Minnetonka Animal Hospital: Virtual Tour

Welcome to a behind-the-scenes look at a hospital member of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Trained professionals meet regularly to inspect all AAHA Hospitals to ensure they meet AAHA’s high standards for hospitals and veterinary care. These “Standards of Excellence” are important for the overall health care of your pet.

The veterinarians at Minnetonka Animal Hospital have as much education as physicians and dentists. They have completed four years of college plus four additional years of veterinary school. They are experts in a highly technical field. Veterinary medicine, like human medicine, is a vast area of science that keeps advancing. For this reason, the American Animal Hospital Association plays an important role in providing veterinary continuing education classes to its members. AAHA also offers a number of independent study courses and other continuing education activities. We are very proud of our commitment to continuing education for our doctors and our staff. Dr. Leilani Hotaling is Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and Chiropractic, and has advanced training in Chinese and Western herbal Medicine. Dr. Kaaren Howe has a MBA in addition to her DVM. Dr. Haley Sundstrom has had advanced training in Veterinary Dentistry.

The pictures of exam rooms are distinctly different. As a Feline Friendly Practice, we have a Cats Only Exam Room to help create a calmer environment for cats. Many people have noticed how much more relaxed their cats are compared to mixed use exam rooms. The next picture is an Integrative Exam Room that is set up with Mission furniture to create a more home like space. The final picture is a Western Exam Room that is set up in a more traditional manner.

The is an Integrative Exam Room that is set up with Mission furniture to create a more home like space.

The exam room is where your pet’s health is evaluated by the veterinarians at Minnetonka Animal Hospital. In AAHA hospitals, a complete history of your pet is taken in addition to a physical exam of various systems of the body, such as respiratory, nervous, and sensory systems. This helps ensure a proper assessment of your pet’s health.

We don’t like to think of it, but pets are susceptible to accidents or sudden illnesses day and night. For this reason, we offer an online Chat with a Vet service to help you assess what level of care your pet needs.

As an AAHA hospital, we also offer 24-hour emergency or emergency referral services. This means that you have someone to call, anytime, should your pet require immediate attention. Of course, if an emergency happens during our office hours, we will be able to treat your pet here at Minnetonka Animal Hospital

Radiographs, or x-rays, are an important diagnostic tool for our doctors. These images can help detect such problems as bone fractures and calcium deposits and identify objects in the stomach, intestines, and urinary tract. They can also be used to confirm or detect the presence of certain diseases.

As an AAHA hospital, Minnetonka Animal Hospital is regularly evaluated to be sure our equipment produces high quality radiographs with maximum safety for your pet and our staff

Minnetonka Animal Hospital veterinarians must be able to diagnose possible health problems quickly and accurately. AAHA hospitals must offer pathology services, such as blood chemistry analysis, urine analysis, tests for parasites, and many other diagnostic tests.

Results are usually available in less than 12 hours. That way, treatment can begin as soon as possible if any problems are detected.

If your pet requires surgery, the first step is a pre-anesthetic examination. As an AAHA hospital, we use gas anesthesia for many procedures which helps ensure a safe anesthetic experience for your pet.

One of our skilled Certified Veterinary Technician is monitoring anesthesia while the doctor is performing surgery.

Dental treatments are also done under general anesthesia.

Removal of calculus from the teeth

Proper dental care is important to your pet’s health and well-being. Our doctors have the advanced training and equipment necessary to perform comprehensive oral heath assessment and treatment (COHAT), including extractions of diseased teeth. In fact, almost anything your dentist does for you can be done for your pet.

A Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) performs the charting, xrays, and removal of calculus from the teeth. Another CVT monitors anesthesia during the entire procedure.

Dental surgery on a rabbit: we are one of the few hospitals that perform dental treatments on small mammals like rabbits and chinchillas. In AAHA hospitals, surgery is performed in specialized rooms used only for surgery. Proper lighting, aseptic procedures, and easy access to drugs and equipment all help to ensure your pet receives the best possible surgical care.

Full mouth dental radiographs are critical for diagnosing and treating oral disease, as sixty percent of the tooth is below the gum line. Further, it is necessary to radiograph each extraction site to ensure that the entire tooth is removed.

Nursing care is an important part of every AAHA hospital. Certified Veterinary Technicians help provide more efficient care for your pet by assisting in surgery, recovery, diagnosis, therapy, administering medication, and intensive care – the same functions as those of a nurse in a human hospital.

Feeding Critical Care to rabbits is important to their recovery from surgery and dentistry. It also is necessary for many sick rabbits, especially those with Gastrointestinal Stasis.

Our hospital has a complete pharmacy that includes Chinese and Western herbs, so the most commonly used pharmaceuticals and vaccines are on hand when your pet needs them. Our veterinarians are skilled in the use of these products and knows how your pet will likely respond to them.

Your pet has his or her own personal electronic health record which is kept up-to-date in our AAHA hospital. It contains a complete medical and surgical history of your pet and is an important guide for present and future veterinary care.

Our veterinarians are experts in a highly technical field. Veterinary medicine is a vast area of science that keeps advancing. For this reason, a complete veterinary medical library is maintained in every AAHA hospital to provide quick reference for any condition that may affect your pet. For unusual or difficult cases, the medical library can be a source of quick answers to help address your pet’s condition. We pride ourselves in our extensive library that includes traditional areas of veterinary medicine and also includes veterinary acupuncture, chiropractic, physical rehabilitation, and Chinese and Western herbs.