Routine vaccinations based
on risk of exposure and in accordance with the most current American
Association of Feline Practitioners guidelines
Radiology - We are proud to be one of the first feline hospitals in the country to be practicing with a state-of-the-art digital
radiology system. The digital technology allows
us to digitally enhance and annotate images, take on-screen computer
software generated measurements of organs, bones, etc., and e-mail
images for consultation to a radiologist or other specialist.
Digital radiography also has a wide exposure latitude that delivers
more diagnostic information by allowing us to adjust the contrast
to view both bone and soft tissue in just one film taking. The
new system is also much more environmentally friendly versus
traditional radiography because it eliminates us having to deal
with film processing chemicals. Digital radiography has been
used in human medicine for over twenty years, but is new in veterinary
medicine.
We have recently added a digital dental x-ray system, in addition to our regular digital radiology system mentioned above. This enables us to have improved images of the roots of all feline teeth and any pathology of those roots. Additionally, the digital dental radiology system allows us to process the images more quickly, thus reducing patient anesthetic time.
Veterinary Nurse, Melinda, and Certified Veterinary Technician, Lori, getting a blood pressure reading on "Reebok", who has high blood pressure that is fortunately well-controlled daily with medication
Pictured
here are Dr. Pohl obtaining a blood pressure
on a cat in the exam room, and Dr. Currigan holding "Mr.
Bill Red" (18 years old at the time) who actually
appears to be more interested in getting into his carrier
(on the right) to go home than being given "TLC".
Cardiologist
on-site every 2-3 weeks to see referrals & perform
cardiac ultrasound examinations on patients referred
by our own doctors. Dr. Buoscio travels to
multiple hospitals throughout the city to provide
cardiac consultations.
Veterinary ultrasonographer, Dr. Kristi
Pampel, on-site every one to two weeks
to perform abdominal ultrasounds, and ultrasound-guided
biopsies when indicated, on those patients referred
to her by our own veterinarians.
Surgery - including the use
of isofluorane gas anesthesia (currently considered
to be the safest anesthetic available in veterinary
medicine) and use of our surgical laser (see below).
Additionally, we provide state-of-the-art intra-operative
patient monitoring (see anesthetic monitoring above).
Most surgical procedures do not require an overnight
hospital stay. For more detailed information on
some of our more commonly performed surgical procedures,
see our library articles entitled Ovariohysterectomy
(Spay) In Cats, Onchyectomy
(Declaw) In Cats, Castration
(Neuter) in Cats, and Dental
Cleaning Under Anesthesia For Cats.
Appropriate and aggressive
post-operative pain relief for all surgical procedures
Pain relief as needed for
any animal, surgical or otherwise, felt to be in
pain. We pride ourselves on being aggressive in
the area of pain management.
Strong referral network with
Chicagoland area specialists (internist, cardiologist,
neurologist, surgeons, ophthalmologist, dermatologist,
acupuncturist) for problems requiring specialist
attention
Dr. Buoscio performing an ultrasound examination on one
of our patients
Dr. Pampel performing an abdominal ultrasound on one of
our patients with cysts on his kidney
Dr. Currigan performing a sterile surgical procedure (lump
removal and biopsy) using the surgical laser (with one of our Certified
Veterinary Technicians on the right, monitoring
blood pressure on our anesthetized patient as well as other
anesthetic parameters)
Computer microchip implant identification
systems -referred to by some as "immunizing against
homelessness". When a pet is microchipped, a tiny
capsule, about the size of a grain of rice, is injected
under the skin of the cats' neck. It is no more painful
than any other injection. At Cat Hospital of Chicago,
we have a scanner (as do most shelters and many veterinary
hospitals) that reads the digital number on the chip
inside
the capsule. If your cat is picked up as a stray
and is taken to a shelter or a veterinarian with
a scanner allowing
them to read your cat's microchip number, a quick
call to the microchip company is all it takes to
get your information,
and your cat will soon be home safe. Microchipping
is completely permanent. Although more and more pet
owners are microchipping
their pets, there are still some shelters and some
veterinary clinics that do not have scanners, and
some cats that may
be picked up by 'good samaritans' rather than by
someone who has scanner access. Thus, there is no
guarantee that
a cat won't be lost, and that he or she will be returned
to his or her owner, but it does reduce the risk of having to deal with losing a pet.
We recommend microchipping, in addition to safety
collars and tags,
for any cats who spend any time out of doors, especially
if unsupervised, as well as those "escape artist" type
cats.
Pictured
to the right is Veterinary Nurse Melinda petting
and comforting "Woodrow" after his dental procedure.
Other
Hospital Amenities
Hospitalization
in a quiet and comfortable setting as needed for
our sickest patients
Separately
ventilated isolation wards for our patients with
potentially "contagious" diseases
Heated
cage floors -- especially appreciated by our sick
and post-op recovery patients, as well as our hospitalized
geriatric arthritic cats
Cages
also include "portholes" (similar to small "cubbyholes")
which the cats just love - where they can hide or
curl up and sleep
All
hospital cages are within view of our treatment area,
thus facilitating easy monitoring of our hospital
patients
Disposable
individual litter boxes, food, and water bowls for
all patients -- eliminating any disease transmission
possibilities via urine, stool, or saliva
Comfortable
padded bedding for all hospitalized cats
Cat
Hospital of Chicago is a long standing member of
VIN, Veterinary Information Network,
because we choose to provide the best current health
care
available for your cat. We live in a rapidly changing
world. Like all health care professionals, we face
rapid change - new diseases, new technologies,
new drugs and new treatments emerge every month.
Remaining up-to-date with these changes is important,
so we can offer the best care for your cats and
best serve you. We also face new challenges such
as monitoring emerging and exotic diseases like
West Nile virus, and the threat of bioterrorism.
As a member of VIN, we have constant access to
a vast veterinary medical library and access to
an online worldwide community of over 14,000 veterinarians,
including hundreds of specialists. Additionally,
to aid you in the search for information we both
can trust, we recommend you explore VeterinaryPartner.com,
a service provided by the Veterinary Information
Network - the same information resource our hospital
trusts.
Pictured here is Veterinary Assistant, Michelle, treating hospital patient, "Andy", in our Isolation Ward during his serious bout with respiratory infection this past winter. (Andy is healthy and happy again now, and in a loving home after his few months with us prior to his adoption.)
Shown
to the left in one view is Chronic Renal insufficiency
patient "Betty" on our
exam room table. (We think Betty has made it clear
with
her expression that she is not amused by the catnip
on her cat carrier towel, or by the presence of
the camera!) In
the other view, Veterinary Assistant Michelle,
and Animal Caretaker Bonnie are
pictured combing one of our two hospital
resident cats, "Reebok".
As always, Reebok would prefer not to be combed,
and
that we just leave
her mats
in place. The scowl on her face says it all.
Cat Hospital of Chicago
also offers flexible payment options. Accepted forms of payment
include: CASH, PERSONAL CHECKS, VISA,
and MASTERCARD. We are also pleased
to offer Care Credit, which allows
payment plan options to those clients who may be interested,
and who qualify.
Pictured
here are Dr. Pohl obtaining a blood pressure
on a cat in the exam room, 
All
hospital cages are within view of our treatment area,
thus facilitating easy monitoring of our hospital
patients 