No.Your regular veterinarian is absolutely the best person to handle routine veterinary care.This includes spay/neuter/declaw procedures, vaccinations, and diagnosis/treatment of non heart or lung-related problems (i.e. skin infections, urinary problems, etc.).Heartworm preventative and prescription diets are typically provided by your regular veterinarian as well.

Absolutely. Simple follow-up testing such as bloodwork may be performed by your regular veterinarian. Have them fax/email Dr. Schroeder the results, and we can work with your regular veterinarian to guide medical therapy, etc. More advanced follow-up testing (recheck echocardiography, sometimes x-rays) may be best performed at Dr. Schroeder’s office, and we will discuss when we need to do this.

Please bring a copy of your pet’s medical record, including any test results, x-rays, etc. If your veterinarian has indicated that they will send us the records, please verify receipt of these records prior to your appointment. Most of the time, it is not necessary for a pet to be fasted prior to the consultation. If your pet is taking medication for their particular condition, it is generally advised that they receive their medication in the morning like usual and bring them with you to the appointment. If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to call and check with our receptionists. If they are unable to answer your question, then they will check with the Cardiology nurses, Diana or Edgar.

Dr. Schroeder works on a referral basis. What this means is that your regular veterinarian must authorize us to see you and your pet. Please contact our front desk or receptionists, and they will be happy to facilitate this process for you.

No. The best way to evaluate patients is with a complete physical examination, which cannot be performed over the phone. If your veterinarian has questions for Dr. Schroeder regarding a particular pet, they are welcome to give him a call.

Generally, yes. However, if patients have active heart failure and are sick, we generally recommend delaying vaccinations until they are doing well for at least a month or two on cardiac medications. We are obligated by law to continue vaccinating dogs and cats for rabies. Patients that are too sick for a vaccination may have their blood tested to see if they have adequate antibody titers for protection against the rabies virus. This test may be performed by your regular veterinarian, and the blood is sent to the lab at Kansas State University. Most boarding facilities require vaccination for Bordetella.

Heartworm preventative is absolutely safe and recommended for patients being treated for congestive heart failure. Mosquitoes are present in South Florida year-round, and even dogs with heart failure may be infected with heartworms.DO NOT STOP GIVING HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE.

Flea and tick medications are generally safe for patients with congestive heart failure. Ask your regular veterinarian which preparations will work best for your pet.

Vitamins and joint supplements are generally safe for patients with congestive heart failure. Ask your regular veterinarian which products they recommend.

We will schedule rechecks as deemed necessary. If it has been more than a couple of months since your last recheck, please verify all your pertinent information (address, telephone numbers, referring veterinarian information, etc.) with the receptionist prior to your appointment. IF you arrive more than 15 minutes late for a recheck appointment, you will either need to drop-off your pet for the day, reschedule or see one of the emergency doctors.

Please call the front desk and let them know the nature of your pet’s emergency (i.e. difficulty breathing, passing out or fainting, etc.) and bring them in immediately. Your pet will be immediately triaged and taken to the ICU if they appear unstable upon arrival. If your pet is having labored breathing, please allow us to bring the pet to ICU, as at least temporary placement in the oxygen cage may be necessary. An emergency veterinarian will meet with you and discuss what needs to be done. The emergency veterinarians always contact Dr. Schroeder if one of his patients comes in on emergency. If your pet has not seen Dr. Schroeder previously, but your regular veterinarian requested that they be transferred to the Cardiology service, then the emergency veterinarian will hospitalize your pet, and they will be evaluated by Dr. Schroeder usually the next morning. If it is during normal business hours, and Dr. Schroeder’s schedule is full, you will need to come in through emergency. This means you will be talking to an emergency doctor, who will then consult with Dr. Schroeder.

When you come in you will be greeted by the receptionists at the front desk. Give your name and your pet’s name, and we will sign you in. If you haven’t filled out an information sheet, you will be asked to do so at that time. If this is your first appointment with Dr. Schroeder, please make every effort to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. This gives us time to enter all the necessary information into our system and allows Dr. Schroeder to review all pertinent medical records. IF you arrive over 30 minutes late to your initial scheduled appointment, you will need to reschedule. We try to make every effort for you to be in the examination room at the scheduled appointment time. Of course, emergencies arise and you may occasionally be asked to wait a few minutes up front. Dr. Schroeder’s new consultations typically last an hour and rechecks are one half-hour. We ask that you do not bring other pets with you to the appointment, as it tends to be a distraction. We also ask that you please turn your cellular phones off. Bring a light jacket, as it tends to be cold in the examination room.

Once you get into the examination room Diana or Edgar – the technicians on Dr. Schroeder’s service, will take a history, verify what current medications your pet is receiving, give you an estimate (typically the initial consultation fee including an echocardiogram/ultrasound of the heart or recheck fee including x-rays and bloodwork) for authorization and take your pet to the treatment area. There, we will obtain vital signs and Dr. Schroeder will perform a complete physical examination, review the pertinent medical records and perform the echocardiogram and/or other authorized tests. If your pet has had an echocardiogram, we may have to recheck it. Echocardiography is a user-dependent test that is best evaluated in real-time (not on disc from still images and a few loops).If your pet has had an echocardiogram performed by (not just reviewed by) a board-certified veterinary cardiologist within the last 3 months or so, Dr. Schroeder will not need to repeat it. An ultrasound examination takes approximately 10-15 minutes, x-rays usually take about 5-10 minutes, and bloodwork normally takes 20-30 minutes. Dr. Schroeder will then meet with you, discuss the results as well as your options for any further diagnostics and treatment when necessary.

You will receive typed discharge instructions that contain information about diagnostic results, any medications that are being prescribed, and when to follow-up for a recheck. These include directions for medication use, side-effects and possible drug interactions, as well as any possible symptoms to look out for. You will also receive a copy of test results for your own records (i.e. the echocardiogram report), as well as additional information about heart disease and your pet’s specific condition.

If you need to leave Dr. Schroeder a message, please call the front desk and ask to be transferred to Dr. Schroeder’s voicemail. Please leave your name, your pet’s name, your message and a number where we can reach you after 4 PM Monday through Thursday and after noon on Friday. We will make every effort to return your call that day. If it is after hours, or on a weekend, then we will return the phone call the next business day. Diana, Edgar or Dr. Schroeder himself will return your call. Please do not leave multiple messages – if your pet is having an emergency, bring them in immediately on emergency. Dr. Schroeder sees appointments all day long and is frequently dealing with hospitalized patients. We usually don’t get to messages until later in the afternoon. You may email the hospital’s website but bear in mind Dr. Schroeder typically doesn’t receive emails until a few days later. Voicemail works the best.

Typically not. It is very uncommon that we require sedation for simple testing including bloodwork, x-rays, echocardiography/ultrasound. Tests that do require sedation and/or anesthesia will be discussed with you in advance, and typically set-up as a drop-off. For standard x-rays or echocardiography, patients are gently restrained on their side on a special examination table. Patients that may bite are muzzled for everyone’s safety. Cats that have claws will be trimmed.

Absolutely. It is Dr. Schroeder’s mission to keep your regular veterinarian fully informed and up to date on every case he sees. Typically, a summary letter is faxed/emailed and sent to your veterinarian the very same day as your appointment. Your regular veterinarian will be updated after every recheck and hospitalization as well. All reports on testing performed by Dr. Schroeder as well as the results of bloodwork or other laboratory testing will be provided to your veterinarian.