Frequently Asked Questions

At Highway 58 Animal Hospital, we only recommend those surgical procedures that are in the best interest of your pet, with an end goal of supporting and prolonging the wonderful bond you share with them. Each individual procedure varies from pet to pet and condition to condition. Typically, a physical examination, review of the patient’s medical history, and blood work are recommended for each pet that may have to be subjected to sedation or anesthesia. Our veterinarians will use this information to screen your pet for potential issues before beginning any procedure to help ensure the safety of your pet. As with humans, the older the pet, the more precautions need to be taken.

Although there will always be a minimal amount of risk associated with anesthetizing your pet, we take every precaution available to ensure that those risks are minimized, including most of the same fail-safe measures that your physician would provide if you were placed under anesthesia. We monitor vital signs throughout all stages of surgery and recovery. We also have written protocols for all emergency drugs in place for each pet under anesthesia.

Additionally, all patients are closely monitored by our highly trained technicians during the recovery process, ensuring that your pet receives the most compassionate and proficient care possible. The behind the scenes care and technologies employed to ensure your pet’s safety are just one of the many factors that differentiate the quality in care that we provide.

We believe that the best way to prolong the relationship you share with your pet is to identify disease processes early, and prevent the progression of chronic illness before it becomes a problem.

It is very important to schedule yearly exams for your pet so that your veterinarian can monitor your pet’s overall health. At Highway 58 Animal Hospital, to ensure that we identify health issues early, we recommend an examination by one of our veterinarians every 12 months for healthy pets under the age of 7, and every 6 months for healthy senior patients. Those pets with chronic disease or mobility issues may require examination on a more frequent basis.

Blood work is a wonderful way to identify disease processes early and prevent the progression of chronic disease. We recommend annual blood work to provide a baseline for our veterinarians to identify trends and specific areas to focus on in an effort to prolong the duration and quality of life of our patients. Whether your pet is a youngster or a senior, regular blood work can help detect some diseases early, making it easier to catch a potential problem early and avoid complications and expensive treatments.

If you notice your pet acting strangely, including loss of appetite or energy, you should schedule an appointment as soon as possible for an examination by one of our doctors. Pets have an instinctive tendency to hide pain and illness so that they do not show any weaknesses that might attract predators. As pet owners, by the time we notice a change in behavior, the animal may have been suffering for several days already.

If you notice visible parasites on your pet, call us today and schedule an appointment so that one of our veterinarians can recommend the appropriate treatment for your pet. Flea and tick preventatives have improved greatly in recent years. These preventatives are safe and effective in a wide variety of forms. At Highway 58 Animal Hospital, we fit the preventative product to the pet’s problem and environment. Parasite control is of great importance to eliminate disease carrying parasites.

Unfortunately, when accidents happen to our pets, they don’t always occur during office hours. If you find yourself in an emergency situation with your pet such as a car accident, chocolate ingestion, or poisoning after office hours, please contact one of the following emergency care providers for assistance:

Animal Emergency and Specialty Center of Chattanooga
6393 Lee Highway
Chattanooga, TN 37421
(423) 822-8304

Veterinary Care and Specialty Group
3812 Tennessee Ave
Chattanooga, TN 37409
(423) 591-0270

Heartworms are a serious, year-round parasitic threat to your pet’s health. After an infection occurs, treatment is not only very expensive, but can also be life threatening.

Heartworms are extremely common in warm and humid environments, and can infect both our canine companions AND our feline friends. Heartworms are transmitted from infected mosquitoes as juvenile worms known as microfilaria. Unless your pet is taking a heartworm preventative, these immature worms can grow into adults which can cause serious damage to the animal’s blood vessels, lungs and heart, and may even cause death.

Once your pet has been tested for heartworms and has been found to be heartworm free, a monthly preventative can keep your dog or cat healthy. Having your pet on a preventative treatment is much less expensive than having to treat adult heartworms. There are several options available for the prevention of this potentially life threatening disease. The experienced veterinarians at Highway 58 Animal Hospital will determine which preventative is right for your pet, based on their needs and lifestyle.

Highway 58 Animal Hospital is pleased to offer above standard services and care for their clients. In order to continue a high quality of service, payment is expected in full at the time of examination or procedure. We accept cash, check, and credit card payments. Sometimes an unexpected emergency occurs with our pets that is not within our immediate budget. If you would like the option of financing unanticipated expenses in order to provide the best care for your pet, we are partnered with Care Credit. You can find more information at https://www.carecredit.com/