Because of the shorter lifespan of our companion animals we stress the importance of an annual physical examination for cats and dogs under seven years of age, over seven years we recommend biannual visits as a year in their lifespan is equal to more than four years of our lifespan. Thorough check-ups and preventive care can help identify problems early and allow us to intervene early. We offer a wide range of veterinary services to keep your companions feeling their best!

Anesthesia:  We utilize the safest available anesthetics to provide an extra margin of safety, especially for our older or high-risk patients. For procedures lasting over 10 minutes, we place an intravenous catheter and administer intravenous fluids. This supports blood pressure, protects the kidneys and liver and allows us instant access to the circulatory system should a problem be detected.  Often, we will ask that an older animal or one with known major organ dysfunction come in the night before for intravenous fluid therapy. We have a Bair Hugger (temperature monitoring system) to help regulate smaller patients.

Behavioral Counseling:  We can provide advice regarding the correction of problems such as excessive barking, chewing, spraying, scratching, digging, house soiling and aggression.

Dentistry:  Our dental services include teeth cleaning and polishing, radiographs (X-rays), digital radiographs, tooth extractions and minor oral surgery. We have antibiotic and bone matrices available to help reduce the need for extraction.

Dietary Counseling:  We can provide guidance regarding your pet’s nutritional needs for each life stage, including dietary requirements for growth, weight maintenance and performance.  We are proud of our selection of animal foods. There are many choices out there and we are constantly reevaluating what is available and selecting what we believe are high quality, palatable choices for your animal.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services:  Our hospital is equipped to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services, including an in-house veterinary laboratory, digital radiography (X-ray), ultrasonic dental cleaning, and a basic ultrasound machine.

Electrocardiography Services:  We provide ECG services on-site as well as consultations with cardiology specialists.

Emergency Care:  Please call our main telephone number (970-728-4461) for instructions for after-hour emergencies.  There is usually one of our staff on call, occasionally the San Juan Veterinary Clinic in Montrose or the San Miguel Veterinary Clinic in Norwood provide emergency coverage for us.

Gene Therapy: We offer VetStem gene therapy for the management of arthritis and other chronic diseases.

Laboratory:  Our in-house laboratory facilities provide for serum chemistry, hematology, serology, urinalysis and parasite testing. We also utilize commercial veterinary laboratories for specialized diagnostics and consultations.

Medical consults: We offer referrals to other clinics who can perform ultrasounds and endoscopic procedures and help us with the diagnosis of more complicated cases.

Permanent identification: We offer microchip identification.

Pharmacy:  We maintain a complete inventory of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, shampoos, flea and tick control products and heartworm preventatives to meet the needs of your pet. We also carry a full line of prescription diets.

Radiology Services:  Our on-site, modern X-ray equipment provides high quality radiographs to aid in the quick diagnosis of many disorders.

Small Mammals/Pocket Pets:  We love seeing rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, gerbils, hamsters, rats and other small mammals. We do NOT see birds.

Surgical Services:  Our surgical suite provides for the performance of a wide variety of surgical procedures and we have multiple anesthesia monitoring equipment to allow us to monitor heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygenation level and blood pressure.  Dr. Steve Gentry visits us to provide excellent orthopedic care including fracture repair and TPLOs. Dr. Gentry has performed surgery on three of Dr. Branson’s dogs.

Visiting with your dog:  Most healthy dog do very well with the altitude. Taking it easy the first few days and making sure water is available can help. If you think your animal is getting dehydrated, mixing lots of warm water with meals can help, and some dogs like Pedialyte.  Low salt chicken or beef broth can help but make sure it is low salt.

The altitude can ‘uncover’ hidden heart or lung issues due to the lower availability of oxygen and moisture in the air. Watch for anxiety, panting, purple, blue or pale gums, trouble breathing, restlessness, coughing, and inability to settle down and sleep.  We have had several emergency evacuations to lower altitude.  It can also exacerbate other conditions. It may be better for your older companion to remain at home.

We do have Giardia here, it usually manifests as diarrhea and maybe vomiting. Usually it is easily treated.

And we have porcupines!  Lots of porcupines. If there are only a few quills a pair of needle nose pliers can be very useful. And, despite, what it may say on the web, cutting the ends off only makes them harder to get out. If there are more than 10 or 15 the kindest thing to do is come in and let us anesthetize the dog and then remove them.

There are no boarding kennels for dogs in Telluride. The closest ones would be in Norwood, Montrose or Cortez.  There are some good dog sitters here, availability varies, call early for best chance of finding one free.  The clinic has a very limited number of spaces for medical observation during the day. (830am to 530pm).