Southwest Animal Hospital
www.wecareforpets.com

Proudly Serving the Southwestern Cleveland Area for 20 Years.

Philosophy

Mission Statement:

At Southwest Animal Hospital, our goal is to meet the wants and needs of our clients and their pets. We strive to enhance the quality of life of animals in our care and achieve personal and intellectual fulfillment. We pursue these goals through the application of compassionate animal care, vanguard veterinary technology, selected animal care products, and informative medical records.

Open Communication:

At Southwest Animal Hospital we believe that the client is the ultimate caretaker of the pet and the pet's medical records. This is a philosophy first espoused by Dr. Lawrence Weed in the early 70's. His feeling was that the physician keeping the medical records did not serve a modern society well. Our society has become much more mobile and people are unlikely to live out their lives in one locale. The average American moves several times in a lifetime and usually leaves valuable medical records behind. Dr. Weed felt that the patient should be aware of his or her complete medical history and that the physician would use the information to advise and treat the patient. We at Southwest Animal Hospital have adapted this philosophy to pets. At Southwest Animal Hospital, our first responsibility is to inform the client and a secondary responsibility is to provide the medical, diagnostic or surgical services. A complete copy of the pets medical record assures that we are meeting the first responsibility to our clients. Unlike any other hospital in the area, Southwest provides copies of each exam or hospitalization, and whenever possible, copies of the results of laboratory and diagnostic tests (blood chemistries, ECG's, biopsy reports and correspondence with specialists). This helps insure that we are pursuing a course of action compatible with our client's wishes. It additionally places the burden on us to be thorough and competent.

High Value Strategy:

At Southwest Animal Hospital, we believe that everyone's best interests are served by the pursuit of a "high value strategy". The fees reflect the degree of expertise needed in each situation and no more. The aim is to build fairness into the fees and to value the long term relationship.

Technology:

We at Southwest Animal Hospital believe that the application of advanced technology furthers our high value strategy. As in all fields, veterinary medicine has experienced an explosion in technology. Often this technology is handed down from and adapted from human medicine. Early and accurate diagnosis is the foundation for the best treatment plans. Our radiology suite was acquired from Lakewood Hospital and gives us the ability to do image intensifying radiology, essentially video x-rays for specialized studies. (Barium swallows, nonselective angiography, gastrointestinal series, x-ray guided biopsies etc.). Our ultrasound is a veterinary version of one used in physicians offices. It complements the information we can derive from x-rays but looking into organs. Endoscopy provides another means of looking "inside". Careful hands on physical examination and the application of appropriate technology lead to the formulation of an accurate working diagnosis and treatment plan for the best overall care.

Referrals:

We live in an area rich in expertise both for people and for animals. There are many Veterinary Specialists and veterinarians in this area who limit their practices to specific areas of veterinary medicine and surgery. We at Southwest Animal Hospital always strive to make their specialty services available to all our clients as their pets needs dictate. Our open medical records policy facilitates communications with the area specialists.