Services - Springfield, Illinois | Brewer Animal Hospital

General Surgery

The doctors at Brewer Animal Hospital perform a variety of surgeries from spays and neuters to tumor removals. Patient monitoring is performed by certified veterinary technicians using state of the art equipment that tracks respiration, oxygen levels, EKG and blood pressure.?

Dentistry

For cats and dogs. Dental Cleaning consists of a general anesthetic followed by an ultrasonic cleaning of all surfaces of all teeth. The teeth will be evaluated by our doctors and any loose or damaged teeth will be extracted. The teeth are then polished and a protective hygienic rinse applied.

In-House Laboratory

Here at Brewer Animal Hospital, we have a complete in-house lab as well as two licensed technicians to quickly and accurately diagnose a wide variety of conditions , eliminating the wait from an outside lab for results on such things as heartworm tests, fecal exams, blood chemistries, complete blood counts, urinalysis and many others.

Allergies/Skin Disease

A very common and complex problem in pets is skin disease. Many things may cause itchy, irritated skin. Using appropriate testing, the cause or causes can be identified. For allergies, we often recommend multi-modal treatment options such as: oral and topical medications, special diets, and allergy testing to determine specifically what allergies are present. We offer immunotherapy- allergen injections- through a national lab with over 35 years of experience.

Health Certificates

A USDA health certificate is needed for any pet traveling outside of the U.S. All three of our veterinarians are accredited by the APHIS and USDA to provide this service.Most airlines require a state health certificate for a pet to fly within 30 days of a scheduled flight.

Microchips

AVID microchips are recommended by our doctors to provide permanent identification for your pets.
Every few seconds, a family pet gets lost. In fact, 1 in 3 pets will go missing sometime in their lives. Most of these pets end up in municipal shelters, animal control facilities and humane societies across the United States. Tragically, most of these pets never make it back home because their owners didn't microchip them.
Developed by a veterinarian, the Avid® FriendChip™ is an effective and safe way to identify your pet. The FriendChip is a tiny microchip that fits through a hypodermic needle and is injected under the skin of your pet where it remains safely for life. This inexpensive procedure can be done anytime and, best of all, protects virtually any pet you love.
Microchipping your pet is the most safe and effective solution to permanently identify your pet. Once the procedure is complete and you enroll your pet in the PETtrac Recovery Service, your pet will have a permanent link back to you, the owner, via the PETtrac Recovery Network. This technology greatly improves your pet's chances of being reunited with you, its owner.

Digital Radiology

Our digital X-ray is the newest technology available, providing exceptional quality radiographs that assist in diagnosis. This type of X-Ray also has the great advantage of being able to be sent anywhere electronically, allowing quick turnaround on consultations with board certified radiologists.

Ultrasound

This technology is used for diagnosis for many conditions from urinary bladder stones to pregnancy. There are many internal problem that we can’t see with a regular xray that we can image with our ultrasound unit. This is a noninvasive way to get a diagnosis without the risk of surgery.

Spaying and Neutering

Spaying and neutering are surgical procedures to remove reproductive organs. These procedures are typically recommended for puppies and kittens before they reach sexual maturity (at about 6 to 9 months of age) though this may vary depending species and breed.

Spaying and neutering are surgical procedures used to remove the reproductive organs of dogs and cats. Spaying is the removal of the uterus and ovaries of a female dog or cat. Neutering is the removal of a male dog’s or cat’s testicles. These procedures are also sometimes referred to as “sterilizing” or “fixing” pets.

One of the best reasons to spay or neuter your pet is to avoid adding to the problem of pet overpopulation. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates that between 6 and 8 million pets enter animal shelters each year. Of these pets, the HSUS believes that at least half—3 to 4 million—are euthanized, or “put to sleep.” Many of these animals are young and healthy.

Spaying and neutering also have immediate benefits for you and your pet: Your pet will be much less likely to get a number of serious health problems that can be life-threatening and expensive to treat, such as uterine, mammary (breast), or testicular cancer.

Spayed and neutered pets are less likely to try to escape and roam. Roaming pets are far more likely to get into fights with other animals or to experience traumatic injuries, such as being hit by a car.

Neutering male cats makes them less likely to mark their territory (your home) by spraying urine.
Spaying female pets prevents them from coming into heat—that is, actively seeking a mate. Pets in heat may vocalize more and may leave bloodstains on carpets or furniture. A female dog or cat in heat may also attract unwanted male canine or feline visitors to your property.

Some aggression problems respond favorably to spaying or neutering.

Boarding

We offer boarding for our established clients. Your pet is well cared for by experienced kennel staff members who work hard to maintain a clean environment with a large dose of TLC. We have various size cages and runs and a large, fenced yard to exercise dogs.

Day-Boarding

Having your carpets cleaned? Remodeling? Taking a day trip and don't want your pet to stay home alone? We are happy to assist with those times when your pet may need to be out of the house for the day.

Injury and Trauma

Our doctors and staff provide emergency and intensive care through regular business hours. We work with the Animal Emergency Clinic of Springfield to continue that care, if needed, when we aren’t here.

Puppy and Kitten Care

Your new puppy or kitten will be seen every 3-4 weeks until 4-5 months of age. Appointments will include needed vaccines, de-worming and flea control, and discussion of the issues and questions that may arise with pediatric patients.

Drop-off

Our weekday opening at 7:30 AM allows you to drop off your pet for exam, blood tests, surgery, or boarding as needed and to pick them up later in the day when it is convenient for you. We are open until 6:00pm on week days. Please call ahead for drop-off service.

Bathing

Baths using hypoallergenic shampoo or medicated shampoo as prescribed by the doctor are performed Mon.-Fri. We can also just give a regular bath and nail trim to your furry friend that needs some “freshening up”. Pets are dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon.

Preventative Medicine

Yearly wellness exams are the best way to find problems early, before they become difficult to treat. The use of vaccines, heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative is very important to keeping your pet healthy and happy.

Vaccines

Canine Vaccines:

DHPP or Distemper vaccine - this vaccine protects against the viral diseases distemper, hepatitis , parainfluenza, and parvo. In puppies, it is given in a series of boosters every 3-4 weeks until the puppy is 16 weeks old. After the initial series, a booster is given one year later then the vaccine will be given every 3 years. All dogs should get this vaccine unless health issues prevent it. We use only recombinant technology products for the best, safest result.
Rabies vaccine is given at or around 16 weeks of age and is good for a year. 3 year duration rabies vaccines are given thereafter. Rabies vaccination is required by law for all dogs.
Bordatella or kennel cough vaccine is a yearly vaccine that is recommended for dogs who go to the groomer, boarding kennel, dog park or are in contact with other dogs who do.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that is common in our area. The bacteria are shed in the urine of animals such as deer, raccoons and opossums and can contaminate standing water. Dogs may contract this disease by swimming in or drinking from ponds and lakes or other contact with outdoor standing water. We recommend dogs with these risk factors be vaccinated on a yearly basis.
Lyme disease vaccine is available for dogs considered at risk- those who travel to areas where Lyme disease is prevalent such as the Northeastern U.S., Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Feline Vaccines

FDRCP or Feline Distemper. This vaccine protects against Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia. These viral diseases are very common in feral cat populations and can be airborne, so even indoor only cats could be exposed. Kittens are given a series of boosters every 3-4 weeks until 3 or 4 months old. The vaccine in adult cats after the initial series is good for three years. We use only non-adjuvanted vaccines to minimize the chance of adverse side effects.
Rabies vaccine is given at or around 16 weeks of age and is good for 1 year. Repeat vaccines in adults are good for 3 years. Rabies is required in Sangamon County for all cats, including indoor only pets.
Feline Leukemia vaccine helps protect against a viral disease that is spread by close contact between cats, usually through fighting where the uninfected cat is exposed to the saliva or blood of an infected one. The vaccine is recommended for those cats who spend time outdoors. Even a cat that is outside for only an hour a day could be exposed if a stray feline gets in the yard and picks a fight. It is a yearly vaccine after the first series of 2 shots 3-4 weeks apart. . We use only non-adjuvanted vaccines to minimize the chance of adverse side effects.

Ferret Vaccines:

Distemper vaccine. We use Nobivac DPv as recommended by numerous Ferret associations. It is given as a boostered series to young ferrets with the last vaccine given at or after 12 weeks of age. Distemper is given yearly after the first year.
Rabies vaccine is yearly and recommended, but not required.
All ferrets are pre-medicated with Benadryl to decrease incidence of vaccine reactions.