Health Maintenance Services
Internal Medicine
Despite the best preventive care, your pet can become sick. When this happens, it's stressful for you and your pet, especially because you can't simply ask your companion what's wrong. You need a skilled veterinarian whom you can trust to accurately diagnose and effectively treat your pet.
While the focus of the entire medical team at Green Forest Veterinary Hospital is your pet's wellness, an important part of our services is the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases that can affect your pet's internal organs and body systems. We believe providing the best internal medicine possible means giving you a wide variety of treatment options, so you can make the choices that best suit your pet's healthcare needs - which means that when you bring your pet to our animal hospital, Dr. Delijani will work tirelessly to provide you with the most comprehensive, advanced care available, through an integrative approach that draws from western and holistic medicine.
Holistic or integrative veterinary medicine is the examination and diagnosis of an animal that considers all aspects of the animal's life. We want to learn about your pet's behaviors, complete medical and dietary history, and environment, including diet, emotional stresses and other factors. Recommended treatment is generally a combination of conventional and alternative modalities. The techniques used in holistic medicine are gentle, minimally invasive and incorporate patient well-being and stress reduction.
Dermatology & Allergies
If left untreated, allergy-related and dermatological conditions can fester and become serious health concerns for your pet. Therefore it is important to be able to identify the first signs and symptoms of allergies and dermatological conditions. These include:
- Scratching, licking, chewing or biting the skin, feet and ears
- Red, raised, scaly areas on the skin
- Bumps, crusts or pus filled vesicles on the skin
- Increased skin pigmentation
- Thickened skin
- Loss of hair
- Salivary staining (brown color)
- Head shaking
These problems can indicate a serious dermatological condition or allergic reaction to allergens such as fleas, pollen, dust and various foods. If you notice any of these issues, it is important you bring your pet in for an evaluation. If left untreated, they can become serious medical concerns.
Green Forest Veterinary Hospital has the technology and expertise to test and treat allergic and dermatologic conditions in pets. Treatment for specific allergies may include progressive hyposensitization, in which your pet is exposed to small doses of an allergen over time, natural herbs and supplements or natural hydrocortisone.
For your pet's allergies and other skin problems, we take the time to explain the condition, how to prevent future occurrences and the proper method of home treatment.
Glaucoma Prevention
Glaucoma is a common condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eye increases, resulting in damage to the optic nerve, followed by loss of vision and blindness. There are two types of glaucoma. Primary or chronic glaucoma is hereditary or develops as your pet ages. Secondary or acute glaucoma develops as the result of an injury or illness. Because secondary glaucoma can progress rapidly, it is considered an emergency situation.
Symptoms of glaucoma to look for include:
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At Green Forest Veterinary Hospital, we have the technology and expertise to treat glaucoma. This is a noninvasive, simple procedure that should not cause your pet any pain or discomfort.
Your Pet's Nutrition
Proper nutrition and a balanced diet, along with fresh, clean water, are essential ingredients for your pet's overall good health. As your pet's caregiver, nutrition is the most significant health variable you control.
Feeding your pet the highest-quality food you can afford is one of the best ways you can contribute to his or her health and vitality. Although the differences between premium and budget varieties may not be apparent on their nutrition labels, they are in the quality of the ingredients. Both may contain the same amount of protein, but be very different when it comes to digestibility and nutritional value. Making the best nutritional choices for your dog or cat not only effects general health, but will also improve the quality and length of your pet's life.
To support your efforts, the doctors at Green Forest Veterinary Hospital perform a thorough body condition evaluation during every physical examination, and give recommendations based on what we see. We can also provide you with important information on proper serving size, nutrient needs and feeding strategies for your individual pet. We will also help you navigate pet food claims so you can make the most informed choices.
Prescription Diets
Some pets have serious nutritional challenges or chronic conditions that benefit from a special diet. When that is the case, we may recommend feeding a special prescription diet. Making this change can have a significant positive impact on your pet's overall health and well-being.
Prescription diets benefit medical conditions such as liver disease, bladder and kidney disease, digestive problems, renal failure, food allergies, diabetes and more. Green Forest Veterinary Hospital carries Royal Canin prescription foods and high-quality nutritional products. If your pet requires a prescription diet we do not carry, we can easily order it for you.
Nutritional Blood Test
The Nutritional Blood Test (NBT) assesses your companion's health, identifies possible organ weaknesses, and alerts your pet's veterinarian to systemic imbalances. Depending on what the NBT finds, it can then suggest the most effective combination of amino acids, glandulars, enzymes, minerals, other nutrients and vitamins, which can be custom-compounded into a simple powder. A recommended dosage of this powder customized for your pet's individual needs can then be mixed easily into a bowl of food.
Treating Your Pet's Cancer
The medical team at Green Forest Veterinary Hospital considers many factors in advising the most appropriate course of treatment for your pet's case.
The treatment for some pet cancers may begin with surgical removal of the lump. Benign (non-invasive, non-spreading) cancers in an accessible, well-defined area are almost always permanently cured by surgical removal. Surgery may also be the best treatment for malignant cancers that have not yet spread (metastasized). We also work with a board-certified surgeon for more complex procedures. Recovery from most surgery is rapid and post-surgical pain is controllable using appropriate medications.
In certain cases, your pet may benefit from incorporating an integrative approach to cancer treatment. Along with the drugs prescribed in western medicine, Dr. Delijani can recommend a variety of vitamins, Chinese herbs, nutritional counseling, acupuncture, and IV vitamin C therapy (along with other IV vitamins), which can selectively kill cancer cells and improve your pet's overall quality of life.
Should it be in the best interest of your pet following surgery, we can also provide chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs designed to damage cancer cells, and has been designed to improve pets' quality of life and maximize their life spans. Protocols are developed to minimize side effects such as vomiting, diarrhea, and lowered resistance to infection. These effects can be moderated or eliminated by use of appropriate medications and adjustment of the chemotherapy protocol. Our medical team will help you monitor your pet for these conditions.
Before making the decision on the appropriate course of action for your pet, please discuss all the relevant factors with our medical team so you can make an informed choice. Our understanding of cancer is increasing all the time, leading to better treatment approaches, quality of life and improved outcomes.
Behavior Counseling
Even with the right training and lots of attention and love, your dog or cat can develop bad habits or unwanted behaviors. Please don't make the mistake of believing you and your family must live with these problems or worse, consider giving up your pet.
Green Forest Veterinary Hospital offers behavior counseling for many of your pet's problems, including inappropriate urination or defecation, urine marking, aggression, nipping and biting, separation anxiety, inappropriate chewing and barking, digging, chewing, and the introduction of new pets into the household.
Causes of behavior problems can be environmental, such as a schedule change or the introduction of a new baby or pet; learned, as a result of unintentional positive reinforcement; or genetic. Furthermore, any painful disease or condition, or degenerative changes associated with aging, can cause or contribute to behavior problems.
Our assessment begins with your pet's clinical history and a thorough medical examination. Before beginning behavior therapy, any diagnosed medical problems will be treated using conventional and alternative treatments. If our veterinarians and technical staff members cannot help with your pet's behavior problem, we can refer you to an animal behavior specialist.
If you would like more information about the health maintenance services Green Forest Veterinary Hospital offers or to schedule an appointment, please call (516) 676-4838.