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Move to new side of building

We are excited to announce that Phase 1 of construction will be completed in early March. We will start seeing patients on that side of the clinic the week of March 4th. Monday, March 4th will be a moving day. If you have a scheduled appointment on March 4th you will enter the clinic through our normal front doors. We will have reduced appointments on that day. We will be exclusively in Phase 1 from March through June while the remainder of the clinic undergoes a full renovation.

Here are some changes that will occur from March to June:

• We will be implementing curbside for all appointments and medication or food pick-up. Please call from the parking lot to check in and we will call when a room is ready for you to enter.

• You will enter through a new front entrance into a small makeshift reception area and a staff member will meet you to usher you into an exam room

• Our surgical appointments will be limited for those 3 months. We will still be able to do surgery but have a limited number of cages and recovery areas. Surgical drop-off and pick-up will also be curbside.

• If you purchase food from the clinic, please plan as we will be carrying a reduced volume of food due to lack of storage. You can also visit our online pharmacy and order your food from our online store https://springhillvet.vetsfirstchoice.com/.

Bladder stones

Urinary bladder stones develop when excessive minerals saturate the urine. Stones may also form in association with bladder infections and inherent metabolic abnormalities (e.g.: Dalmatians with urate stones). Pets with urinary bladder stones may show no symptoms; the stones are found incidentally when x-rays are taken for another purpose. Other patients may present with obvious signs: straining to urinate, producing small amounts of urine frequently, and blood in the urine. Stones within the bladder cause irritation but are rarely life threatening unless the stone lodges in the urethra causing an obstruction. This life threatening, painful situation must be treated immediately to prevent acute kidney failure. Diagnosis of urinary bladder stones requires imaging either with radiographs or by ultrasound. Treatment of the stones depends on the stone type and location of the stone. Stones causing obstruction must be surgically removed. Some non-obstructive stones may be dissolved with diet (e.g.: struvite), while others require surgical removal (e.g.: calcium oxalate, urate). Stones surgically removed will be analyzed to determine the composition of the stone and develop a prevention plan. Your veterinarian will discuss with you the best treatment options for your pet.