Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions/answers that we are frequently asked. If you have additional questions that aren't covered here, please feel free to give us a call at Brooklyn Veterinary Hospital.

1.  What are the Hospital hours?

     Our hospital is open Monday and Wednesday from 8:00am to 7:00pm. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday our hours are 8:00am to 6:00pm.  Saturdays we are open from 8:00am until noon. The hospital is closed on Sunday.

2.  Do I need to have an appointment?

     Yes, patients are seen by scheduled appointment.  We also see urgent and emergency cases when necessary.

3.  What forms of payment do you accept?

     Cash, Check, Mastercard and Visa, Bank Debit card, as well as Care Credit and Scratch Pay.

4.  Can I make payments?

     Payment is required at the time of service.

5.  At what age can I have my pet spayed or neutered?

     Spaying or neutering can be done at approximately 6 months of age. Your pet is given an exam prior to surgery to help determine whether your pet is healthy enough to undergo the surgical procedure. Current vaccinations are required at the time of surgery. Also a pre-anesthetic blood screen is recommended prior to undergoing anesthesia and surgery.

6.  What is the pre-anesthetic blood screening?

     This is a blood test that is run here in the clinic prior to surgery. It tests the organ functions, blood counts and clotting function of your pet. The pre-anesthetic blood screening is done to assure safety during surgery and the ability to heal following surgery.

7.   What happens if my pet needs to undergo anesthesia or have surgery?

There are several types of anesthesia that we use. Most often, pets need anesthesia for surgical procedures. Still, we also need to use it for procedures such as radiographs and ultrasounds, dental prophylaxis (cleaning), biopsies, and even some bandage or splint changes.

First, we assess your pet's blood work to see if it is safe for them to have their procedure. When completed, we use a sedative drug, which lowers the anxiety of the pet before anesthesia. The more relaxed the pet is, the less anesthesia is needed, and the better tolerated is the entire procedure and anesthesia. We choose the best type of anesthesia based on multiple factors: the type of procedure, whether it will be of short or long duration, your pet's age, and health status. Anesthesia is administered either as an injectable drug or an inhaled mixture of oxygen with the anesthetic drug. We have multiple medications that we can choose from to use the safest one for that pet. For inhaled anesthesia, your pet has an airway placed into their trachea, termed intubation, and the anesthetic/oxygen mixture goes directly into the lungs as they are breathing. Heating pads under the pet's body help maintain their body warmth while under anesthesia. Monitoring instruments are also attached to measure the pet's breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate during anesthesia and while having surgery.

When the procedure is finished the anesthetic drugs can be reversed, or of on inhaled anesthesia, the drug is stopped and they receive pure oxygen until they start to awaken. Many people have had surgery themselves and know how woozy and strange you feel. It is the same way for our pets, so we keep a close eye on them until we are comfortable that they are fully awake and aware of their surroundings. If they had an uncomfortable surgery, we also utilize pain medication and anti-inflammatories to help with any discomfort they might be experiencing.

8.  How long do the sutures stay in after my pet's surgery?

     Procedures that involve sutures require them to be removed in 10-14 days following the surgery.  However, most spays and neuters have buried, dissolvable sutures, so there is nothing to remove.

9.  Is it a good idea to let my pet have at least one litter?

     No, there is no advantage to letting your pet have one litter. However there are plenty of advantages to having you pet spayed or neutered. These advantages include decreasing the chances of breast tumors later in life, decreasing the chance of cystic ovaries and uterine infections later in life, decreasing the desire to roam the neighborhood, decreasing the incidence of prostate cancer later in life, helping prevent spraying and marking, and also decreases the surplus of unwanted puppies and kittens.

10.  Do you board pets?

  We do offer medical boarding for clients whose pets have special medical needs.