Appointments

Dental Suite
Dental Suite

The Dentistry Service schedules new appointments on Wednesdays and select Mondays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Recheck appointments are scheduled Wednesdays, Fridays and select Mondays. Scheduled surgeries are performed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting the reception desk at (515) 294-4900 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.on weekdays and asking to speak with the Dentistry Technician. In addition to seeing appointments, the Dentistry Service receives patients from other services in the hospital and is available for emergency procedures.

The Dentistry Service provides treatment for clients around the surrounding cities and states.If you have a referring veterinarian or a veterinarian that provides general care to your patient, we recommend that you or your pet's primary veterinarian contact us to address any questions regarding your pet's problem. This consultation is also to provide a rough cost estimate for diagnostics, treatment and procedures that may be necessary.

Preparing for your first visit

As you prepare to bring your pet to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, the following are some guidelines to consider:

  • As a general rule, please do not feed your companion animal after 10:00 PM the night before the appointment.Exceptions to this would be instances in which your pet is very young, small, is in need of insulin therapy (diabetic), or has had a history of being unable to control its blood sugar (glucose).
    • Fasting an animal prior to its appointment is very important to be able to collect an accurate blood sample to evaluate organ functions prior to an anesthetic event.
    • Please consult the Dentistry Technician or Receptionist if you have any questions or concerns regarding fasting your pet.
  • Do not restrict water from your pet, in fact, water is encouraged to help prevent your pet from becoming dehydrated
  • When scheduling an appointment, please tell the receptionist or technician about any medications that your pet may be taking.
  • It is very helpful for you to bring all results of previously performed diagnostic tests, such as blood work, and other laboratory tests, biopsy results, and radiographs, if your primary veterinarian has given you copies. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding your pet's preparation, please consult your primary veterinarian, our technicians or doctors.
  • If for any reason you are detained or unable to make the pre-arranged appointment, please contact us at (515) 294-4900 to reschedule or cancel your appointment.
  • As a general rule, we examine and evaluate your pet on the first visit and schedule the procedure at a different time.

Arrival for your appointment

First Visit, Consultation:

  • Upon your arrival at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center for your scheduled appointment, please check in with the small animal receptionists. Please let them know if you require assistance with your pet, or if you pet has any special needs while you are waiting.
  • Once your check-in is complete, you will be directed to the reception area. A senior veterinary student will meet you in the reception area and take you to an available examination room. The student will obtain a complete history of your pet, including dietary and oral habits. It is important for you to be able to tell is about the nature of your pet's primary complaint as best as you can including duration of problem(s), response to previous treatment(s), signs and symptoms you have noticed, progression of problem(s).Please be prepared to tell us about any other problems that your pet may have been treated for in the past or continue to be treated for, even if it seems unrelated to the reason for your appointment. Please include a list of the current medications that your pet is on.
  • After the complete history is obtained, we perform a complete physical examination in our treatment room and conscious oral examination. At this time, our Dentistry Clinician will perform a complete physical examination and conscious oral examination as well. They may ask additional questions regarding the history and disease and then recommend a diagnostic and treatment plan for your pet.
  • We collect blood and lab specimens for evaluation of the overall health status and submit the samples to the laboratory for analysis. If your pet has had laboratory work performed within the past month and we are able to evaluate these results, we may not need to collect any further specimens. You will contacted later that day with the results of the lab work if it is available.
  • You are provided with a rough estimate of the potential treatment and diagnostic costs that are associated with your pet's condition. You are also provided with potential complications that may arise.
  • An appointment will be scheduled at the end of this appointment unless prior arrangements have been made.
  • The most important diagnostic tools to evaluate the disease present in your pet's mouth is periodontal probing, oral evaluation and intraoral dental radiographs. Unfortunately, all of these procedures need to be performed when your pet is under general anesthesia for the safety of your pet, our doctors, students and staff as well as the sensitive equipment that is used. In order to help minimize the frequency that your pet needs to be placed under general anesthesia, these diagnostics are most often performed at the same time that treatment is to be performed. This is why the procedure is scheduled at a different time than the initial consultation.

Second Visit, Procedure:

  • The evening before the scheduled procedure, please do not feed your companion animal after 10 p.m. Exceptions to this would be instances in which your pet is very young, small, is in need of insulin therapy (diabetic), or has had a history of being able to control its blood sugar (glucose). Please contact the attending doctor or student if you feel your pet should not be fasted and for further information.
  • Please consult the Dentistry Technician or Receptionist if you have any questions or concerns regarding fasting your pet.
  • Do not restrict water from your pet, in fact, water is encouraged to help prevent your pet from becoming dehydrated
  • Please bring your pet to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical center by 7:15 a.m. the morning of the procedure.
  • Upon your arrival at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center for your scheduled appointment, please check in with the small animal receptionists. Please let them know if you require assistance with your pet, or if you pet has any special needs while you are waiting.
  • Once your check-in is complete, you will be directed to the reception area. A senior veterinary student will meet you in the reception area and take you to an available examination room. The student will obtain a brief history of your pet, including and changes that may have occurred since the consultation appointment. Please be prepared to tell us about any other problems that your pet may have been treated for since the consultation visit, even if it seems unrelated to the reason for the procedure. Please include a list of the current medications that your pet is on, dosage and the last time these medications were administered.
  • The senior veterinary medical student will inquire whether your pet has been fasted. If your pet has eaten, we may need to reschedule the procedure to help prevent complications that can arise.
  • Please provide current and accurate phone numbers and contact information for the day of the procedure. When your pet is under general anesthesia, we may need to contact you with potential treatment options and to discuss associated costs and complications regarding the procedures.
  • We will then take your pet into the treatment room and perform a physical examination. The Anesthesia service and anesthesiologist will evaluate your pet and formulate a specific anesthetic protocol catered to your pet.
  • We will contact you during the procedure to give you an update and discuss findings, treatment options, and costs associated with the treatment options. When the procedure is finished, and your pet moves into the recovery suite, the senior veterinary medical student will contact you with an update and a projected time for you to pick up your pet.
  • At the time of the discharge of your pet, the senior veterinary student and attending clinician will give you instructions regarding your pet's aftercare, medications needed and follow-up care. You will receive a written release of information that summarizes your pet's tests, treatment and home care instructions. A copy will also be sent to your primary veterinarian as well.