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Welcome to Animal Eye Care! Animal Eye Care is a referral practice for comprehensive ophthalmic examination, diagnosis, and medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases in companion animals. Because of rapid advances in the knowledge, techniques, and instrumentation necessary to provide the best eye care for companion animals, your family veterinarian may choose to consult a specialist, placing quality patient care above all else. The referring veterinarian, the pet owner, and Animal Eye Care are all team members in giving the patient the best ophthalmic care possible. During your pet's initial comprehensive ophthalmic examination at Animal Eye Care, Dr. Terri McCalla and our health care team will spend one hour examining your pet and discussing with you the diagnosis and treatment of your pet's eye condition. All of your questions will be answered with the care and attention that you and your pet deserve. Our goal is to not only provide the highest quality medical and surgical services possible, but also educate the owner regarding the pet's eye disease. If you understand WHAT is wrong with the eye(s), WHY the eye(s) have a problem, and WHAT the treatment options are, you can then make the best informed treatment decision on how to help your beloved pet.
We are conveniently located in beautiful Bellingham, Washington. You may find it helpful to view our map and driving directions, read our visitor information, and learn about Bellingham sites of interest. Bellingham is a short, semirural (i.e. less stressful) drive from Vancouver and its neighbors south of the Fraser River, and the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. We take care of many Canadian patients, including patients from Vancouver Island, the BC interior and the Okanogan. We also serve northwest Washington, particularly patients living in Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties. There is no rush hour in Bellingham, and traffic flows easily for many miles north and south of us!
Our Services:
CONDITIONS WHICH MIGHT NECESSITATE REFERRAL TO A VETERINARY OPHTHALMOLOGIST INCLUDE:
What to Bring to Your Initial Visit:
Please do not feed your pet the morning of your examination, unless the pet is diabetic, or is a young puppy or kitten. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled examination time.
All animals MUST be restrained by a leash, or be within a pet carrier. All animals must be current on their vaccination schedules. You will arrive at the doors of Animal Eye Care, which shares hospital space with Village Veterinary Hospital, and receive a warm welcome. Our reception desk is separate, and in the far left corner of the reception area. Our staff is separate from the staff of Village Veterinary Hospital. Please bring the following items to your first appointment, if possible:
We must be informed of your pet's temperament and whether a muzzle or other special restraint is required for examination. If sedation is required to examine your pet, please obtain sedative oral medication from your family veterinarian and dose your pet prior to the examination. If, in our estimation, your pet may bite during the exam, he/she will be muzzled or otherwise restrained, without hesitation. The staff and ophthalmologist must be very close to your pet's face in order to examine and treat the eyes. This poses a significant danger, if your pet may bite. We will not examine vicious, unruly, or aggressive animals. The eyes are examined using slit lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, tonometry, and other diagnostic instrumentation as needed for each patient. We employ advanced therapies including cryosurgery, phacoemulsification (cataract surgery), and microsurgery, and we work with you and your veterinarian to provide the best possible ophthalmic care for your pet. We report all of our findings to both you and your veterinarian, in the form of a discharge summary, the same day of the examination. If Your Pet is an Established Patient of Animal Eye Care -- What to Expect if You Call Us With a Question or Concern About Your Pet: The question will be triaged by our staff. If the question requires input from the ophthalmologist, Dr. McCalla will be consulted and the advice relayed to you by our staff. If you are calling outside of office hours, your call will be returned the next business day, if it is not urgent. If it is an emergency, you can page Dr. McCalla by following the voice mail prompts. Our Policy: Animal Eye Care shares hospital space with Village Veterinary Hospital (VVH). Your family veterinarian is a caring practitioner who referred your pet for comprehensive ophthalmic examination and consultation. Animal Eye Care does not provide general veterinary services. We do not vaccinate, or trim nails, or provide the many other important general services that your family veterinarian performs. This protects your time, and the time of our other clients, to be best used for the care of your pet's eyes ONLY during your visit to Animal Eye Care. CERF Appointments CERF examinations are yearly examinations to evaluate dogs for inherited eye disease. Dogs which are free of such eye disease may receive a registration number from CERF which is valid for one year. The essential information needed at the time of examination is the sex, birth date, breed, variety, and color. If you are applying for a CERF registration number, you also need a tattoo number or microchip number or DNA number, in addition to an AKC number. As a service to our CERF patients, we offer microchipping. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your exam, to allow for pupillary dilation. We will not examine puppies less than eight weeks of age. If you are bringing more than 4 puppies or 3 adult dogs, you must bring someone to assist you during the examinations. For more information on CERF examinations, please see our CERF informational handout in the "Eye Diseases" page, or the CERF website.
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