Emerald Animal Hospital: Smith Rhonda R DVM

We provide complete physical examinations as part of every routine checkup, covering every body system from nose to tail. Our registered veterinary technicians aid in educating pet owners about nutrition, behavior, parasite prevention, and dental care, ensuring your pet’s visit is thorough yet low-stress with positive reinforcement.

Our experience with geriatric care supports senior pets (over 7 years) with specialized focus on conditions affecting aging animals. We proactively manage preventable issues, offer pain relief, supplements, arthritis medications, and even provide house call options for pets with mobility challenges or difficulty traveling.

We administer core vaccinations like rabies (required for dogs/cats in Cuyahoga County), distemper (canine adenovirus-2, parvovirus), and FVRCP (feline panleukopenia, viral rhinotracheitis, calcivirus). Each pet’s vaccination plan is personalized based on lifestyle, risk, and county regulations.

We prioritize heartworm testing and prevention, offering year-round monthly oral or topical treatments to protect pets from this mosquito-borne, deadly disease. Comprehensive parasite coverage includes hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms in combination heartworm/flea/tick medications.

Our flea and tick prevention options include medicated solutions to eliminate infestations and break the parasite life cycle. Treatments address ticks (Lyme disease vectors) to safeguard pets and households from diseases like borreliosis while improving comfort.

We provide microchipping during routine visits for permanent pet identification via a scannable ID code stored on national databases. If lost, this increases recovery chances and is offered alongside surgeries (e.g., spays/neuters), often for free.

As part of physical exams, we deliver nutritional counseling and weight management advice, recommending balanced diets for optimal health and addressing obesity-related conditions. Our team ensures owner understanding of their pet’s dietary needs and potential food allergies.

We perform intestinal parasite deworming with targeted treatments for hookworms, roundworms, or whipworms. Fecal testing identifies microscopic eggs, and we follow Companion Animal Parasite Council guidelines (e.g., 2–4 times in the first year of life).

Our in-house bloodwork includes CBCs (*complete blood counts*) and chemistry panels. We use these diagnostic tests to detect diseases early (e.g., anemia, liver/kidney dysfunction) or assess well-pets’ baselines, facilitating timely interventions like diabetes or heartworm detection.

We routinely perform urinalysis alongside cultures to diagnose kidney disease, diabetes, urinary infections, or crystals. Analyzed data helps tailor pain management, antibiotic selection, or screen for cancerous cells, ensuring targeted patient care.

As recommended by the Companion Animal Parasite Council, we conduct fecal testing to identify microscopic parasite eggs (e.g., giardia) that may not be visible to owners. Results guide deworming protocols and prevent zoonotic disease transmission through proper hygiene education.

We provide digital X-rays in-house, evaluated first by our veterinarians and then reviewed by board-certified radiologists at Vet-Rad. This ensures accurate diagnosis of fractures, foreign bodies, heartworm, and metastatic disease for informed treatment planning.

We conduct glaucoma screening using the Reichert TONO-PEN for pets predisposed to breeds like Poodles or Cocker Spaniels. We also screen red-eyed cases, head trauma victims, and seniors (6+ years), advising early monitoring to control this blinding condition before irreversible damage occurs.

Our surgical and anesthesia team continually monitors pets’ heart rhythm (EKG) throughout procedures using state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring safety and recovery. Cardiac assessments also aid in diagnosing arrhythmias or other valvular diseases during wellness visits.

During dental cleaning, we provide extractions for diseased teeth or advanced oral health issues, combining the procedure with thorough teeth scaling. Our equipment and techniques ensure pets receive simultaneous comprehensive dental restoration.

We guide owners on at-home dental care during wellness visits, recommending products like vet-prescribed toothpaste and water additives. Our dental counsel emphasizes tartar prevention and early intervention to supplement professional cleaning and reduce oral disease risk.

We perform spay/neuter surgeries starting at 4–6 months, integrating microchipping for free, IV fluids, pain management, and continuous EKG monitoring to prioritize safety. Toe nail trims are included without additional charge.

Our foreign body removal service is available during soft tissue surgical procedures, addressing ingested or embedded objects (e.g., bones or sharp debris), with immediate post-operative diagnostics and pain control to aid swift pet recovery.

We offer wound and laceration repair for all severities, including post-traumatic closures, with advanced suturing materials and infection control to promote optimal healing. Continuous monitoring and home care guidance are provided during recovery.

We provide hospitalization and 24-hour monitoring for post-surgical care, chronic conditions, or acute emergencies, ensuring continuous health tracking with pain management and IV therapy if needed for seamless patient recovery.

We utilize IV fluid therapy to maintain perfusion during surgery and hospitalization, addressing kidney/liver function stabilization and fluid deficits, with real-time monitoring to optimize patient recovery.

Pain management is central to all surgical and procedural protocols, with personalized protocols integrating medications before, during, and after care. Our team continuously evaluates and adjusts analgesia based on patient needs for comfort.

Our grooming services include medical techniques like anal gland expression, medicated baths for skin conditions, and ear cleaning/plucking for dogs/cats. We customize sedation for anxious pets and advise owners on proper post-grooming care.

During grooming, we offer sanitary shaves to prevent matting around genital and anal areas post-surgery or for pets with difficulty maintaining hygiene, improving comfort and minimizing infections.

Our team provides nail trimming and dremeling services, often included with surgeries, ensuring precise maintenance to prevent splits, fractures, or discomfort, with guidance for safe home trimming practices.

We perform anal gland expression during routine exams or grooming for pets with impacted glands, using gentle techniques to relieve discomfort and prevent abscesses.