Northside Animal Hospital Kinston, NC

First Visit

When bringing your pet in for a check-up or examination, remember that he/she may be a little uneasy about meeting new people and animals. For this reason, we ask that your pet be placed on a leash or in a pet carrier before coming into the waiting room.

If you think your pet has a contagious disease such as Parvovirus, please call before you come in and give us details on your pet's condition. We may wish to have you wait in an unoccupied room rather than expose other animals to a possibly harmful condition.

Vaccinations and Preventive Medicine

Having your pet vaccinated against contagious disease may be one of the most important things that you ever do for your pet. We can advise you on what is best for your individual pet, but here are some guidelines.

Puppies should be vaccinated at 7, 10, 13, and 16 weeks of age, while kittens are vaccinated at 8 and 12 weeks of age. We recommend a yearly booster vaccine to maintain health protection.

Dogs and cats are required by state law to be vaccinated against Rabies, which is a fatal disease. The first vaccine is given by 4 months of age; a booster is given in 1 year and then every 3 years thereafter. Distemper / Parvo vaccinations should also be given yearly as these are fatal diseases to dogs. Cats should be tested for Feline Leukemia and then vaccinated. Cats should also recieve a vaccination against Feline Distemper yearly. Both Feline Distemper and Feline Leukemia are fatal diseases for cats.

All dogs should be tested for heartworms yearly, and placed on preventaive medication if their test is negative. RemeMber that it can be lethal to give a dog the preventative if he/she is heartworm positive. If the pet goes over 60 days with out a dose of preventative medication, the pet must be retested for its safety. Federal and state law requires annual heartworm testing before dispensing heartworm medication.

Hospitalization and Treatment

Most of the time, the doctor can treat your pet's problem/illness during an office visit. However, other conditions may require a hospital stay. When an animal is hospitalized, he/she may need surgery, intensive care, IV fluids, a blood transfusion, drug therapy, and/or monitoring of symptoms and a special diet. In cases like this we require a $200.00 emergency deposit on the account.

We will do our best to correctly diagnose and treat your pet and our #1 goal is the return of his/her good health and the prevention of any disease. This requires your consent and good follow-up (returning for check-ups and giving medicines as directed). Together we can work as a team to keep your pet healthy.

Baths and Grooming

Northside Animal Hospital offers baths (medicated, flea treatment) for dogs and cats. Additionally, flea and tick treatments are available. Limited grooming is available by appointment. If an animal comes in infested with fleas, he/she will be treated at the owners expense.

Dental Cleaning

Pets have teeth too! By age 3, 8 out of 10 dogs have some form of peridontal disease. By age 6, all dogs and cats need regular dental care to prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Call ahead for dental cleaning appointments. Prices can vary from $150-200 depending on the age of the animal.

Boarding

From time to time your pet may need a 'home away from home.' Northside Animal Hospital offers boarding facilities where aniamls can be cared for in a safe, secure environment when you must be away.

For the safety of our hospitalized pets and other boarding animals, we require that all vaccinations be up-to-date (including kennel cough vaccine). Any boarded animal infested with fleas or ticks will be treated at the owner's expense. If a boarded animal becomes ill, we wil treat him/her as a hospitalized animal.