What Makes Us Different

What are the special qualities of this practice? Low Stress Handling.

Although our outward appearance is that of any established veterinary hospital, how we operate is extraordinary.

  • Standard appointment times that are 2 to 3 times the national average: We want to be able to spend the time needed to answer all of your questions and discuss all of your options.
  • We individualize each patient’s vaccination plan according to their health status, life style and age. We follow the recommendations from the American Animal Hospital Association’s 2011 Vaccine Guidelines for dogs and the 2012 American Association of Feline Practitioner’s Vaccine Guidelines for cats. These guidelines state which vaccines are recommended and at what time interval. A recent survey found that 60% of veterinarians still vaccinate their patients every year for canine distemper and parvo and feline RCP (rhinotracheitis, calici, panleukopenia) which ignores the original guidelines published almost a decade ago. Only 14% of veterinarians use the safer rabies vaccine engineered specifically for cats, even though this vaccine has been available for over a decade.
  • General practitioners with formal post-graduate training: Advanced training enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of our diagnostic and treatment options – this provides a better value for our clients
  • An Anesthetic Safety and Pain Management Program that adheres to the highest standard of care enabling maximal safety and minimal discomfort.
  • Continuing education that includes yearly retraining at the university level: Yearly retraining with the specialists at the university level gives us the best way of incorporating new techniques into our practice

What is different about our appointment schedule?

  • We schedule 2 patients per hour per doctor: We feel this extra time is in the patient’s best interest. We can review the patient record, discuss patient history, perform a thorough examination, and make appropriate follow-up plans.
  • We feel that we are the best veterinary value in the Buffalo area.

Why does postgraduate doctor training benefit the patient?

  • The post-graduate Internship Matching Program is a highly competitive program for top veterinary graduates. Only 10% of graduating seniors are accepted. Most of the participants remain in an academic setting rather than enter private practice.
  • During this year long program, the participants concentrate exclusively on either small animals or large animals depending upon their preference.
  • The participants work closely with top veterinary specialists in a much more “hands on” fashion than is possible during base veterinary medical school. The experiences gained during an internship last a lifetime.
  • We are fortunate to have veterinarians with such training on our staff.

Who benefits from a multi-doctor practice?
Some have said that they prefer a single doctor practice so that they can see the same doctor every visit. The problem here is that there are going to be times when the doctor is going to be out of the office. Who will care for your pet then?

  • Multiple doctor practices always have someone who is familiar with the practice’s staff and systems present at the hospital
  • With multiple doctors we can review each others cases to ensure the best possible approach to each case
  • Careful and consistent charting ensures that each doctor in the practice can be brought up to speed quickly with your pet’s individual history
  • Doctors can attend a variety of continuing education programs bringing back tips to share with the other doctors.
  • Each doctor has his/her strengths and favored interests – multiple doctors help blend the best balance of these elements

What is special about the anesthetic safety and pain management program at our hospital?
Veterinary anesthesia is one of the least well developed areas of the profession. Dr. Stein has worked with the board certified veterinary anesthesia specialists at Michigan State University for the past several years. He has developed a highly sophisticated anesthetic program that allows our practice to maintain familiarity with multiple protocols for each patient category from young and healthy patients to aged or severely ill patients.

  • Each patient should be viewed as an individual, allowing the supervising veterinarian to tailor the anesthetic protocol to the needs of the patient
  • IV catheters are placed in every possible patient: This is a critical safety measure and it is standard procedure at our practice
  • Anesthetic monitoring includes pulse oximetry, ECG heart monitoring, and indirect blood pressure monitoring and end tidal carbon dioxide monitoring for every anesthetized patient. Thorough monitoring allows for the early detection of small abnormalities so they may be corrected before a major problem develops. We don’t just monitor, we also have the knowledge, equipment and medications available to fix problems that might develop.
  • Anesthetic specific records are maintained on each anesthetized patient so that we can most effectively manage future anesthetic events to the best benefit of the patient
  • Our practice maintains a detailed anesthesia protocol guide providing an extraordinary reference for our staff to maximize our application of high level anesthesia.
  • We have been at the forefront of the evolution of meaningful veterinary pain management. We have developed and fine tuned our protocols over the past 10 years. We have numerous options for effective pain control. It is a sad fact that there is an inadequate overall approach to pain control within the veterinary profession. You will not find that to be a problem at our practice!
  • We invite our clients to spend time observing at our hospital. Please ask us about this as we welcome the opportunity to show you what makes us so different!

How do our doctors remain up to date on treatment and surgical protocols?

We require our veterinary staff to pursue continuing education on a regular basis.

  • Dr. Stein is committed to training a minimum of 2 weeks per year directly working with the specialists at Michigan State University.
  • The Buffalo Academy of Veterinary Medicine is a regional CE organization of which all our doctors are members. Dr. Stein is a past president of this wonderful group.
  • The staff rotates attending the various CE programs conducted around the country.