New Patient Center
APPOINTMENTAs your choice veterinary clinic in Colorado Springs, Centennial Animal Hospital is proud to provide a wide range of vet care services for your family pets. With many years of combined experience and a unique one-on-one approach to patient care, our West Colorado Springs animal hospital team wants to ensure that your pets feel safe and comfortable during every visit.
Whether you’re a new pet owner or you’ve been caring for family pets for decades, you’ll find everything you need for your first appointment with our Colorado Springs veterinarian here in our New Patient Center. Our conveniently located animal hospital is proud to service the surrounding areas of Manitou Springs, Mountain Shadows, and Old Colorado City.
What can I expect at my first appointment?
For your convenience, patient forms can be accessed online and completed prior to arriving at the office. When you arrive at our veterinary clinic near Mountain Shadows, you can check in with our receptionist, and we’ll weigh your pet before they meet our veterinarian. Once in the exam room, we will go over your pet’s health history, vaccine history, and any current health concerns you may have. We will check your pet’s eyes, ears and nose, teeth and gums, heart and lungs, skin, and coat during the pet wellness exam. We will also take their temperature.
Depending on the reason for your visit or your pet’s medical needs, we may then complete additional diagnostic testing, including blood work, X-rays, fecal analysis, and ultrasounds.
Emergency Visits
If you think your pet is in distress, call 719-528-1693 right away so our trained staff can help you get the right type of care for your pet. Please do not hesitate to call if you feel your pet’s life is endangered; even minor medical problems can become major without quick action and appropriate veterinary care.
Emergency situations include, but are not limited to:
- Hit by Car – Any animal struck by a vehicle should always be examined by a veterinarian; signs of injury may not appear for several hours and, by that time it. could be too late.
- Gastric Dilation-Volvuls (GDV/Bloat) – GDV is a life-threatening condition in dogs that progresses rapidly. Signs may include: the inability to get comfortable or lie down, pacing, drooling, non-productive vomiting (dry heaves), a swollen/distended/painful abdomen, and difficulty breathing.
- Respiratory Distress – If your pet’s gums, tongue, or lips turn any shade of blue or purple or they are unable to stop panting and lie down, they should be seen immediately.
- Ingestion of Poisonous or Dangerous Substances – Ingestion of many types of chemicals, plants, poisons, and even human foods such as chocolate can be very harmful and even potentially deadly for pets.
- Heat Stroke – Excessive & ongoing
panting , brick red or blue-purple gums, lethargic, collapse, seizures, excessive drooling, exercise on a hot day, or being left in a hot car - Fractures, Sprains, and Other Muscular or Skeletal Issues
- Rattlesnake Bites – Even if your pet has the vaccination, your pet will require additional care and needs to be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Annual Wellness Exams
At Centennial Animal Hospital, our goal is to provide high-quality preventative care throughout the lifetime of your pet. Yearly wellness exams help us accomplish this by keeping track of minor changes in your pet’s health on a regular basis.
When you call 719-528-1693 or click here to request an appointment, our friendly receptionists will work with you to find a day and time that works well with your schedule. We have appointments available Monday through Friday (8 AM until 5:30 PM), and we are open on Saturday (8 AM until noon).
If you are new to our practice or an existing client with a new furry or feathered family member, please take the time to print and fill out our Pet Registration Form. Also, if available, please bring any records for your pet, including medical history, vaccines, or adoption information.
Upon Arrival
When you arrive at our office, please check in with the receptionist at the front desk. Upon check-in, you will be asked to place your pet on the scale for weight measurement. We track this detail throughout the life of your pet to ensure good health. Obesity is on the rise in our animal companions, and getting control of a pet’s weight can be the first step in preventing other, more serious problems later.
Completing Your Visit
When we are done in the exam room, we will escort you back to the front desk to take care of the charges.
Payment is due at the time of service. We accept cash, check, debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, CareCredit, and Scratchpay.
Meeting With The Doctor
Now it’s time to meet with one of our exceptional doctors who will provide a nose-to-tail exam for your pet. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Checking the nose and eyes for any drainage, discharge, or redness
- Checking the ears for any signs of infection
- Checking behind their lips to look for any sign of dental disease with their teeth and gums
- Listening to the heart and lungs for any cardiovascular issues
- Checking their range of motion for any signs of arthritis or injury
- Checking their coat for any lumps or bumps
- Checking their tail and possibly taking their temperature
Since our animal companions can’t tell us what hurts, the doctors do a full examination to look for any subtle signs of distress. During that exam, they may also ask questions to get additional details about anything they find and any behavior you may have noticed at home.
Based on all of this information, our doctors will then make suggestions as to your pet’s health. If everything is looking good, they may do vaccinations at this time. If they find something concerning, they will discuss the benefits of an additional diagnostic investigation. These diagnostics may include additional tests such as blood work, X-rays or ultrasounds, urinalysis, fecal analysis, or cytology.
If you agree to diagnostic testing, your pet will be escorted by a technician to our treatment area in the back. The treatment area offers additional lighting, equipment, and instruments to provide safe medical care for your pet. We will have you wait in the room while we run these diagnostics and then go over the results with you when they are complete. Based on the results, your doctor will create a treatment plan. We will go over any medication or preventative measures with you at this time. Our goal is to provide you with all the information needed to make the best health care decisions for your pet. We welcome any and all questions you may have about that information.
Vaccinations and Preventative Measures
A technician will then escort you into one of our exam rooms and get a brief history. They will go over your pet’s vaccine history at this time to help narrow down exactly what your pet may need. Common core vaccines for our canine companions are Rabies and Da2PP-L and for our feline companions are Rabies and FVRCP. Still, we may also suggest other options for our more adventurous outdoor companions, such as Bordetella, Influenza, Rattlesnake, or FeLV vaccines. Plus, flea and tick preventatives may be recommended for our avid hiking, climbing, and pond-loving pets.
Heartworm preventative measures are also important for our canine companions, and we recommend yearly testing and preventative boosters. When you keep your pets on an annual heartworm preventative, you are also protecting them from other parasites such as tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms
Address
Hours
Mon – Fri: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sat: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sun: Closed
Contact
Phone: 719-528-1693
Fax: 719-528-1694
Email: centennialpets@gmail.com