Bardens Animal Clinic has obtained American Animal Hospital Association Accreditation (AAHA).  The AAHA Standards of Accreditation ensures veterinary practices provide excellent patient care and build a professional business. While accreditation is voluntary, the experience of preparing and going through the inspection process benefits the entire practice team and clients.

What Are AAHA Standards?

Since 1933, AAHA’s leaders and other veterinary experts have developed specific written standards for companion animal practices. These standards have undergone numerous changes, but none so significant as the 2005 enhancements. The enhanced standards were developed in order to raise the bar of veterinary excellence to ensure they reflect the developments made over the past 10 years in veterinary medicine in addition to AAHA’s team philosophy.

The enhanced standards of accreditation cover the following areas:

  • Anesthesia: Methods for assessing anesthetic needs in patients and appropriateness of equipment

  • Client Service: Communicates well with clients during all aspects of their visit

  • Contagious Disease: Protocols, processes and facilities to handle contagious diseases and avoid outbreaks

  • Continuing Education: Continuing education tools and opportunities for staff members

  • Dentistry: Safe dental procedures that protect both the patient and staff members

  • Diagnostic Imaging: Safe dental procedures that protect both the patient and staff members

  • Emergency: Equipment handling and process for emergencies

  • Examination Room: Properly equipped for thorough examinations

  • Housekeeping: Cleanliness

  • Human Resources: Handling of personnel matters

  • Laboratory: Laboratory services for the prompt diagnosis of patients

  • Leadership: Leadership’s commitment to creating a positive work environment and providing high-quality care

  • Medical Records: Continuity of care through medical record details

  • Pain Management: Pain assessment, management and training

  • Patient Care: Humane and advantageous care to patients during all aspects of their visit

  • Pharmacy: Proper handling, storing and dispensing of medications

  • Safety: Safety of environment for patients, clients and team

  • Surgery: Patient safety in an aseptic environment with appropriate pre- and post-operative considerations

========================================= Flea Products

We carry two products (Revolution, Frontline) that work to eliminate and control flea problems.  Even with heavy flea infestation, you won't need to treat your home or yard. Simply treat your pets. Fleas will jump on your pets, bite them and then die.  In a short while, you will have eliminated your flea problem. However, you must continue treating your pets during the active flea season. Before we take a closer look at each of the products, let's look at the flea life cycle.

The Flea Life Cycle:

Fleas and butterflies have the same life cycle: egg, caterpillar, cocoon, adult.  The adult female lives its three week life-cycle on a cat or dog. The flea spends its day sucking blood 2-3 times and laying 20-30 eggs each day.  From egg to adult takes about three weeks. By the time you notice fleas, there will already be enormous numbers of  eggs, caterpillars and cocoons in your carpet.  Flea pupae, protected by their cocoons, are invincible.  Even if you vacuum and fumigate, they will continue to hatch and most of them will bite somebody before they die.  Use Revolution or Frontline for your pets.  Fleas will hatch, jump on the pet and quickly die.

Revolution

Applied to the skin like Frontline, Revolution is a newer product that not only kills fleas but also prevents heartworms. If your pet has not been taking a heartworm preventive, we should test for heartworms before beginning this treatment and then yearly. Revolution is  easy to use, highly effective, and less expensive than using a monthly flea product AND a monthly heartworm product. We usually recommend Revolution, especially for cats. 

Frontline Plus

Frontline Plus is the most effective flea medication we've got and has been around for a long time. It lasts longer and will stay put for occasional swimming or bathing.  Frontline Plus contains (S)-methoprene, an ingredient to stops reproduction by fleas that escape Frontline alone. 

Frontline Plus depends on natural skin oils to spread over the animal. Wait about three days after bathing before applying the product. This allows the skin oils to replenish themselves. Avoid bathing, swimming or contact with water for a couple of days afterward the product is applied. 

When used monthly, Frontline Plus does a good job of controlling ticks and is the only satisfactory product for tick control in cats.

Frontline Spray

Frontline Spray works the same as Frontline but it must be sprayed all over the body. It is a little more difficult to use, but works much faster. You don't have to wait for the your pet's natural skin oils to distribute the product. For cats and small dogs, Frontline Spray is also much less expensive.  Using Frontline Spray, costs less than a dollar a month to use. 

Other Monthly Insecticides:

Hartz Control, Bio-Spot, Sargeant's Pretect,  Zodiac Spot-on, Powerspot, and Defy all contain pyrethrum, a natural insecticide used for many years as a flea spray.  When used to prevent a flea problem, they work ok.  If your pet already has fleas, Frontline will work much better and is less toxic than pyrethrum to your pet. Frontline is safe for cats and puppies, The monthly insecticides list in this paragraph are not. 

Traditional Flea Spray and Powder:

Why bother!  These products do not usually perform as specified. Frontline Spray works ten times better. It is safer and costs about the same. 

Flea Dip

Not safe for cats, but flea dip is a perfectly reasonable choice for big dogs with heavy infestations. Dips are used by many animal shelters and humane societies to treat animals that have been confiscated. You need to dip the entire dog, nose to tail so you must have a large container to hold the solution and allow you to submerse the dog. This process must be repeated every three weeks throughout the flea season.  Because of the smell, dip is not a good choice for indoor dogs.  Dip is a waste of time for small dogs, since Frontline spray is cheaper, more effective and easier to use.

Flea Collars

Flea collars are still an economical and useful method of flea control when used before you see fleas. If your pet is already itchy, it is too late for collars. 

Many flea collars kill adult fleas and make flea eggs sterile.  Flea collars aren't very effective if you already have a flea problem, but they are easy and cheap, and a lot better than nothing.  Many people, including me, don't like the smell of flea collars or the oily feeling the insecticide leaves on hands after petting a dog wearing a collar.