Arrival

We are keeping the traffic in our lobby to a minimum.  We’ve learned this is much less stressful for our patients and clients. Please bring only the pet that is scheduled for the appointment into the clinic.  All dogs must be on a leash or in a carrier. We have slip-leashes if needed. All cats must be transported in a carrier.

Patient and Staff Safety

Please call us when you arrive to check in if your pet does not like other animals. We will do our best to arrange a scenario so your pet will not encounter another pet while entering or exiting our building.

PLEASE inform us PRIOR to the exam if your pet may become nervous with restraint or close contact so that we may have you place a muzzle.  Even if your pet has never snapped at, or bitten anyone before, our exam requires us to be eye-to-eye with your pet. This can cause some pets to become nervous and/or anxious. If your pet shows ANY sign of fear or aggression (growling, showing teeth, etc) we will require a muzzle to be placed by you to complete our exam. This will not harm or traumatize your pet in any way. If you are unable (or unwilling) to muzzle your pet, when necessary, we may be unable to attempt or complete an exam. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

Highly anxious pets often benefit tremendously when treated with a “calming pack” of medications given at home, 60-90 minutes prior to their veterinary exams.  A combination of gabapentin and/or trazodone is very effective and safe for many dogs and cats, including geriatric animals.   Please call us in advance of your appointment to discuss this option, if not already prescribed by your pet’s primary care veterinarian.

During Your Appointment

We will perform a complete ophthalmic exam:

  • A veterinary technician will obtain a detailed history, verifying information on our New Patient Form to be filled out within a week of your appointment.
  • The technician will then notify Dr. McNabb of your arrival and review case details.
  • Dr. McNabb will perform her exam, including tonometry (measuring intraocular pressure), examination of the anterior (front) segment of the eye (the eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, and lens) using a slit lamp biomicroscope and direct illumination. Then, she will examine the posterior (back) segment of the eye (vitreous, retina, and optic nerve) using an indirect ophthalmoscope and condensing lens. She will then discuss or perform additional testing, if needed.

Additional testing beyond the exam may include:

  • Schirmer tear testing for dry eye
  • Fluorescein dye testing (to aid in examining ulcers/abrasions)
  • Jones test (to test patency of the tear ducts)
  • Rose Bengal dye testing (to aid in diagnosis of viral lesions)
  • Gonioscopy (to determine the anatomy of the iridocorneal angle)
  • Ophthalmic ultrasound
  • Blood Pressure
  • Additional tests are occasionally performed based on the exam

It is absolutely critical that we perform our own exam and diagnostic testing in most cases (even if your veterinarian has previously done the same diagnostic tests) so that we can provide you with a correct diagnosis and a treatment plan for your pet. We accept blood work that was previously done by your veterinarian, but this may also need to be repeated in certain cases.

After the Exam

It is our goal that you are well-educated and have a clear understanding about your pet’s eye condition.  Dr. McNabb will provide a diagnosis, describe the ocular condition in clear and understandable terms, discuss the necessary recommended medication(s) and treatment instructions to you, both verbally and in a detailed written “Discharge Instructions”.

A technician will review the discharge instructions with you and answer any questions not answered during the exam. They will also go over medication instructions, if necessary. A hard copy of the discharge instructions is available to you and / or a copy can be sent to your e-mail address.

Then, the reception staff will check you out and schedule your pet for a progress exam, if needed.

Timely communication with your veterinarian is very important to us.  A copy of the discharge instructions will be sent to your veterinarian 24 to 48 hours of the day your pet was examined.

Surgery

Surgical appointment drop-off times are scheduled between 7:45am-10am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We try to schedule your pet’s drop-off time at least 2 hours before surgery is scheduled to allow for patient examination, pre-medication, IV catheter placement, and other pre-surgical diagnostic testing and surgical preparation.

Most pets are hospitalized for 4-7 hours depending on the surgery performed, with discharge times scheduled between 2-4:30pm. There are many factors that decide our surgery order. We often do not know our surgery schedule order until all patients for the day are admitted. We can notify you by text when your pet’s surgery starts.  If you cannot receive text messages, we will always call you when surgery is done and assign a pick-up time. Our surgeries do not require your pet to remain hospitalized overnight. We understand the importance of minimizing hospitalization, especially in older and anxious pets. If your pet may benefit from special accommodation, please let us know.

In certain cases, we are able to schedule an initial consultation and surgery on the same day. These are reserved for cases that are very likely to require surgery. Some cases can be treated medically and surgery is not always recommended. If we perform surgery the same day as the consultation, pets already scheduled have priority in the surgery schedule order, therefore, your pet may not be discharged until late afternoon. Patients with cataracts cannot have a consultation and surgery on the same day as they may require medical treatment prior to surgery and we must also perform an eye exam to determine if your pet is a good candidate for surgery first. Therefore, we do not schedule initial consultation and cataract surgery for the same day.