Columbus Small Animal Hospital, Loving Our Work!

You and Columbus Small Animal Hospital have something in common

We both feel compassion for your animal companion. You want your pet to be comfortable and happy and so do we.  You also need value for the money you spend on veterinary care and we aim to provide it.    

Here at Columbus Small Animal Hospital, “Loving Our Work” is not a gimmick or just a slogan.  We daily dedicate our lives to the excellent and compassionate care of dogs, cats and exotic pets. We care deeply about our patients and share their joys and sorrows.  You will see our dedication in many ways.  We research our cases and constantly look for new and improved ways to do everything. We constantly invest in new techniques and new technology in order to provide great value to you and your animal companions.

There are many components of veterinary medicine that make up quality care. A lot of terms and claims appear in advertisements to the point of losing real meaning.  For many of you, our good intentions and dedication may be all the re-assurance you need.  For those who want details, following is a detailed explanation of some of the procedures, capabilities and equipment we offer that demonstrates our commitment and makes Columbus Small Animal Hospital unique.

What’s behind the Curtain?

Located on the west side of Columbus, NE on Highway 81, our veterinarians and staff are passionate about caring for dogs, cats and exotic pets.  If you need routine veterinary care, a loving place to board your pet while away, or sophisticated diagnostic, medical or surgical procedures, we are uniquely well equipped, well trained and well intentioned.  We offer all of the services found in any small animal veterinary hospital.  Beyond that, we also feature many unique services not found in most veterinary hospitals.

We welcome you to our clean, comfortable lobby where the atmosphere is friendly and the air smells clean and nice.  You can relax in our newly remodeled reception area, read a big variety of current magazines and help yourself to cold water, coffee or tea.

You and your pets are important to us and we know that the cost of their care is important to you. You will find that we try very hard to see that the money you invest with us results in great value for both you and your pet. Typically, our fees are less than those from other sources for the same level of care.  We do not do unauthorized work but only proceed with your agreement about the cost, risk and potential for success.  
 
We pay close attention to detail and excellence in both big and small ways. Here are some examples:

We are one of the only veterinary hospitals in this area that have undergone the rigor of voluntarily  meeting or surpassing  over 400 standards of veterinary care in order to gain AAHA accreditation. We continually re-qualify as an Accredited Hospital Member of the American Animal Hospital Association.

Because of our unique capabilities, we often get referrals from other veterinarians for diagnostic and surgical cases.

Your pet will be examined and treated, not only with compassion, but also using the newest equipment and techniques available to veterinary practice.  We pay attention to small things that go unnoticed, like otoscopes, stethoscopes and ear thermometers. When new, improved versions become available to the industry, we replace our present equipment with an investment in the newest capabilities.

Our exam rooms are designed for maximum comfort for you and your pet. Every room is equipped with an examination table with a built in digital scale to minimize potential hassle and anxiety in determining a current patient weight. The tables also raise and lower smoothly and quietly.  Each room also has well-stocked magazine racks.   

Your cat can enjoy a stay in our new Luxury Cat Condos and your dog in our newly remodeled Dog Runs and can look his or her best after a visit to either of our two professional groomers.
Your pet can enjoy a bath utilizing our newly updated Hydrosurge bathing machine. We don’t charge more for giving a bath, we just do it better. Most pets that stay with us receive a complimentary Hydrosurge bath.

Instead of cleaning your pet’s ears with cotton swabs or a bulb syringe, we utilize a newly improved ear flushing machine designed specifically for that purpose. The machine controls the direction, pressure and temperature of the flushing solution for added safety and effectiveness.  We adopted our current protocol for this procedure only after a long search for the best ear flushing solution combinations. We utilize careful diagnostics to understand your pet’s problem rather than using an arbitrary ‘guess, treat and get frustrated’ method.

Our licensed veterinary technicians don’t do dental prophy's by hand, but instead use one of our professional ultrasonic dental scaling and polishing machines.  

We can offer your pet comprehensive wellness services with our many, newly purchased in-house lab machines, and with digital x-rays, digital ultrasound, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, blood pressure measurements, Tonopen measurements for glaucoma, electrocardiograms and telemedicine.
Safety is added during anesthesia with sophisticated patient monitoring and we even have mechanical ventilation for patients that cannot breathe independently during surgery.

We are well known for our long and successful history of orthopedic surgeries, including bone plating fracture repairs in dogs of all sizes, as well as cats. We offer Tightrope, SwiveLock, FASTak II and Corkscrew Anchor anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscal repairs. We have repaired ACL tears in dogs from 3.5 pounds of body weight up to 120 pounds.

We offer Trochlear Block Recession repairs along with Tibial Tuberosity Translocation and Lateral Joint Capsule Imbrication for medial patellar luxations. We also perform Triple Pelvic Osteotomies.
We are dedicated to constant improvement in all things. We are ever investing in new and improved equipment, techniques, protocols and capabilities. We are well versed in western medicine, surgery and pharmacopeia and yet remain open minded to natural remedies and other sources for health, healing and pain management.

We are your source for one of the few Certified Veterinary Acupuncturists in Nebraska. Our Acupuncture successes have been truly amazing. While having no negative side effects, Acupuncture has real power to positively impact a surprising variety of medical situations involving pain, dysfunction, itching, anxiety, healing, aging and many others. If you chose to sit with your pet during Acupuncture treatments you can relax in a Lazy Boy recliner or on a sofa surrounded by soft music, earth tones, calming aromas, and current reading material.   

There is no placebo effect in animals – they either get better or they don’t, thus these results are easy to evaluate.      
  
Because there are different applications for use of Therapeutic Lasers and Surgical Lasers, we have both. Surgical lasers seal blood vessels and nerve endings as they come into contact during operations, so there is less blood obscuring the surgical field and less post-surgical pain for your pet.

FDA approved in humans to minimize pain, speed healing and reduce inflammation, we offer therapeutic laser treatments for a variety of situations. The treatments are quick, painless and have no negative side effects on your pet. 
       
We have recently installed a large Intensive Care Unit that provides environmental support for critical animals. The unit controls the temperature, humidity and oxygen level as well as providing nebulizing for respiratory cases. 

We have warm working relationships with board certified experts who specialize in dermatology, radiology, cardiology, immune modulation, experts in acupuncture, etc. We can digitally share pictures, lab results, x-rays, ultrasound movies and observations with these highly experienced, qualified experts to get their opinions; while avoiding the inconvenience to you of travelling long distances with your pet to their locations.

Columbus Small Animal Hospital – where technology meets compassion.  We look forward to caring for   your animal companions.