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At Good Hands Veterinary Hospital, we provide a complete spectrum of veterinary and pet health-related services.
These services include:
- Preventive Medicine
- Vaccinations
- Soft-tissue and Orthopedic Surgery
- Dentistry
- Internal Medicine
- Geriatric Medicine
- Endoscopy
- Digital Radiography
- Ultrasound
- In-house Lab
- Reproductive Evaluations
- Artificial Inseminations
Elective surgeries are performed every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
We have separate dog and cat hospitalization wards, a climate-controlled intensive care unit for critically ill patients and an isolation ward for animals with potentially contagious diseases.
We offer:
- Physical Examinations
- Vaccinations
- Parasite Evaluation & Deworming
- Heartworm Testing & Prevention
- Socialization
- Nutritional & Care Counseling
Today, our furry family members live longer, healthier lives. The care given to your pet can help them achieve a happier, more active life. Just as your physician is recommending regular laboratory screening tests, as well as preventive diagnostic procedures, we recommend the same tests for your pet.
An annual wellness exam can identify subtle, early risk factors of common diseases before clinical symptoms become apparent. Identification of these risk factors allows us to take early preventive measures or initiate early treatment, both of which will minimize the development of potentially life-threatening diseases and provide your pet with a long and healthy life.
As part of our overall wellness exam, we perform tests to check for:
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hypertension
- Liver Disease
- Urinary Tract Problems (infection/bladder stones)
- Kidney Disease
- Anemia
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Infection
- Glaucoma
- Periodontal Disease
We draw blood for a Complete Blood Count (CBC), Biochemistry Profile and Thyroid Profile.
A urine sample will be obtained and submitted to the laboratory as well.
Chest radiographs and an electrocardiogram (ECG) are performed to evaluate heart and lung function.
We also perform an eye exam to screen for glaucoma or other ocular disease.
The entire process takes approximately 30 minutes.
Your pet needs to be fasted for at least 12 hours prior to testing, so we generally recommend scheduling the appointment for early morning; however, we can perform the tests at any time during the day. You are more than welcome to wait for your pet while the tests are being performed, or you can “drop off” your pet and we will call you when the tests are complete.
Early detection and rapid, appropriate treatment will prolong the health and happiness of your pet.
Please feel free to ask any questions and/or schedule an appointment at any time.
In November 2005, GHVH became the only veterinary hospital in the Athens and surrounding area to acquire digital radiography. Traditional radiographs (x-rays) require the use of bulky cassettes, time for processing and are limited to what can be viewed or seen due to the resolution limitations of normal radiographic film.
With our new unit, when a radiograph is taken, the image is instantly converted into a digital format that can be viewed on a computer viewing station, just like your digital camera. This significantly reduces the amount of time needed to take x-rays, decreasing any anxiety that our pets may feel about being on the x-ray table. The images created can be accessed via the internet with a special web code unique to your pet. This allows you to visualize your pets x-rays from your home computer, and also enables the doctors of GHVH to easily consult, when necessary, with board certified radiologists, surgeons and internists about abnormalities noted on the radiographs. Although these characteristics are all significant, even more important is the quality of images that we are now able to obtain.
Due to the high resolution of our unit and its unique tissue optimization characteristics, we are able to obtain much more information from our radiographs than possible with traditional x-rays. This means we can see more detail than ever before. In the past few months, we have diagnosed conditions (OCD, tumors, etc.) that would have been very difficult to see on standard radiographs. If you have any questions about digital radiography, or would like to see some of the images we have obtained, feel free to call and speak with one of our radiology technicians.
We perform a vast array of soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries from routine spays and neuters to abdominal exploratory surgery and fracture repair.
Recently, GHVH became one of the few veterinary hospitals in the Athens area to acquire a surgical laser unit. The carbon dioxide laser produces an invisible beam of light that vaporizes the water normally found in the skin and other soft tissue.
The laser can be precisely controlled by removing only a thin layer of tissue at a time, as well as leaving the surrounding tissues unaffected. These properties make it a highly effective tool for use in most soft tissue surgeries such as spays, neuters, mass removal, feline declaws, and numerous other procedures.
The properties of the laser make it especially useful for surgeries of the oral cavity, ear canals, paws and other vascular areas. Advantages of using the laser in small animal surgery include less bleeding, less pain, less swelling, and decreased risk of infection. Laser energy seals nerve endings as it moves through tissue. This decreases the post-operative pain experienced by our patients. It also seals small blood vessels during surgery which allows the doctor to perform surgeries with extraordinary precision. This also speeds some procedures, reducing the need for anesthesia.
Laser energy does not crush, tear, or bruise tissue because only a beam of intense light contacts the tissue. By sealing lymphatic vessels, there is less fluid released into the tissue, leading to less post-operative swelling. The laser sterilizes as it removes diseased tissue, killing bacteria that cause infection. It also helps decrease bacterial counts and may decrease the risk of a post-operative infection. Together, these advantages will help our pets return to normal faster, and with less post-operative complications.
We utilize state-of-the-art anesthesia and anesthetic monitoring equipment to assure safe and uncomplicated anesthetic episodes.
 Inhalant anesthetic agents are used for all surgeries and each patient is monitored by an experienced veterinary technician in addition to the doctor. Direct and indirect blood pressure monitoring and a respiratory monitor are used to assess the patient continuously during surgery and recovery.
Each surgery is performed under aseptic conditions with a new sterile surgery pack used for each procedure.
The doctor will surgically scrub their hands and arms, wear a mask and surgical gown, and put on sterile gloves for each procedure.
Each patient is recovered individually and placed in our intensive care unit which allows us to continuously monitor them in a controlled environment.
With a brand new state of the art ultrasound machine, we now have the ability to perform ultrasound diagnostics right here at Good Hands Veterinary Hospital. Drs. Kucher, Coleman and Dailey have been attending courses to further their diagnostic capabilities and are sharing their knowledge with Dr. Cox. Ultrasound is a non-invasive way to help with our diagnostic work-up. Some of its common uses are to look for bladder stones, pregnancy, heart problems, and liver and spleen masses. Please feel free to ask any of the doctors and staff for more details.
In order to provide you and your pet with the highest quality veterinary services, we are proud to announce that Good Hands Veterinary Hospital is now able to offer in-hospital laboratory services. The purchase of the most modern CBC machine, as used in major laboratories, and a blood chemistry profile machine enables us to provide accurate and fast laboratory results while you wait. This will enable us to better treat your pet and monitor progress more effectively.
Because of our experienced doctors and staff and advanced anesthesia and patient monitoring equipment, we feel comfortable anesthetizing older patients in need of advanced diagnostics, dental prophylaxis or surgery and minor or major surgical procedures.
Our fiber optic video endoscope allows direct visualization of the middle and inner ear, upper airway, gastrointestinal system and genitourinary tract. The video monitor and video capture abilities allow complete and accurate evaluation and documentation of disease processes, facilitate diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and allow for direct follow-up evaluation to assess a patient’s response to treatment.
We use radiographs, electrocardiogram (EKG) and laboratory analysis to evaluate various diseases of the heart. We have direct access to heart specialists for evaluation and consultation on advanced or complicated diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Our separate, climate-controlled isolation ward allows us to treat patients with potentially contagious diseases, such as canine parvovirus and feline upper respiratory virus in a secure and comfortable environment, away from the rest of the hospitalized patients.
All of our doctors have extensive training in semen collection, artificial insemination and reproductive health evaluation.
Our experienced doctors and staff will be glad to discuss and offer solutions to any issues pertaining to the overall health, behavior and well-being of your canine or feline family member.
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