High-quality Veterinary Services in Hoover Alabama

Diagnostic lab work is an essential part of the veterinary care provided at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital. Our in-house laboratory equipment is both precise and fast, providing our doctors with accurate, on-site insights into the health of your pet. This allows treatments to be implemented immediately as necessary.

On a practical level, many of the issues facing sick pets cannot be diagnosed by physical exam alone. Blood work, including complete blood counts (CBC), blood chemistries, and electrolyte levels, often helps us diagnose what is bothering your pet. For this reason, Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital has invested in an advanced, on-site diagnostic laboratory. Our experienced veterinarians recommend running blood work when your pet is sick or having surgery and for the purposes of preventative care so that we can identify potential health issues before they become problems for your pet.

A complete blood count (CBC) can reveal many potential health issues, including anemia, dehydration, inflammation, infection, leukemia, and more. A chemistry profile provides our veterinarians with key information about your pet’s liver and kidney function, blood sugar, and protein levels. Electrolyte levels help our doctors diagnose certain diseases and tailor fluid therapy to a pet’s specific needs.

Evaluation of the urine can help in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI), kidney disease, and diabetes.

When there is no urgent health concern or a specialty test is needed, diagnostic samples are sent to one of our trusted off-site laboratory partners.

Radiography (commonly referred to as “X-ray”) is an integral part of veterinary practice. Our veterinarians use radiographs to screen for a variety of problems, including traumatic injuries, lung disease, organ enlargement, obstruction of the GI tract, and more. Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital has been using X-ray technology as a diagnostic tool since our founding, and we take this service one step further by utilizing digital X-ray technology. Our use of digital X-ray technology allows our veterinarians to enlarge and enhance radiographs to better identify problems. Another advantage of using digital X-ray technology is that we can quickly email the images to specialists for consultation.

Ultrasonography has advanced the way doctors in human and veterinary medicine diagnose and treat patients. Ultrasound uses focused sound waves to produce on-screen images of the inside of the chest and abdomen without any harmful ionizing radiation. Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital provides on-site ultrasonography which can be used to evaluate the appearance and size of internal organs, diagnose heart disease, screen for internal bleeding or other fluid, check for pregnancy, check for masses, and to help guide us in the collection of diagnostic samples.

The veterinary team at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital has decades of experience in avian and exotic veterinary care.

• We care for all manner of birds including parakeets, finches, lovebirds, cockatiels, conures, Quakers, Jardine and Myer’s, Amazons, Eclectus, African grays, cockatoos, macaws, chickens, turkeys, pheasants, peacocks, ducks, and geese.
• Exotic companion mammals that we serve include rabbits, chinchillas, ferrets, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, gerbils, degus, mice, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, and pot-bellied pigs.
• We care for many species of reptiles including bearded dragons, geckos, iguanas, tegus, monitors, turtles, tortoises, snakes, frogs, toads, salamanders, and axolotls.
• Exotic arachnids that we can treat include tarantulas & scorpions.
• If you don’t see your exotic pet listed, call us at 823.6002 and ask if we can treat your specific exotic pet.

Note 1: We do NOT see primates.

Note 2: We do NOT see venomous snakes.

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital can help generate health certificates for pets that will be traveling to other states or out of the country. While many clinics have stopped offering this service, our practice has two USDA-accredited veterinarians who can provide this service. If you need a health certificate for a pet who’s going to be traveling, please call us at 205.823.6002, and we’ll help you determine the requirements of your destination and the timing of any necessary testing, treatments, and examinations.

Heartworms are, perhaps, the most significant parasite in our country in terms of their medical impact. Heartworms can be found in dogs and cats and have been found in every U.S. state. In the Southeast, the climate and prevalence of mosquitoes increases the risk of heartworm infection. Heartworm larvae are transmitted through mosquito bites. Preventative medications eliminate these larvae before they can develop into adult heartworms that cause disease in the lungs and heart. Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital tests patients annually for heartworms. In the event your pet tests positive, we’re prepared to provide an effective treatment plan. We offer heartworm prevention & treatment for dogs, cats & ferrets.

The American Heartworm Society and veterinarians in general agree that the best strategy is to prevent heartworm disease. While preventative care is typically simple and relatively inexpensive, heartworm treatment is lengthy, costly, and requires restriction of activity and exercise. There are multiple options for heartworm prevention, including oral, topical, and injectable medications, and our veterinarians will help you determine which is best for your pet.

Our pets are family, and they deserve to be treated with care and respect as they are nearing the end of their lives. In some cases, palliative or hospice care is provided for a pet with chronic or terminal illness. In either case, the priority is comfort. The goal of this type of care is to help provide quality time with your pet before an end-of-life decision must be made.

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital takes care of pets from the beginning of their lives through the end, and, as veterinarians, we take an oath to prevent and relieve animal suffering. If you and your veterinarian decide that it’s time for euthanasia to ease your pet’s suffering, we will help make it as peaceful as possible for all involved. While euthanasia is most often performed in our clinic, we also offer in-home euthanasia services for our clients. Pet owners are welcome to stay with their pets through the entire appointment. We provide sedation to relax the patient prior to the administration of euthanasia. This minimizes stress and the need for restraint. Euthanasia is generally administered intravenously and quickly and painlessly stops all bodily functions. Afterwards, we will help you care for your pet’s remains with dignity.

Internal medicine is the diagnosis of and treatment of diseases through medical, rather than surgical, means. Diagnosis is made using a thorough physical exam that’s complemented by laboratory findings and/or diagnostic imaging. As a discipline, internal medicine deals with infectious diseases, endocrine disorders like diabetes, chronic organ dysfunction, and autoimmune conditions. This field is constantly evolving due to our ever-expanding knowledge base, but our veterinarians are committed to pursuing independent study and continuing education opportunities that keep us at the forefront of diagnosis and treatment.

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital offers cold laser therapy to help promote healing after surgery or injury, to treat chronic illness like arthritis, and to speed healing of conditions like abscesses, wounds, and ear infections.

Laser therapy uses the energy in light rays to decrease inflammation and promote healthy tissue growth.

The typical cold laser therapy treatment program is done in several sessions that last roughly 10-30 minutes. During treatment, the laser wand is applied to the skin and directed at the problem area. The wand is then moved along the area to target the entire affected body part.

Laser therapy is tapered to each patient’s individual needs and is adjusted as needed depending on how the patient is progressing.

Microchipping may help your pet make its way home to you if he or she is lost or stolen. A microchip helps veterinarians and animal shelters identify lost or stolen pets throughout the United States. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted under the skin. It contains an ID number that can be traced to the registered owner of the pet, allowing animal shelters and veterinary clinics to identify whether “strays” are actually missing family members. Because collars and ID tags on collars can fall off, Alford Avenue Animal Hospital recommends microchipping as a cost-effective procedure to safeguard your pets. We offer microchipping for a variety of pets including dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, reptiles & pigs.

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital considers nutritional counseling an important part of keeping pets healthy. More than 50% of pets in the United States are obese. This is most commonly due to (1) inappropriate diet, and (2) inadequate exercise. Obesity negatively impacts the quality and length of our pets’ lives. If your pet is overweight, our veterinarians and staff may recommend several courses of action, including portion control, an exercise program, and/or a prescription weight management diet. Diet also plays an important role in managing other diseases, including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, food allergies, and gastrointestinal disorders. There is a lot of misinformation regarding specific pet foods and pets’ dietary needs. Your veterinarian should be your most trusted source of information regarding this vital part of your pets’ health, so we strongly encourage you to ask us any questions you have about nutrition.

Our pets feel pain for many of the same reasons we do, including injury, arthritis, surgical procedures, orthopedic issues, or chronic or terminal conditions. Pain management programs offered by Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital include prescription medication and laser therapy. If you think your pet is in pain, please schedule an appointment with one of the caring veterinarians at our veterinary hospital. We will assess the situation and then build a sustainable pain management program for your pet that can include medications and/or laser therapy.

Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital has a complete on-site pharmacy that includes antibiotics, pain medications, and parasite preventatives. Our veterinarians work to ensure that we carry only the safest and most effective products for your pets, and we provide on-site counseling regarding the appropriate use and administration of dispensed medications.

We purchase our pharmacy products directly from drug manufacturers or licensed vendors, ensuring that our patients are receiving legitimate medications. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has documented instances of counterfeit products being sold through some online retailers. We partner with VetSource to provide our own online pharmacy for the convenience of our clients. Even if we don’t have a medication on-hand, it can be purchased through our online pharmacy and delivered directly to your home, and you can be sure that the prescription has been verified by your pet’s trusted veterinarian.

Surgical patients are monitored with sophisticated equipment and, most importantly, by skilled licensed veterinary technicians and conscientious veterinarians. Once we begin a surgical procedure, our caring team monitors your pets’ vital signs, including oxygenation, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. Monitoring is continued throughout recovery and in the post-operative period.

The veterinarians at Alford Avenue Veterinary Hospital have surgical experience not only in elective procedures like spays and neuters but also in a variety of other soft tissue procedures, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Removal of cancerous growths or masses
• Exploratory surgery & biopsy
• Hernia repair
• Cystotomy (removal of urinary bladder stones)
• Tooth extraction
• Wound repair
• Gastropexy
• Gastrointestinal foreign body removal
• Placement of esophageal feeding tubes
• Placement of chest tubes
• Splenectomy
• Tail or limb amputation
• Turtle shell repair
• Ferret adrenalectomy
• Enucleation (removal of an eye)

Vaccination is vitally important in protecting your pet from infectious diseases. We follow the vaccination guidelines outlined by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). Core vaccinations for dogs include distemper/adenovirus 2/parainfluenza/parvovirus (DA2PP) and rabies, but we also recommend leptospirosis, Bordetella, and canine influenza vaccinations for most dogs. Both Bordetella and influenza vaccinations are required for boarding to protect our patients against infectious respiratory disease. Core vaccinations in cats include feline viral rhinotracheitis – calicivirus – panleukopenia (FVRCP) and rabies. Feline leukemia vaccination is recommended for indoor/outdoor cats and some others, based on risk assessment.

We provide vaccinations for dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, and pigs.