Services

Bringing expert veterinary care to your doorstep

APPOINTMENT

Areas and Hours of Operation

The Welcome Waggin’ operates in the suburbs of Chicago. Flexible weekday and weekend hours are available by appointment. To schedule home veterinary services, call 630-699-3113 or send an email to service@thewelcomewaggin.com.

Telehealth

Telehealth fosters a direct connection between you and the veterinarian to address your concerns so that we can work as a team to get your pet the best care remotely. We are excited to offer a service that helps bridge the gap in care so that none of our higher-risk clients have to choose between their safety and their pet’s health.

Common concerns that may be appropriate for virtual care:

  • Allergy/skin concerns
  • Behavior concerns
  • Mobility concerns
  • Certain eye and ear concerns
  • Hospice and quality of life discussions

Virtual care is not appropriate for all patients or concerns. Scheduling telemedicine consults remains at the discretion of the veterinarian to ensure that we are able to address your pet’s concerns to the best of our ability.

Parasite Prevention/Control

Fleas

Fleas can cause problems for pets ranging from minor to life-threatening. Not only can these parasites cause severe itching, irritation, and allergies, but they can also transmit tapeworms and diseases. Fleas can infest dogs, cats, ferrets, mice, and rats. And fleas don’t just stay on pets; they can bite people, too.

 

Heartworm

When they bite, mosquitoes can transmit heartworm infection. And those heartworms can wreak havoc on your dog or cat. These parasites can severely and sometimes fatally damage the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Some pets may not show any signs of infection; in those that do, symptoms can vary widely.

In dogs, signs of heartworm disease can range from coughing, fatigue, and weight loss to difficulty breathing and a swollen abdomen (caused by fluid accumulation from heart failure). Canine heartworm infection can also lead to a life-threatening complication called “caval syndrome” (a form of liver failure); without prompt surgical intervention, this condition usually causes death.

 

Ticks

Ticks are becoming more and more prevalent in North America, and they’re now being found in areas where people and pets didn’t previously encounter ticks. These parasites aren’t just a nuisance; they can cause serious—and sometimes deadly—diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis. Contact us immediately if your pet starts coughing or has joint pain, trouble breathing, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, weight, energy, or coordination.

The best method for keeping ticks off your pet is by keeping your dog or cat on a tick preventive. Even indoor-only pets are at risk because ticks can hitch a ride inside on your clothing or shoes. Tick preventives are safe and highly effective at controlling ticks and the diseases they carry. Call us to get your pet protected today!

Don’t panic if you find a tick on your dog or cat, even if your pet is on a preventive. Some preventives kill ticks after they’ve come in contact with your pet. Ticks can hide easily under your pet’s fur, so as an added measure of protection, we recommend checking your pet for ticks every time your pet comes in from outside. And don’t hesitate to ask us any questions you might have.

Senior Pet Care

At around age seven, your pet is entering his or her senior years and often begins to develop diseases common to humans such as diabetes, heart disease, endocrine disease, and cancer. These diseases easily can go undetected because your pet may not show any visible symptoms. Therefore, preventive health care is critical. Routine examinations, blood testing, urine testing, radiographs, and electrocardiograph tests can help identify potential health risks before they become evident. Inform your veterinarian of any changes you notice in your pet, including changes in weight, appetite, energy, urination, behavior, skin and coat, and ability to get up and down. Routine veterinary care will allow your pet to have the best possible quality of life for years to come.

Internal Medicine

There are many diseases that affect dogs and cats. Veterinary internal medicine deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases, especially those affecting internal organs. The Welcome Waggin’s vets understand that the condition of an ill pet can deteriorate quickly. Fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment give us the best means of bringing your pet back to excellent health.

Wound Care

Just like in people, keeping an animal’s wound site clean is incredibly important to stop the possibility of infection and aid in the healing process. Unlike people, animals have a tendency to bite, lick, or chew at their wounds, or get them dirty. Here at The Welcome Waggin, we make it a priority to keep your pet’s wound sites clean and healing properly.

To reduce the stress on your animal, we can bring all of our wound care materials to you. We are able to do basic bandage changes and wound cleaning in your home, making sure your pet is comfortable and relaxed while we care for their wound. We will even talk to you about the best ways to make your pet leave the bandage alone! 

Allergy Testing

Just as humans can develop allergic reactions to environmental elements, so, too, can our pets. While we cannot cure your pet’s allergy, there are ways to effectively manage and relieve allergy symptoms.

Pet allergies are a common problem, but symptoms associated with animal allergies can also be an indication of more serious pet health conditions. When necessary, our veterinary staff will perform blood work and other tests to determine the cause of your pet’s discomfort.

Ophthalmology

Just like people, animals can also suffer from eye complications that affect their day-to-day life. These conditions can include cataracts, glaucoma, uveitis, tumors of the eye, eyelid defects, dry eye, retinal degeneration, and corneal ulcers. Our veterinary ophthalmologist can provide pets with nearly all of the medical and surgical eye care that is available for humans while making sure they are comfortable and treated with the utmost care and compassion.

Nutritional Counseling

Your pet’s diet is an essential factor in their overall health, and we want to help guide your family in the right direction. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 53% of adult dogs and 55% of adult cats in the U.S. are obese or overweight. In fact, 22% of dog owners and 15% of cat owners thought their pet’s weight was healthy when they were actually overweight!

We provide options for pets with special dietary or weight management needs. Our nutritional counseling services can help keep your pet in good health! We’ll work closely with you on food selection and feeding practices for your pet’s different life stages. If your pet has a medical condition, we can help you select the most appropriate diet to suit your pet’s needs.

Hospice/End of Life Services

At no point during our relationship with our pet can we anticipate the sadness, confusion, and desperation we feel when it comes time to let them pass. The Welcome Waggin’ team is here to support you and your family during this time of transition. We are able to answer any questions you may have about their quality of life, palliative or hospice care options available, or expectations and anticipation of their death.

We feel that a collaborative approach to ensuring your pet’s comfort and preserving their dignity is best; working together, we can determine the best way to say goodbye. Let us help you enjoy your final days together and making saying goodbye as peaceful as possible.

Together, we can:

  • Determine what aids, including pain and mobility support, your pet may benefit from
  • What nutritional options are available for your pet
  • How to enrich your senior pet’s environment
  • Assess your pet’s quality of life and determine an in-home assessment plan
  • When it is time, determine the best surroundings and situation in which to say goodbye
  • Administer an anesthetic to your pet without IV catheter placement so your pet can ease into unconsciousness before a final dose of medication is painlessly given, which will stop the heart
  • Arrange transportation and cremation for your pet, if you wish
  • Provide resources and guidance to help you and other pet’s grieve

Read more about our End of Life Services.

Preventive Medicine

Many of the diseases and illnesses that can affect dogs and cats are preventable through proper pet vaccinations and annual wellness exams. The Welcome Waggin’ team is here to keep your pet happy and healthy through all stages of their life.

We start your pet’s vaccine schedule from your very first visit and work diligently to make sure they stay up to date. Vaccines are special proteins that prime the immune system to fight off specific infections. Vaccines work to reduce the severity of such diseases should they strike or to completely prevent infection.

It’s also important to protect your pet from fleas, ticks, and heartworm. Fleas and ticks can harbor disease and adversely affect your pet’s health. Heartworm is a dangerous parasite that lives in the heart of dogs and cats, damages the heart muscle, and can be fatal. Monthly medication and annual testing are important to make sure that your pet is protected.

Individualized Vaccine Programs

At The Welcome Waggin’, we believe in a vaccine rotation schedule. We follow the vaccine guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) when it comes to choosing the right vaccines for your pet’s lifestyle.

 

Canine Vaccines

  • DAPP vaccines (Distemper/Parvo)
    • Distemper/Parvo vaccine is given at 8, 12, and 16 weeks old. Boosted at one year of age.
    • After the one-year booster is given, this vaccine then rotates to a three-year vaccine.
    • Distemper/Parvo titers are available upon request. Please consult with your veterinarian if this is the right choice for your dog.
  • Oral Bordetella vaccine – Given by mouth now!
    • Recommended to be given yearly to those dogs who frequent grooming facilities, boarding, or any communal dog areas to prevent the spread of kennel cough.
  • Rabies vaccine
    • This vaccination is required by law to prevent this infectious disease.
    • This rabies vaccine is given as a one-year vaccine as puppies and then rotates to a three-year vaccine.
  • Rattlesnake vaccine
    • For those that are at risk of a rattlesnake bite, this vaccine aids in the reduction of the effect of the toxin.
    • Two initial doses are recommended, given one month apart. Then it is given annually, preferably in the spring or one month prior to rattlesnake season.
  • Canine influenza vaccine

 

Feline Vaccines

  • FVRCP vaccine
    • We are proud to offer the half dose vaccine: full protection with just half the dose!
    • After the kitten series of three vaccines are completed, this vaccine is updated every three years.
  • FELV vaccine
    • We are proud to offer the half dose vaccine: full protection with just half the dose!
    • There are two initial vaccines given three to four weeks apart as a kitten, then the vaccine is updated annually until the age of five years for indoor-only cats.
  • Rabies vaccine
    • We offer the feline-specific rabies vaccine, and it is given annually.
Dermatology

Skin diseases in pets are common and can greatly affect quality of life. Scratching, chewing, and licking are common signs of a dermatologic issue, and treatment can sometimes be very challenging. Our dermatology service is here to help! We will work closely with your primary veterinarian to not just relieve the signs but get to the root of the problem and find the best long-term management plan for you and your pet.

Pain Management

The practice of high-quality veterinary medicine focuses on the entire patient—from medical issues that affect physical functioning to emotional and psychological issues that affect well-being. Experiencing pain can affect the body’s physical functioning and can have a detrimental effect on a patient’s well-being and state of mind. That’s why pain management is among our primary considerations when we are treating a pet for any medical condition.

Laboratory Testing

Getting blood taken can be stressful for everyone, humans and animals alike. We take great pride in our ability to quickly and efficiently collect lab samples from your pet in the least-stressful way possible. We use appropriate sterile techniques to collect our samples, and then send the samples to one of our partner labs. We will then give you a call about the results as soon as we receive them!

Mobile Pharmacy

Home delivery from The Welcome Waggin’ allows you to get your pet’s medication shipped right to your home, in the right dosage, right on time. It’s the most convenient way to have your pet medications, prescription food, and many other pet items delivered safely and securely from us to your door.

Orthopedic Examination

Orthopedics involve conditions that affect your pet’s skeletal system and extremities, including bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Orthopedic injuries can affect the mood and quality of life of your pet.

You may notice a slight limp, avoidance of physical activities like jumping, hesitation to get up, or other signs that your pet is experiencing discomfort. Thankfully, there are a number of treatments available that can reduce orthopedic pain for your pet, and we are committed to finding a treatment plan that will work best.

Behavioral Counseling

Does your pet act out in ways that are annoying, destructive, or just unbecoming? Are you frustrated with certain negative behaviors? Are your companion’s bad habits causing a rift between you and making it difficult for you to embrace them as a part of the family? If you’re struggling with your pet’s behavior problems, you’re not alone! The Welcome Waggin’ offers comprehensive behavioral counseling services to help manage and overcome negative pet behaviors once and for all.

Echocardiogram & Thoracic Ultrasound

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound imaging or examination of your pet’s heart. Echocardiography is non-invasive and very well tolerated by most pets. This means that they do not require sedation or anesthesia. The hair behind your pet’s elbow may be clipped so that the best view of the heart is available during the exam. We place the gel in this area and use the ultrasound probe to record images.

Echocardiography uses sound waves to painlessly:

  • Image the heart valves
  • Assess blood flow
  • Determine what is causing a heart murmur
  • Measure the strength and health of the heart muscle and chambers

This is a valuable test that will allow your pet’s veterinarian to diagnose heart diseases and make recommendations to you for the right treatment regimen.

Outpatient Surgery, Dentistry, & Radiology

As we are a mobile clinic, we are unable to provide these services ourselves. We do, however, have a number of amazing local clinics we refer our patients to. These clinics have been approved by us and will offer the same standard of care for your pet. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about our referral practices. 

Fees

A house call fee is incurred based on your location; neighboring animals scheduled in succession or multiple pet homes may be offered a reduced examination charge. The Welcome Waggin’ strives to keep all other charges comparable to local clinics and online pharmacies. Major credit cards, cash, and checks are accepted forms of payment at the time services are rendered. Please call 630-699-3113 for additional pricing information.

Emergencies

Emergencies will be directed to VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital, VCA Aurora Animal Hospital, or Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove.

VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital
2551 Warrenville Rd
Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-963-0424
Open 24 hours
VCA Aurora Animal Hospital
2600 W Galena Blvd
Aurora, IL 60506
630-301-6100
Open 24 Hours
Veterinary Specialty Care
1515 Busch Pkwy
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847-459-7535
Open 24 hours