Surgery and Dentistry Information

Union Animal Hospital offers a variety of basic and advanced surgical and dental procedures to our clients.  When indicated for your pet's care we may advise referral to a specialist for a surgical or more advanced dental procedure. We do not currently offer surgical fracture repairs, advanced orthodontics, root canals, or crowns. Other restrictions may apply depending on your pets needs, lifestyle and overall health. 

PROCEDURE ESTIMATES

While we may be able to give base line estimates over the phone for some procedures this is not possible for all.  Our procedures are pet specific and as such estimates are not valid without a current qualifying exam and at that time we can provide a written estimate with a clear breakdown of the plan. All estimates are subject to change and variability as many issues are not known until the time of the procedure.  Not all issues can be found on an awake evaluation but we use those to look for more obvious variabilities so we can try to prepare and estimate more accurately for you.  If drastic changes are discovered during your pets procedure someone from our office will reach out to update you on the changes and costs that may be associated with those unexpected findings. In some cases you can opt out to the additional issues but sometimes they are necessary for your pets well being and will incur additional fees.  Our goal is always to do all we can to avoid surprises during procedures but animals are not always built the same and sometimes hidden health issues may be present that are not found until that time.  

Most of our procedure costs are affected by time, patient weight and concurrent health conditions that you may or may not be aware of. This is why we require a recent qualifying exam to schedule any procedure that uses general anesthesia. This is how we ensure that we are one of the safest veterinary clinics in our area with minimal complication rates. We know convenience is nice but patient safety is more important.  In addition, we want you to know the people that are performing your pets procedure and caring for your pet and give you the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with you all your options and make you comfortable with how the process goes, this reduces frustration and miscommunication.

Estimates provided by phone are not binding and subject to change once your pet has been seen by a veterinarian. We do our best to give you an idea over the phone but we are severely limited in estimating for variabilities or changes the veterinarian may deem necessary.  More advanced procedures cannot be estimated by phone in most cases as patient size and the typeof procedure combined with patient overall health highly affect estimates.  When ball parking estimates by phone you should expect a large range and it will not include optional extras or patient specific changes. 

SCHEDULING AND PLANNING PROCEDURES

When are procedures done and who does them?

Union Animal Hospital offers surgical and dental procedure scheduling Monday thru Friday.  If you want or need a specific veterinarian to perform your pets procedure you must make that known when scheduling as our veterinarians perform procedures on different days of the week and this will limit availability. Procedures cannot be scheduled without a recent qualifying exam. This is for pet's safety as well as ensuring our team is prepared in advance for your pets procedure to reduce delays and complications, not all all pets or procedures are created equal and our clinic caters to individual patient needs.  Our team can discuss with you the type of exam required to schedule the procedure your pet needs. 

Most procedures performed at our office occur in the morning and early afternoon.  We cannot promise what time your pets specific procedure will be performed so we ask all our clients to prepare for their pet to stay all day. Most of our procedures will go home between 4pm-6pm the same day, with few exceptions, as we are not staffed though the night. If your pet requires more extensive post procedure monitoring we will advise they be transferred to one of our local emergency clinics for continued care, this is at an additional cost outside our control.

What should I expect the day of my pet's procedure?

When scheduling our team will provide you with a drop off time, typically between 7:30-8:30 the morning of your procedure.  Please plan accordingly as the check in process usually takes 30 minutes or more depending on your pets needs and the procedure. Rushing often leads to miscommunications and frustration. We try to send you all your check in paperwork in advance to reduce delays.  

When you check in a member of our team will greet you and go over your paperwork and options, they will review the plan for the day and discuss any additional options your pet may need. They will update your estimate based on your paperwork and provide that to you. Once your pet is checked our team will carefully review your requests, paperwork and check your pets vitals.  The veterinarian assigned to perform you pets procedure will be updated on your pets case, will perform a preanesthetic evaluation and review the plan for the day.  Any testing you opted for will be reviewed by the veterinarian and if there are any concerns that may alter your pet's procedure we will contact you to discuss.  Once the veterinarian has had the option to evaluate all the patients for procedures the order of procedures will be decided based on the patient needs, health status and additional options or procedures needed.  Please know that requests for early release are allowed but we cannot ever guarantee when a pet will have their procedure or what time they will go home, it will vary based on your pets needs, the other patients in the office and individual recovery. We strongly discourage scheduling a procedure for a day when you may have another commitment as we will not release pets prematurely for convenience as it is a risk to their safe recovery. If your work schedule prevents picking your pet up when they are ready that is OK so long as they are picked up by 5:45pm, as we close at 6. We are happy to care for them until the end of the day if needed for your schedule. 

Your pet will be able to go home when they are fully recovered, able to regulate their body temperature and have been observed for 3 hours after their procedure. In addition, all their go home medications will be prepared, optional additional services will have to be completed, charges must be completed and verified and the go home care instructions finalized before they can be safely discharged.  As stated above most patients will go home the same day between 4:00p-6:00pm provided their are stable and safe to do so, arrangements for further care will be made on a case by case basis and discussed with you.

Once we determine a time your pet can go home we will contact you to schedule a pick up time.  We strive to schedule these to ensure you get the option to have any questions answered and we prefer to have one of the team members assigned to your pets procedure available to chat with you. When you arrive for check out one of our dedicated team members go over your pets home care, medications and summarize what was done that day. They will be available to answer any questions you have about your pets care both at our hospital and when at home. In most cases this will be a team member that assisted with your pets procedure or a technician but in some cases another team member may step in and will be updated on your pet's case to prepare for check out. If they are not certain of an answer to your question they will get in contact with the veterinarian or other team member that assisted with your pet and get that answered for you.

In the following 1-3 days someone from our office will contact you to check in on your pet and make sure they are doing well and that you don't have any questions or concerns. If they don't reach you they will leave a message and we will hope for a call back to let us know. If you have concerns we always invite you to contact us at your convenience. 

We strive to communicate with you regularly when you pet is in our office for a procedure. In most cases we will contact you once your pets procedure is complete and we want to schedule a pick up time. If we need to discuss with you any changes to the plan, your pets recovery, test results or other issues while they are with us we will reach out as needed to discuss. Please be sure you are always. near your phone during the day as it is critical that we reach you in a timely manner during your pets stay to reduce complications.  We will do our best to only contact you when absolutely necessary and plan in advance whenever possible. 

Our goal is always to treat you and your pet like family and put ourselves in your shoes. We understand for most of our client procedure days can be emotional and worrisome but rest assured we are putting your pets care and safety at the top of our priority list. We will always choose your pets safety above convenience. We promise to never cut corners, even if you ask us too *wink-wink*

If your pet needs a surgical or dental procedure please do not hesitate to call and ask if that procedure is offered or if we recommend a specialist.

Location

Find us on the map

Office Hours

We are CLOSED all MAJOR HOLIDAYS

Monday:

7:30 am-6:00 pm

Tuesday:

7:30 am-6:00 pm

Wednesday:

7:30 am-6:00 pm

Thursday:

7:30 am-6:00 pm

Friday:

7:30 am-6:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Testimonial

  • "We bring both our girls Ava and Nellie. Our latest visit was due to a limping issue after a visit to a dog park with Nellie (Greyhound and Healer mix). Staff was very kind and gentle with Nellie who is timid with strangers. In the end Nellie thanked both the vet and tech by licking their hands. Great team go see this vet office."
    Joy M.
  • "Dr. Sutton and the loving staff at Union Animal Hospital are amazing! They've taken wonderful care of my dog's since they were puppies. We've added 2 more dog's to our pack, a rescue and a re-home, after my Springer passed this spring. Dr. Sutton and here staff are so good with dog's they don't even mind going for their visits. Thanks Doc!"
    Mike P.
  • "Every visit has been wonderful. I feel like they pay attention to every detail and always ask if we have any more questions. I feel safe leaving my dogs in their care."
    Lisa S.
  • "Union Animal Hospital is the best place! The first time visit was great even during the Pandemic, the techs are wonderful and friendly. Best of all is that they are definitely affordable compared to the rest of the clinics in Spokane."
    Lori J.
  • "The most caring and compassionate animal hospital and veterinary clinic I've found in Spokane. Everyone is so nice and they are outstanding with my 11 year old Pomeranian. I've been searching for a while to find a new Veterinary clinic to take my Pomeranian. I'm so happy to have finally found a place with such caring people whom I can trust to care for my dog and give me all the information I need. They even gave me a print out estimate for everything. They are a bit more expensive than some other places I've researched but with the quality of care they give in my opinion it's well worth the few extra dollars. Thank you guys for treating us so well."
    Amber M.
  • "Our fist time having a pet emergency and Union Animal Hospital took us in right away and helped our Fur baby get better again. We won't go anywhere else, good prices and amazing staff, this is the spot if you care and love your animals take them here to be treated with the utmost respect and quality. LOTS IF LOVE TO YOU GUYS FOR BEING THERE FOR OUR FAMILY"
    Elizabeth R.
  • "Had a great first experience! Dr Sutton was great!"
    Debra R.