Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions/answers that we are frequently asked. If you have additional questions that aren't covered here, please feel free to give us a call at (217) 619-6072.

1. What are the Hospital hours?
   Our hospital is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Hours are by appointment only. The clinic is closed on Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
    
2. Do I need to have an appointment?
   Yes, patients are seen by appointment.
    
3. What forms of payment do you accept?
   Check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, CareCredit
   
   
4. Can I make payments?
   Payment is required at the time of service.
    
5. What is the pre-anesthetic blood screening?
   This is a blood test that is run here in the clinic prior to surgery. It tests the organ functions, blood counts and clotting function of your pet. The pre-anesthetic blood screening is done to assure safety during surgery and the ability to heal following surgery.
    
6. How long do the sutures stay in after my pet's surgery?
   If the sutures are within the mouth there is no need to schedule an appointment to have the sutures removed.  We place absorbable sutures in the oral cavity.  If it is a procedure that requires sutures to be removed, they are to be removed in 14 days from the procedure.
   
   
7. Does my pet need to be on antibiotics after the procedure?
   

   The AVDC® endorses the use of systemic antibiotics in veterinary dentistry for treatment of some infectious conditions of the oral cavity.  Although culture and susceptibility testing is rarely performed on individual patients that have an infection extending from/to the oral cavity, the selection of an appropriate antibiotic should be based on published data regarding susceptibility testing of the spectra of known oral pathogens. Patients that are scheduled for an oral procedure may benefit from pre-treatment with an appropriate antibiotic to improve the health of infected oral tissues, however a full course treatment is always recommended.Bacteremia is a recognized sequela to dental scaling and other oral procedures.Healthy animals are able to overcome this bacteremia without the use of systemic antibiotics. However, use of a systemically administered antibiotic is recommended to reduce bacteremia for animals that are immune compromised, have underlying systemic disease (such as certain clinically-evident cardiac disease (sub-aortic stenosis), or severe hepatic or renal disease) and/or when severe oral infection is present. Antibiotics should never be considered a monotherapy for treatment of oral infections, and should not be used as preventive management of oral conditions.