I have a dog and a cat, 8 and 11 years old respectively, and they are the world to me! When your…read morepets are younger, care is more routine but as they get older; one of the most important decisions to make is finding a veterinarian you can trust. A little over a year ago I found such a veterinarian; Dr. Ashbaugh at Trident Veterinary Hospital. Trident Veterinary Hospital is family owned and everyone who works there, including his wife Monica, Brittany, and the whole crew, are so friendly and helpful.
Dr. Ashbaugh is knowledgeable, thorough, and experienced veterinarian who truly cares about all the pets he treats. He takes the time to explain diagnoses and treatment options and will make a recommendation if asked. He completely answers all your questions enabling you to make the best-informed decisions for your pets. In the past I would spend so much time attempting to research any health issues that came up and figure out what was going on or what can be done on my own. What a relief it is now to have a veterinarian I 100% trust to figure out what's going on and give me the best advice to keep my pets healthy.
Dr. Ashbaugh's knowledge, experience, and dedication are evident with every visit where we get exceptional customized care. He listens sincerely to all your concerns first and then puts all his knowledge into finding the best solution. If one thing doesn't work for your individual pet, for whatever reason, he will try something else, until he comes up with the best solution everyone feels comfortable with.
One example of how I knew I found the best veterinarian, is that in the years past our dog had been limping on and off, but I was told by other vets that she was fine and I kept getting sent home with no plan to help her even though it was obvious she was in pain. As soon as Dr. Ashbaugh examined her he immediately noticed her left rear leg had significantly atrophied. She ended up needing a TPLO (knee) surgery which was performed by an attending veterinary orthopedist. The clinic is kept meticulously clean and sterile, which is extremely important going into surgery to avoid any chance of infection. Her leg never even swelled the slightest bit and the incision healed perfectly. She was okayed to go back to activities 8 weeks later, and within 6 months she was back to normal and so happy to be back at the beach; her absolute favorite place in the world! Just seeing how happy she is, makes me smile!
Another example of how I knew I found the best veterinarian, is that my cat isn't always cooperative when I bring him in for an appointment. In the past I have been told by previous clinics to drug him, which I have not wanted to do because he is sensitive to medications. He has had FIC which means his stress level has to stay low, and now that he is older has borderline CKD, so any medication side effects could be damaging. Knowing this, when my cat had to go in for a dental, Dr. Ashbaugh figured out just the right mixture to enable him to perform the dental while also keeping my cat in a good mood throughout the procedure. The medication wore off reasonably quickly after he came home and there were no side effects!
Also, you should know Dr. Ashbaugh provides the best dental I have ever seen! He actually x-rays the teeth, like our human dentists would, so he knows for sure what's going on and won't do any unnecessary work. When my cat came home from his dental at Trident Veterinary Hospital his teeth were not only clean, but sparkling white! I had never seen them that sparkling white in his whole 11 years of being! And you could tell they were feeling good too, because his appetite has been better since.
I have also been to Trident Veterinary Hospital for routine check-ups and vaccinations, coughing, bumps and lumps, and anything going on that I was concerned about. I feel lucky to have found Dr. Ashbaugh and his team and give them the highest recommendation.