Your pet can benefit greatly from regular wellness examinations or checkups. Whether your pet is a youngster, a “senior citizen,” or any age in between, wellness examinations provide an excellent opportunity for us to conduct a thorough physical examination and develop a health profile for your pet. This information will help us identify medical problems and any other issues that can affect your pet’s health and quality of life.

Do you have a new puppy or kitten? Congratulations on this addition to your family! One of the first things you should do when you bring your new pet home is to introduce him or her to us – your veterinary care team. Puppy and kitten visits offer a unique opportunity to get you and your new pet off on the right foot!

Your puppy or kitten visit will include a full “nose-to-tail” physical examination. We will look for any signs of illness and make sure that your new pet is in good health.

Do you have questions about nutrition, training, vaccinations, grooming, parasite protection, or overall health? What about tips for introducing your new pet to other pets and family members? Even if you are a very experienced pet owner and have had puppies or kittens before, each pet is unique and offers an opportunity to learn something new! We welcome your questions and look forward to addressing any concerns you may have. The more educated you are about your pet, the better you will be able to care for him or her, so we strive to offer you all the support you need.

Did you know that pets age faster than people and can be considered “seniors” at around 7 years of age? Just as our health care needs change as we age, your pet’s health care needs also change. Nutritional needs, exercise habits, and many aspects of your pet’s daily routine can change as your pet ages. But how can you tell the difference between “normal” aging and a medical problem? As in humans, some health issues that affect older pets can begin with very subtle changes that may go unnoticed until the problem has become serious.

Older pets make wonderful companions, and thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever! You are an important ally in your senior pet’s health care. We are here to help ensure that your pet is safe and happy throughout the “golden years”.

Periodontal disease is the most common disease of dogs and cats, and the bacteria that grow under all that tartar showers down on your pet’s heart and kidneys. Daily brushing or other dental recommendations will help decrease periodontal disease, but once plaque has hardened into tartar, a professional cleaning is the only way to take care of it. Once the teeth are clean again, we send all patients home with a free dental product to encourage longer time periods between professional cleanings.

Full-mouth intraoral radiographs (x-rays) are a part of every patient’s comprehensive oral health assessment. Like an iceberg, most of the tooth lies below the gum line, and a complete assessment cannot be done without radiology. Following is an example of a pet with a canine tooth that looks normal above the surface, but has an abscess at the root. Abscesses are painful infections, and many owners even report a change in their pet’s attitude after those teeth have been removed.

Routine vaccinations and preventative care will give your pet a healthy start to a long, happy life! Routine vaccination provides necessary protection against a variety of viruses and bacteria that can cause serious illness and health consequences. 

Year-round heartworm, flea, and intestinal parasite control is essential here in Houston. Heartworms are deadly to both dogs AND CATS, and are spread by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes that enter the home pose a threat even to indoor pets. Roundworms and hookworms are intestinal parasites that are zoonotic, or transmissible to humans. Approximately 15% of potting soil contains microscopic roundworm eggs, so again, indoor pets are not safe. Other than being unsightly and itchy, fleas carry tapeworms and some pets have severe allergic reactions to the saliva in even just one bite.

If your pet is even a mere 10% above his or her ideal weight, they are said to be considerably overweight. If you could use some advice to help your pet lose weight, call us to set up a nutritional consult. This can also be done with preventive care examinations. We stock select diets at our clinic. If your pet needs something we don’t carry, we can easily special order it.

Micro-chipping is an inexpensive, relatively painless way to ensure that your pet always has a path back home to you. We offer microchip identification that can be read internationally, has no additional registration or yearly monitoring fee, and is one single price for a lifetime of tracking.

When considering options for purchasing medication, pet owners have many choices, including online pharmacies and mail-order catalogs. But where can you truly get the best value for your money? Who can offer you the most reliable and personalized service? Who has the most complete medical information on your pets, and the ability to anticipate drug interactions or other problems that can result from inappropriately administering medication? Before you purchase your next prescription or medication refill, ask us about our fully stocked pharmacy.

Diagnostics done right here at FM 1960 Animal Hospital can help us arrive at a diagnosis quickly. Some of the tools and services we provide are:

• Hematology
• Blood chemistry
• Electrolytes
• Heartworm testing
• Feline Leukemia and FIV testing
• Urinalysis
• Eye pressure readings
• Blood pressure
• Radiographs (X-rays)
• Cytology
• Electrocardiograms

Reference Lab Diagnostics: By sending routine diagnostics out to the lab, we can get many more values for much less cost to you. We send routine fecal samples, heartworm tests, and blood or urine out to a reference lab where the experts can run the tests and consult with us about your pet if necessary. We also have the capability to run many specialty tests, like Rabies titers, by using an outside lab.

Radiography is a valuable diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine. As we continually strive to offer the highest quality medicine and diagnostic testing, we are pleased to offer digital radiology services as a means of providing excellent care to our patients. This state-of-the-art technology allows us to provide you with a quicker diagnosis for your pet. Plus, it uses less radiation than traditional x-rays.

FM 1960 Animal Hospital’s experienced medical staff is specially trained to safely anesthetize, monitor and recover all surgical patients. In addition to spay/neuter routine procedures, we offer extensive soft tissue procedures.

We firmly believe in pain management. Pain causes physical and mental problems in people and animals. Panting, restlessness, not eating and vocalizing are all signs of pain. It is easily preventable before painful procedures and it can be controlled in degenerative diseases. At FM 1960 Animal Hospital we use multiple modality pain relief to block pain receptors.

Emergencies, accidents, and illnesses are unfortunate facts of life, but how many of us plan for the unthinkable before it happens? What would you do if your pet were suddenly sick or injured? Do you have a plan? Do you know where to go for help if your pet needed critical care or had to be hospitalized?

We understand how upsetting it is when your pet is sick or injured. We also know that when your pet is hospitalized and needs critical care services, you want the very best level of care possible. For these reasons, we offer emergency and critical care veterinary medical services. Our expert health care team is staffed with caring, compassionate, highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to providing quality care for your pet.

Your pet is a special member of your family and provides you with companionship, entertainment, and unconditional love. But your pet relies on you for daily needs such as food, shelter, and safety and to take care of things when they go wrong. Our expert emergency and critical care professionals will be there for you when you need us. Our veterinarians and technical support staff are on premises working as a team with expertise to respond to emergency calls and critical care situations. Rest assured, if you ever have an emergency with your pet, there is quality veterinary help nearby.

Help is only a phone call away. Keep our phone number with your other emergency numbers, and call us any time.

Are you having problems caring for a terminally ill pet at home? Does your pet have a medical condition that is painful or causing poor quality of life? Are you afraid that your sick or elderly pet is suffering?

Our staff of compassionate, caring professionals can help you through this painful experience. We offer hospice services and will work with you to ensure your pet’s comfort and dignity during his or her last days and final moments. Do you have special requests? Do you have questions about care of your pet’s remains? We can help you with these concerns and will make every effort to accommodate your wishes at this very difficult time.

Deciding when your pet may need hospice care or euthanasia is a very personal and private decision, but that doesn’t mean you have to make this difficult choice on your own. Our hospice and humane euthanasia services are conducted with respect, compassion, and care. Before you struggle through one more day with a sick, elderly, or terminally ill pet that is suffering, call us to learn how we can help.

We provide pet boarding as a service to our clients. All boarders receive attention from our caring staff. Pets may be dropped off and picked up during regular business hours Monday through Saturday.

Canine Boarding Requirements:

• Current exam (within 6 months)
• Current vaccines: Rabies, DHPP, CIV (both H3N2/H3N8), Bordetella (within last 6 months)
• Negative fecal test within last 12 months

Feline Boarding Requirements:

• Current exam (within 6 months)
• Current vaccines: Rabies, FVRCP
• Negative fecal test within 6 months

*All new clients that have pets that will be receiving vaccinations to meet the requirements for boarding must have a doctor exam to establish patient/client/doctor relationship.

Whether you have a puppy who needs to go out often, a pet with separation anxiety, or you just don’t want them to stay home alone all day, let us take care of your pet for you!

We offer daily day camp Monday-Friday, complete with outside play or TLC time.

*Please note all day boarders need to meet the same vaccine and health requirements as overnight boarders. Please look under the “Boarding” section for these requirements.