Large Animal

• Lameness
• Endoscopy
• Dentistry
• Surgery
• Ultrasound
• Reproduction
• Intensive Care
• Preventative Care
• VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation)
• Radiology
• Acupuncture
• Pre-purchase exams
  

• Preventative Care
• Orthopedics
• Soft tissue surgery
• Ultrasound
• Radiology
• Intensive Care
• Dentistry
• Acupuncture
• VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation)
• Endoscopy
• Boarding
• Grooming
  

Lameness: We provide comprehensive lameness evaluations for our equine patients as well as other large animal species. Evaluations can include a thorough history, physical exam, flexion tests and observation of locomotion in a straight line or in a circle. Additional diagnostics may include nerve and/or joint blocks, radiographs, ultrasonography, neurological exam, or observation under saddle. We encourage you to be prepared to tack up if needed. [top]

Endoscopy: We have a 1.5 meter (4.5 foot) endoscope that we use to visualize the mouth, nasal passages, throat, trachea, esophagus, reproductive and urinary tracts of our large animal patients. Conditions where we might use endoscopy include upper respiratory disease, nasal hemorrhage, pneumonia, choke, guttural pouch problems, bladder or uterine problems, and more. [top]

Dentistry: Dental care is of prime importance for our horses. Tooth problems can be an underlying cause for weight loss, poor performance, head tossing, abscesses, colic and other health problems. At Crater Animal Clinic we use power dental tools and floats in order to achieve the best results and can perform basic, restorative and performance dental care. We have special tools for ponies and miniature horses as well. We also perform dental care on llamas and alpacas. [top]

Surgery: Crater Animal Clinic has a state of the art surgery and recovery room, with modern anesthesia and monitoring equipment. We perform many surgeries in our large animal species including castrations, cryptorchid (retained testicle) surgeries, umbilical hernias, rectal prolapses, splint bone removals, angular limb corrective surgeries, check ligaments, bladder stone removal, joint lavage and limb perfusion, and Cesarian sections in our small ruminants. Colic surgeries and other major abdominal surgeries are referred to Oregon State University. [top]

Ultrasonography: An ultrasound is a versatile machine that emits sound waves that bounce off tissues depending on their density. The reflected waves are detected by the ultrasound probe and thus register an image. For our large animal patients, ultrasonography can be used to evaluate estrus and pregnancy, superficial abdominal organs (liver, spleen, kidneys, small intestine), the surface of the lungs and other soft tissues such as muscle, tendons, joints, abscesses, tumors, etc. [top]

Reproduction: Reproduction is an important part of veterinary medicine for our large animal clientele. We perform breeding soundness exams (BSE) for horses, camelids and cattle, ultrasound guided pregnancy detection for horses and camelids (llamas and alpacas), stallion collection using our phantom mare, and artificial insemination (AI) using fresh, cooled or frozen semen. We also work up the problem breeder with uterine cultures, ultrasonography, endoscopy, biopsies and more. Contact our large animal department to find out ways to make your breeding program more efficient and successful. Click on the following links to download Breeding Forms.
Fresh-Cooled Semen Breeding Package Agreement
Frozen Semen Breeding Package Agreement [top]

Intensive Care: For our large animal patients that require hospitalization we have large, well-equipped indoor or covered outdoor stalls with heavy rubber matting and setups for both IV fluids and oxygen. The indoor stalls are facing the treatment area and thus our critical care patients are under observation at all times during the day. We also have a nurse on premise that is available to check up on patients during the night in addition to the on-call doctor. [top]

Preventative Medicine: Crater Animal Clinic strives to help our clients have happy, healthy animals. We believe that annual wellness exams, a well organized deworming program and core vaccine programs are essential for health maintenance. Wellness exams are extensive, thorough evaluations that help us detect early signs of illness or disease while it is still manageable and/or treatable. For our recommendations on preventative care for our large animal patients, click here. We also do Coggins tests and Health Certificates (Certificates of Veterinary Inspection) for our patients who will be traveling to shows, sales or across state lines. [top]

Radiology: Radiographs are an essential diagnostic tool for work up of our patients with lameness. Our mobile X-ray machine can be used in hospital or in the field to take radiographs of hooves, legs, head, parts of the neck and the top of the spine. We can also take radiographs of the abdomen of our small ruminant or neonatal patients. Radiology is used to diagnose such conditions as laminitis (Founder), head trauma, fractures, ring bone, arthritis, osteochondritis dessicans (OCD), guttural pouch problems, tooth root abscesses and more. [top]

Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a form of therapy where sterile needles are used to stimulate nerve and vessel centers in the body and thus manipulate or stimulate body function and healing. Acupuncture can be used for lameness, laminitis, neurologic problems, colic, back or neck pain, anxiety, anorexia, and more. Acupuncture can be used in adjunct with other therapies or can be used on its own. [top]

VOM: Veterinary orthopedic manipulation is a chiropractic technique that utilizes a graduated, spinal accelerometer called an activator. The activator is a stainless steel, spring loaded device that generates a very rapid, mechanical energy wave into the tissues and bones of the spine. The mechanical energy wave generated is a potent stimulator of a certain type of sensory nerve ending, called mechanoreceptors. The mechanoreceptors send a very large nerve impulse directly to the spinal cord to reset the nervous system. There is no torqing or tearing of the tissues because the actual amount of movement is very small. VOM is used to treat neurological and spinal diseases in both small and large animal patients. [top]

Pre-purchase Exams: A veterinary exam prior to buying a new horse or camelid is a critical tool in helping our clients make better decisions when making an investment, whether financial or emotional, on a new animal. Pre-purchase exams are thorough evaluations of health and lameness and may require bloodwork or radiographs as part of the overall picture. We recommend bringing tack for the possibility of watching movement under saddle. [top]

Small Animal Hospital

Our state of the art small animal hospital offers everything from routine appointments to soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, intensive care, emergency care and advanced diagnostics. The treatment area is open and accessible with views into our large surgery suite with state of the art monitoring equipment. We have separate dog and cat wards as well as intensive care cages directly facing the treatment and surgery areas for constant observation. We have a completely separate isolation exam room and hospitalization area for those patients with communicable or contagious diseases (ex. parvo, kennel cough, leptospirosis, salmonella, etc.). [top]

Preventative medicine: At Crater Animal Clinic we advocate maintaining healthy, happy pets. We encourage annual wellness examinations and fecals, core vaccination and deworming programs, as well as heartworm and flea preventatives. Our thorough, comprehensive wellness exams allow for early detection of potential illness or disease while they are still manageable/treatable. For our complete recommendations on preventative care, please click here. [top]

Orthopedics: Our surgery suite is set up to do most small animal orthopedic work, including fracture repair with pins, plates or wire, ligament reconstruction, internal or external fixation, juvenile pubic symphodiesis (JPS), and more. Additionally, Dr. Matt Lawrence is certified to perform TPLO (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy), the gold standard for repair of torn or ruptured cruciate ligaments in the knee which is one of the most common hind limb injuries in dogs. Orthopedic surgeries are among the more painful surgeries and Crater Animal Clinic prides itself on providing pain relief and comfort to all our patients undergoing surgery, including epidurals, local anesthesia, joint blocks, anti-inflammatories, CRI (constant rate infusion) of pain medications in intravenous fluids, and acupuncture. [top]

Soft tissue surgery: We offer a full range of soft tissue surgeries from routine castrations and spays (ovariohysterectomies) to biopsies, abdominal exploratory surgery, foreign body removals, other intestinal surgeries, GDV (gastric dilatation volvulus – twisted stomach), Cesarian sections, bladder surgeries and more. We also have a ventilator for surgeries of the lungs and chest or where artificial respiration is needed. [top]

Ultrasonography: An ultrasound is a versatile machine that emits sound waves that bounce off tissues depending on their density. The reflected waves are detected by the ultrasound probe and thus register an image. For our small animal patients we use ultrasonography for early pregnancy detection, full abdominal exams (liver, spleen kidneys, pancreas, etc.), evaluation of the bladder, basic cardiac evaluation, and more. Ultrasound often gives us more information about the pathology of our patient’s illness. We also use the ultrasound for guiding biopsies of internal organs and obtaining sterile urine samples. [top]

Radiology: Our small animal X-ray machine can be used for evaluation of fractures, hip dysplasia and other orthopedic problems as well as soft tissue diagnostics of the bladder, intestine, heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. We also perform contrast studies of the bladder, kidneys and intestines. [top]

Intensive Care: We are well equipped to manage our patients who require hospitalization and intensive care. Our intensive care cages face the treatment and surgery areas for constant observation. They are set up for heat, oxygen, and have fluid pumps available for IV fluids. For our more critical cases we have a nurse on premise who is available to check on patients during the night in addition to the on-call doctor. [top]

Dentistry: Dental care is of major importance for our small animal patients. Tartar build-up can result in foul breath, sore or infected gums, tooth root abscesses and even body-wide illness. We have modern dental equipment for cleaning, scaling and polishing teeth as well as equipment for extracting teeth when necessary. With annual wellness exams we can monitor our patients’ teeth and can advise whether some extra home care is needed or when a dental cleaning is indicated. [top]

Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a form of therapy where sterile needles are used to stimulate nerve and vessel centers in the body and thus manipulate or stimulate bodily function and healing. Acupuncture is widely used in small animals to treat various conditions including arthritis, allergies, back pain, behavioral issues, anorexia (not wanting to eat), vomiting, and more. [top]

VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation): Veterinary orthopedic manipulation is a chiropractic technique that utilizes a graduated, spinal accelerometer called an activator. The activator is a stainless steel, spring loaded device that generates a very rapid, mechanical energy wave into the tissues and bones of the spine. The mechanical energy wave generated is a potent stimulator of a certain type of sensory nerve ending, called mechanoreceptors. The mechanoreceptors send a very large nerve impulse directly to the spinal cord to reset the nervous system. There is no torqing or tearing of the tissues because the actual amount of movement is very small. VOM is used to treat neurological and spinal diseases in both small and large animal patients. [top]

Endoscopy: We have a 1.5 meter (4.5 foot) endoscope that can be used for a variety of diagnostics in small animals including visualization of the nasal passages (in larger dogs), trachea and lungs, esophagus, stomach and large intestine. Conditions where we might choose to use endoscopy include bleeding from the nose, chronic coughing or lung sounds, pneumonia, choking, foreign bodies in the stomach, IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), and more. A video otoscope is also available to view inside the ear canals of our small animal patients. [top]

Boarding and Grooming services: Please click here for information about Grooming to Perfection, our canine grooming department and our canine and feline boarding facilities. [top]