FAQs

At Animal Medical Service, we only recommend those surgical procedures that are in the best interest of your pet. Each individual procedure varies from pet to pet and condition to condition. Typically, a physical examination, review of the patient’s medical history, and blood work are recommended for each pet that may have to be subjected to sedation or anesthesia. Our veterinarian will use this information to screen your pet for potential issues before beginning any procedure to help ensure the safety of your pet. As with humans, the older the pet, the more precautions need to be taken.
Although there will always be a minimal amount of risk associated with anesthetizing your pet, we take every precaution available to ensure that those risks are minimized, including most of the same fail-safe measures that your physician would provide if you were placed under anesthesia. We also monitor vital signs throughout all stages of surgery and recovery.

At Animal Medical Service, we believe that the best way to prolong the relationship you share with your pet is to identify disease processes early and prevent the progression of chronic illness, before it becomes a problem. To keep tabs on your pet’s overall health, it is important to maintain annual exams and blood work. We recommend an examination by your veterinarian every 12 months for healthy pets under the age of 7, and every 6 months for healthy senior patients. Those pets with chronic disease or mobility issues may require examination on a more frequent basis. We also recommend annual blood work profiles to provide a continuous record for our veterinarian to identify trends and specific areas to focus on in an effort to prolong the duration and quality of life of our patients.

Periodontal disease (disease of the structures around the tooth--the gums, bone, and connective tissue) is one of the most common problems that we deal with on a daily basis at Animal Medical Service. Periodontal infections, tooth fractures, and oral masses can be sources of serious discomfort for your pet. Additionally, untreated periodontal infections can cause damage to major organs of the body including the heart, liver, and kidneys. Proper veterinary dental care can help prevent your pet from developing painful dental conditions, and can extend their life expectancy as well.

Similar to human food intake, a diet that is low in fat and high in protein is essential to the life of your pet. Animal Medical Service offers the newest and most efficient food for your pet available today.
Pets, like people, are unique and individual; they have different needs based on their size, breed, age, and health issues. But no matter what their individual needs are, it is important that pets maintain a healthy weight, eat a nutritious diet, and receive adequate exercise to promote living longer with fewer health issues.
When pets are overweight, it creates a tendency towards diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and other chronic health conditions. Using our nutritional counseling services at Animal Medical Service will help simplify just what your pet should be eating and how much.

Heartworms are a serious life-threatening, year-round parasitic threat to both indoor and outdoor pets. Transmitted by mosquitoes, heartworms are extremely common in the warm, moisture rich environment found in south Alabama.
Heartworm larvae are carried to healthy animals by mosquitoes that have previously bitten infected animals. Unless your pet is taking a heartworm preventative, the microfilaria, larvae of the parasites, will mature into adult worms. Adult heartworms can cause serious damage to the animal’s blood vessels, lungs and heart, and may ultimately cause death.


The best course of action is to have your pets tested regularly for the presence of heartworms and kept on a heartworm preventative regimen for the rest of their lives. Having your pet on a monthly preventative treatment is much less expensive than having to treat adult heartworms. There are several options available for the prevention of this potentially life threatening disease. Dr. Thompson at Animal Medical Service will determine which preventative is right for your pet, based on their needs and lifestyle.

Animal Medical Service strives to offer compassionate, comprehensive veterinary care to pet owners in Brewton, Alabama and the surrounding communities. In order to continue a high quality of service, payment is expected in full at the time of examination or procedure. We accept cash, checks, and Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express credit card payments. All cards must be signed by the owner of the card.
Sometimes an unexpected emergency occurs with our pets that is not within our immediate budget. If you would like the option of financing unanticipated expenses in order to provide the best care for your pet, we are partnered with Care Credit. It takes just 5 minutes to complete an application. https://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/.