsin, but we still can have flea issues. Once you get an infestation, they are super hard to get rid of and they do carry disease. With a bad enough infestation, people can get flea bites as well. 

At Buddy’s:

• We recommend heartworm and tick prevention every 30 days year round. 
• While we use and recommend certain products for heartworm, flea and tick, we recognize there are lots of different products to use, so please talk with your veterinarian about what best suits your pet. 

Additional Resources:

• Companion Animal Parasite Council | Home (capcvet.org)
• Home - American Heartworm Society
• Buddy’s Vets Blog  Must-Know Disease Prevention for Pets  (buddysvets.com)

Food is medicine for us and for your pets, including prescription food. We prescribe it to your pet for medical reasons, which may be in conjunction with medicine or in replacement of medicine. It can be given for a variety of reasons to include urinary issues, weight maintenance, liver disease, kidney disease, or heart disease.

At Buddy’s:

• Prescription food requires a valid client-patient relationship along with annual visits in order to be prescribed. It cannot be bought over the counter and should not be fed to your pet if it doesn’t need it. 
• We carry Hill’s Prescription Diet and have a great relationship with our provider. We can consult with their nutritionists and veterinarians on any questions we may have about your pet’s particular disease to determine the best course of action. 
• We utilize Hills to Home (www.hillstohome.com) for convenient delivery to your front door 

Why do we spay and neuter your pets? First and foremost, to prevent more cats and dogs. Also, not doing so can bring about behavioral issues and health concerns.

At Buddy’s:

• We recommend neutering dogs at 6 months of age. We do take into account your pet’s breed, lifestyle and behavior. For example, with large breed dogs, we may encourage staying intact until they are full grown, around 12-18 months of age. 
• We recommend spaying cats between 4-6 months of age. 

COHAT or Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment, a/k/a dentals for your pet are very important. A COHAT begins during a consultation where we will do an oral exam to the best of our ability, but it is very difficult to fully assess your pet’s oral health even with the best of patients. Particularly, because we cannot see everything we need to. This is where a COHAT comes into play. These are done at a separate scheduled appointment, under general anesthesia and full monitoring. The doctor will examine your pet’s teeth, just like when you go to the dentist, including full mouth radiographs and teeth extractions if necessary. 

At Buddy’s:

• We will provide you with a Treatment Estimate for your pet’s COHAT prior to being scheduled.
• We recommend annual COHAT exams. Annual wellness consultations count as an oral exam. By the time your pet is 2-5 years old, we recommend an annual COHAT.
• We recommend brushing your pet’s teeth at home. Check out our video here on tips & tricks. Brushing Ranger and JoJo's teeth (vimeo.com)

See Here: Kerry Geocaris - Bear doesn’t have a stinky breath anymore! And he... | Facebook

All the treatment your pet needs for the whole year put together in a package to help you plan ahead and save money at the same time. 

At Buddy’s:

• We offer packages for puppies, kittens, adults and rescues. The packages include everything we would recommend for your pet for the year to include, but not limited to vaccines, parasite checks, telemed calls, etc. 
• We offer them at different levels based on what we recommend, what your pet needs and what you are able to do financially. We will provide an estimate upon request. 
• We’ve designed these packages to give your pet all they need at a discounted rate for purchasing it ahead of time. 
• We accept cash, check, credit card or CareCredit in payment of. 

Your pet may need surgery for a variety of reasons. Whether your pet got restless and ate something it shouldn’t have, you found a suspicious lump on their body, or they fractured a leg, we can help with a soft tissue surgery. Soft tissue surgery is utilized for these instances as well as operating on your pet’s internal organs or eyes. 

At Buddy’s:

• We will provide you with a Treatment Estimate for your pet’s surgery prior to being scheduled.
• We use general anesthesia and do extensive monitoring of your pet’s vitals before, during and after surgery. 

If your pet has an injury with its bones, joints or muscles, it may need orthopedic surgery. 

At Buddy’s:

• Dr. Harper has advanced training in orthopedic surgery and is very passionate about providing the best orthopedic surgical care for your pet. See what she has to say from our blog Orthopedic Surgery for Your Pet: What You Need to Know (buddysvets.com)
• We offer orthopedic surgeries to include TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) fracture repairs, amputations, and rehabilitation.  
• We use general anesthesia and do extensive monitoring of your pet’s vitals before, during and after surgery. 

FB Link: Buddy's Vets - It's a TPLO kind of Monday. Dr. Harper, Abbey and... | Facebook

Cold laser is a modality that uses a laser light at a certain frequency to target specific areas of your pet’s tissue to reduce inflammation and pain. It helps bring adequate blood supply to your pet to increase their healing. It is non-invasive, drug and surgery free, and versatile. 

At Buddy’s:

• We use cold laser therapy to support your pet with healing and in rehabilitation. 
• We use it pre-op, post-op and on chronic conditions, such as sprains/strains, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease to name a few.

Additional Resources: 

• Laser Therapy | Companion (companionanimalhealth.com)

At Buddy’s we use digital radiology for all x-rays including dentals for a variety of reasons. They provide a crisper and clearer image, which gives us a much better picture of what’s going on with your pet. They also take less time from start to finish, which provides less radiation exposure for your pets and our staff. And all of your pet’s images are kept in their electronic medical record, in digital format, with easy access for everyone.

Diagnostics, labs and pathology help give us a better idea of what is going on with your pet; whether for routine maintenance or to monitor your pet for a specific disease or health issues. 

At Buddy’s:

• We offer in house testing for such things as CBC, chemistry, 4DX Snap, feline leukemia, urinalysis, etc. 
• We capture all our in house diagnostics and lab results  and integrate them into your pet’s electronic medical record. 
• We use an outside lab, IDEXX, for routine tests. With IDEXX we get results within 12-24 hours. The lab is highly regulated, we can rely on their results and they can do much more advanced testing than we can.
• We send out almost all of your pet’s fecals to IDEXX because they do an antigen test, which helps catch way more parasite infections in your pet than we used to.

Not all pets do well coming to the hospital. If that sounds like your pet, don’t worry, we can come to you for most of your pet’s needs.

At Buddy’s:

• We offer mobile home visits on a case by case basis and staff availability. 
• We do charge an additional travel fee, based on mileage.
• We can come to you for help with your pet’s behavior, skin issues, to administer vaccines, do blood draws, nail trims, administer fluids or medications, etc.

We all know there will come a day when our beloved pets will pass over the rainbow bridge. Our wish is for you to be able to say goodbye to your pet in the privacy of your home where your pet is surrounded by all they know and love. 

At Buddy’s:

• We offer in clinic and at home euthanasia. 
• We offer cremation at your choosing.
• We create a memory of your pet by putting their paw prints in ink and clay if requested. 

See Here Dr. Becky’s YouTube Video: (35) Homeward Bound In-Home Euthanasia Service at Green Bay and Allouez Animal Hospital - YouTube

Not all pets are rockstars at the vet. Some cats will cling to dear life to stay in their carriers. For those pets who don’t handle coming to the vet for a variety of reasons, there is another way - telemedicine visits. 

At Buddy’s:

• We offer telemedicine visits for your pet. 
• We need to have a valid client-patient relationship with your pet, meaning the doctor has laid hands on your pet first at least one time in the clinic before any telemedicine visit can take place. 
• We will ask you to help perform an exam with our guidance.
• We see great value in seeing your pet from the comfort of their home. It allows us a bird’s eye view into your pet’s life, i.e. where they eat, go to the bathroom, etc. 
• We love to utilize them for rechecks and for patients who live farther away. 
• If during the telemed visit, the doctor determines they will need to see your pet at the hospital, we will carry the charge into that next visit.

Microchipping your pet is a safe and non-invasive procedure, which allows for your pet to be identified if they get lost. It involves placing a very small microchip about the size of a grain of rice under the fatty layer of your pet’s skin. Police departments, humane societies and veterinarians all have a microchip scanner to scan a lost animal allowing them to quickly identify its owner. 

At Buddy’s:

• We can put the microchip in at any stage. 
• We prefer to do so during a surgical procedure because it is easier when the animal is under anesthesia.
• We can also do it while your pet is awake. We use a local, topical anesthetic to make it a bit more pain free. 
• Microchipping is very similar to your pet getting a vaccine. 

Life is busy - for both the doctors at Buddy’s and you. That’s why we offer same day drop off because we recognize that sometimes either you or the doctors don’t have room in their schedule to take care of everything your pet needs in a short consultation. 

At Buddy’s:

• We set the time for you to drop off your pet, often early in the morning. We will ask you a lot of questions, have you sign off on some estimates and let you go about your day.
• We ask that you be readily available via phone or text if we have questions or need to follow up on something. 
• We have all day to work through what we need to for your pet and allow you to pick up your animal when we are done; whether that’s a couple of hours or at the end of your work day.  
• We allow for same day drop off upon staff availability but we love to utilize it when we can.