veterinary services Little Canada, MN
Here at Rice Pet Clinic, we are pleased to have a large amount of veterinary services available for our patients. We are proud to be able to serve Little Canada, MN and our surrounding communities to give your pet the best care that they deserve!

Our staff at Rice Pet Clinic is filled with passionate animal lovers who are here to help you and your pet! They are highly trained and dedicated to making sure that your pets receive the care and compassion every time they walk in the door!

We offer the following services to keep your pets healthy:

Rice Pet Clinic Wellness Program & Wellness Appointments

The Rice Pet Clinic Wellness Program is a brand new program that we are excited to offer. The wellness program promotes the proactive services that keep your pet as healthy as possible. Participating pets will receive the care necessary to maintain their optimal health while also qualifying for discounts on in-hospital services including: all physical examinations, dental care and nail trims. There is no contract and no monthly fees which means it offers the most flexible way to provide your pet with the care it needs to stay as healthy as possible. Please contact the hospital to learn more about our services, qualifying discounts and to schedule an appointment. Participation in the Rice Pet Clinic Wellness Program is not a requirement to receive the personalized care that our clients are accustomed.

Our team is fully equipped to provide families with the routine and specialized care that their pet requires to stay healthy. Our doctors help pets experience as high of a quality of life as possible through all of their life stages. We know that pets in general have shorter life spans. The good news is there are steps that have been proven to help lengthen and maximize the quality of their lives. We help all pets maintain an ideal body condition/weight, maintain a healthy mouth and fresh breathe, discuss ways to provide your pet important mental and physical stimulation, and put into place the wellness services that will keep your pet protected from disease that is preventable. At the time of an exam we will be able to discuss many topics. After we learn some important information about your individual pet and how they spend their time; we can make appropriate recommendations that are unique for your pet. Learning how a pet spends their time helps us to tailor their vaccination and parasite preventive recommendations. Each pet has different challenges and risk factors that are unique to them that we will be consider when developing their individual health care plan. Based on a pet's life style some individuals have higher or lower risk levels for certain infections, and we will help you determine the most appropriate products and services to minimize your pet's risk exposure. We want to make sure pets have the protections in place that are necessary and avoid those that are unlikely to benefit them at that time. Some very important topics that your veterinarians will have the opportunity to discuss with you during your appointments include: dentistry, vaccinations, behavior, nutrition, common parasites and prevention, and any other concerns you may be having about your pet. Routine exams and wellness services are the best way to ensure your pet is at their optimum level of health. With the knowledge that pets age more rapidly. We recommend your pet be seen for an exam every six months/biannually or at a minimum every twelve months/annually. We like to keep in contact with our clients and their pets in case concerns arise, such as changes in their weight, eating habits, activity level or anything else that may be causing concern for your pet.

Vaccinations are a critical part of a preventative care approach to animal health. Our staff at Rice Pet Clinic is up to date on current recommendations for vaccinations needed for your pet, and we will take the time to discuss with you about your pet's lifestyle and recommend only those vaccinations that are indicated for your pet. We encourage all cats and dogs to be properly vaccinated for the risks they will encounter in their environment and lifestyle. Vaccinations help protect your pet against numerous disease threats and our doctors will educate you on how to know which vaccines are important for your pet. We also provide preventative care including: parasite screening for fleas, ticks, and internal parasites, routine blood diagnostics such as heart worm/tick-borne disease testing or advanced blood testing. We carry different parasite prevention options to fit each individual pet and help protect your them from dangerous disease carrying parasites: wood ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, mites. We have an extensive in-house pharmacy including skin care products and supplements. Our doctors will educate you on the variety of options and which products will best suite your beloved pet.

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Dental Care - Dental Prophylaxis and Oral Surgery

Routine dental care is one of the most important ways you can help maintain a high quality of life for your beloved pet. Studies show that 85% of pets have damaging periodontal disease by age three when left unattended. Periodontal disease leads to inflammation of tissues around the tooth and if not treated commonly results in painful infected teeth and subsequent tooth loss. Advanced periodontal disease is not only detrimental to the teeth, but adversely affects internal organs and can potentially shorten a pet's life. Quality of life is dramatically improved when we remove disease from a pet's mouth.

Providing your pet safe and fear free dental experiences is our priority every time they are necessary. Dogs and cats would feel scared if we attempted to provide care in their mouth when they were awake. That is not safe for them or our team members providing the care. The dental care that they need is so important that we find as safe of a way to provide that care. For these reasons all dental care is performed using anesthesia. Our skilled team and state-of-the-art anesthesia monitoring equipment allow us to minimize the risk associated with any anesthetic procedure as much as possible. The negative affects to a pet's health secondary to periodontal disease are too great not to have these procedures considered. The calculus on a pet's tooth that resides below the gum line is the biggest threat to the overall health of the tooth because it leads to harmful gingivitis. Following a complete cleaning we are able to proceed with digital dental x-rays. Digital dental x-rays provide the doctor with a clear picture of what is happening below the gum line. They allow a doctor to examine the internal anatomy of the teeth, the roots and the bone that surrounds the roots. Our doctors will then call regarding their findings, address any noted concerns and give their recommendations for care.

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Emergency and Sick Animal Care

Our compassionate team and well equipped hospital offers the ability to diagnose and treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions that affect our cats and dogs. Some times pets experience emergencies and our team is well equipped to serve your family in the event of most common emergency scenarios.

Please call ahead prior to arrival as our ability to offer help can be limited when our staff is already serving a pet who is experiencing an emergency. If we can not offer your pet the emergency care it requires we will be able to help direct you to an emergency hospital who can. The signs that a pet might be sick can be subtle at first. Please schedule an appointment with one of our doctors as soon as possible if you notice changes in the amounts and frequency that your pet is eating, drinking, urinating and defecating or if you notice coughing, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, lameness or any other change outside of your pet's normal routines and behaviors. These indicators of disease are important to recognize as early as possible. The earlier we can help you detect and treat your pet's disease; the higher the potential for a favorable prognosis.

In the event that a consultation with a specialist is necessary, we will be able to smoothly help you facilitate your referral. There are some specialists that we have the ability to consult with in-hospital while others we will be able to help you access at a referral hospital. We know that it is a scary and stressful time when facing an illness and we will always do our best to address all of your pets needs in the most supportive and calm manner.

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Surgery

Advancements in medicine continue to lead to an increasing ability to improve the lives of pets through surgery. Our doctors will help guide you and your pet through the decision making process so that you are well informed and confident with the best option for your pet. Our highly skilled team and state-of-the-art anesthesia monitoring equipment allows us to minimize anesthetic risk as much as possible while providing your pet with the surgery they need. Some surgeries require a specialist, we are thankful to have Board-Certified surgeons as skilled as those that serve our clients. Our team makes sure that your pet receives the care they need while minimizing stress and fear.

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Radiology

Rice Pet Clinic & Hospital has the capabilities to provide convenient, on-site digital X-rays that are available for viewing immediately to support a quick and accurate diagnosis for your pet. These digital X-rays enable us to share your pet's X-rays with you and other medical specialists with ease. We also have access to board-certified radiologists that can review your pet's X-rays with ease.

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Puppy & Kitten Care

We take special care of our youngest patients, ensuring that they receive top-notch care to set them up for long, healthy lives. When you bring your puppy or kitten to see us, we will make sure they are thoroughly examined, receive all their vaccinations, and are dewormed. We will discuss proper nutrition, basic obedience training, spaying/neutering, life- time parasite prevention plans, and routine dental care. We will give you all the tools you need to keep your pet as healthy as possible so that they can live as high of a quality of life as possible. Participation in our wellness program will ensure that your pet is healthy throughout their lives and will allow signs of disease to be caught and treated by our team as early as possible.

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Geriatric Pet Care

Similar to humans, dogs and cats face many health challenges in their golden years. Our staff will help you keep your pet healthy and active over the full span of their lives as well as help you understand the changing needs of your aging pet. As pets age every body system has the potential to be affected. We will help you monitor for signs of pain from arthritis, loss of hearing and vision, cognitive/mental changes and many other changes that can negatively affect the quality of life of your pet. We can often times improve the quality of life dramatically of our most senior patients as some of these health related challenges arise for them.

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Laboratory Diagnostics

Rice Pet Clinic offers in-house laboratory capabilities as well as access to timely outside laboratories so you get your pet’s test results quickly. Our doctors will discuss with you the diagnostics that make the most sense to consider for your pet based on their individual medical needs.

Yearly screening tests are important to consider. This enables our veterinarians to monitor for very subtle changes in internal organ levels that could indicate early disease. Each patient's results come back to our veterinarians to track the levels and follow any changes that have occurred.

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Microchip Implantation

We hope that none of our clients ever have to feel the sadness of a lost or missing pet. Did you know that 1 in 3 pets will go missing at some point during their life span and without proper identification, 90% will never be found? Microchips are small electronic transmitters that are placed under the skin to provide permanent identification for your pet. The microchip looks similar in size to a grain of rice. The microchip will transmit a unique number for your pet which is linked to a database with your contact information.

All animal control, veterinary clinics, humane societies and many police departments are able to scan for the presence of a microchip. The microchip is a permanent identification that cannot be lost or misplaced. Collars often come off or pets run outside unexpectedly without a collar. In an emergency situation, the microchip can speak for your pet and help them get home to you. We recommend implanting microchips into all pets for permanent identification which will allow for their best chance of recovery, should they go missing. Please ask us about micro-chipping your pet at their next visit!

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Behavioral Counseling

We strive to support you while investigating the fundamental causes of your pet’s behavioral problems. Often an animal’s behavioral problems (separation anxiety, excessive barking, chewing, spraying, or aggression) can be due to an underlying medical cause which may be treatable or better controlled with behavior modification with or without medication.

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Nutritional Assessments

As your pet grows, their nutritional needs change. We are happy to consult with you about all aspects of your pet’s nutrition. Providing your pet an appropriate and balanced diet for their age and weight is one of the most important things you can do as a pet owner. Our veterinarians and staff offer nutritional counseling and weight management services.

The food you feed your pet provides the nutritional building blocks for all of their cells and body function. Our veterinarians can recommend a high quality commercially prepared diet for your pet. At Rice Pet Clinic, we carry and prescribe several different types of specialty diets that are scientifically formulated to treat and prevent certain diseases or conditions in animals. Obesity is one of the most common health problems we see in our patients.Nearly every day, we see overweight patients with arthritis and other joint problems, torn ligaments, diabetes, urinary tract infections and skin infections. Being overweight also stresses the heart and lungs since they need to work harder to breathe and circulate blood. At every exam, our veterinarians weigh your pet and our veterinarians give each patient a Body Condition Score (BCS). The BCS helps us assess the risks of obesity for your pet. We also use the BCS to calculate an individual calorie count recommendation for your pet. This guideline will help you determine how much your pet should be eating every day to keep them healthy and happy.

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Hospice Care Consultations

Pets are family members. We know how hard it can be for our pets and their families as age and disease related changes begin to make it more difficult for our loving pets to feel comfortable on a daily basis. One of the most important things we do as veterinary professionals is help each pet face their unique end of life challenges so that what time they have left to share with their families is lived in comfort and with dignity.

As pet owners ourselves, we understand how difficult it is to know whether a pet is suffering because of the challenges they face or if there is more that should be considered to ensure they have a high quality of life up until the very end. Please consider a consultation with one of our doctors if you notice that your geriatric pet is showing any of the following signs: vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, difficulty rising, difficulty getting comfortable when laying down, lameness, perceived cognitive changes or decreased energy.

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Humane Euthanasia Consultations

Saying goodbye to our four legged family members is heart wrenching. Our staff helps pet owners determine if it is the right time to consider further palliative care or humane euthanasia. We know these are the most important and sensitive discussions you will likely ever have with our doctors. We truly get to know our patients and our clients so that we can help assess and advise on each pet's quality of life so that we can help owners make decisions that are in the best interest of their pet. It is in a pet's instinct to hide painful conditions and sometimes the signs, or clues that a pet is suffering are difficult to identify.

Our team at Rice Pet Clinic & Hospital takes the time to listen to your concerns and help you make decisions that can be very painful and difficult. When the difficult time does come to say goodbye our staff will guide you through while minimizing stress, pain and anxiety. There is much to consider near the end of a beloved pets' life and we would be honored to help you through this very difficult stage of life.

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