Friendship To Go: Mobile Veterinary Services

At Friendship Hospital for Animals, we understand there are times when a trip to the vet can be tough for you and your pet. That's why we offer, Friendship To Go, a mobile veterinary care service.

A team that includes one of our staff veterinarians and a trained veterinary assistant comes to your home and brings our compassionate, top quality care to your dog or cat. We offer morning and afternoon home visits to make it easier to fit your pet's care into your busy schedule.
Friendship To Go includes a range of routine and preventative care services. We also offer end-of-life care so you can share your companion's final moments in a private setting that's more comforting for both of you.
You can chose Friendship To Go with confidence because, like the care we provide at the hospital, our mobile service is staffed by experienced veterinarians who are part of one of the most sophisticated veterinary healthcare organizations in the area.
Many services can be taken care of right in your home but if your pet needs additional care, you can rest easy knowing you have access to 24/7 care from the full team of doctors, technicians and services available at Friendship.
Call Friendship Hospital for Animals today to arrange an at-home visit or email us at ToGo@friendshiphospital.com

Oncology

At Friendship Hospital for Animals our goal is to preserve, lengthen, and improve quality of life for dogs and cats that are afflicted with cancer. With that in mind, we have been delighted to be able to offer Oncology Services for pet dogs and cats since 1998. Headed by board-certified oncologist, Dr. Chand Khanna, Oncology Services offers a wide variety of treatment options for pets with cancer. Dr. Khanna, along with Dr. Tony Rusk (who joined the Oncology Services in 2001) works closely with the staff at Friendship and with local referring veterinarians to provide the best healthcare options for cancer patients.

The focus of Oncology Services is to provide treatment options that meet the specific needs of each client whose pet has been diagnosed with cancer. These options may include conventional chemotherapy, new investigational therapies, and palliative or supportive care. We believe that success in providing options and helping families is best achieved with close communication between Oncology Services, the primary care veterinarian, and the family.
Along with the traditional chemotherapy options, Oncology Services at Friendship Hospital for Animals offers cutting-edge cancer treatments due to an alliance with Animal Clinical Investigations (formerly Animal Cancer Institute) headed by Drs. Khanna and Rusk. This nationwide organization helps to identify novel cancer treatments through collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry. The research that stems from these trials contributes to future generations of anti-cancer drugs and further promotes the understanding of the complexity of cancer.

Internal Medicine

Patients at Friendship are fortunate to have a fulltime, on-site veterinary internist. Dr. James McConnell heads up the internal medicine department and assists the staff doctors in evaluating and treating a wide array of serious and challenging pet illnesses.

Dr. McConnell has received advanced residency training and has over 18 years of experience using ultrasound and state of the art endoscopic techniques. His special focus is in diagnosing and treating digestive, respiratory, liver, and urinary tract illnesses of cats and dogs. He has also been called upon to use these skills in evaluating cheetahs, orangutans, tigers and Tsing Tsing, the older Panda who lived at the National Zoo prior to the introduction of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang.
Dr. McConnell provides consultations for and accepts referrals from Friendship Hospital veterinarians. He also provides his expertise in evaluating and treating pets referred from over 50 other veterinary hospitals located in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Consultations can be scheduled directly with Dr. McConnell Monday through Friday. If special procedures need to be performed to evaluate or treat your pet, they can usually be scheduled the same day as the consultation. Also, because minimally-invasive diagnostic techniques are used in Dr. McConnell’s evaluations, pets are usually able to return home later the same day.

Friendship Surgical Services

Friendship Hospital is proud of its record of surgical success. As co-Chiefs of Surgery, Dr. Glassman and Dr. Kuehn oversee a team of highly qualified technicians and surgeons who perform a wide range of surgeries. We perform all types of fracture repair and other orthopedic procedures.

We offer the most advanced surgical techniques and technology. All patients are carefully screened for safety, and anesthetics are specifically tailored to your pet. At Friendship Hospital, pain management is an important part of every surgical intervention.
Surgical services and facilities include: fully trained veterinary and technical staff, to ensure the safest, most efficient, state-of-the-art procedures for your pet; heated surgery tables for greater comfort; advanced sterilization techniques; continuous ECG and oxygen saturation monitors; 24 hour-intensive care after surgery and full blood testing. A dedicated and fully trained surgical technician continuously monitors patients during anesthesia.
Laser therapy is now a standard part of our post-surgery protocol, thanks to its ability to reduce pain and significantly speed the time it takes for incisions to heal. Except in cases where it is contraindicated (such as the removal of suspected cancerous masses), we administer the treatment after every operation performed at the hospital. Patients that have had orthopedic surgery receive at least one additional session, while they are still in the hospital. Click here to find out more about laser therapy.
Elective surgeries such as spays and neuters are performed with the same care and dedication as more complex surgeries. Senior surgical staff is either at the hospital or on 24-hour call in the event that emergency surgical intervention is required.

Surgical Admissions

• Presurgical bloodwork is required for all anesthetic patients
• Consent forms must be signed prior to surgery
• No food after 8PM the night before surgery (water is ok)
• Arrive at the hospital by 8:30 the morning of surgery
• Please provide us with accurate contact information for a responsible party available throughout the day
• At admission, a doctor will discuss with you your pet’s procedure—risks, possible complications, recovery—and answer any of your questions
• If you would like to spend additional time with the veterinarian you may schedule a pre-surgical consult prior to the day of the procedure.

During the Day

• It is generally difficult to give you a specific time for your pet’s surgery. Scheduled surgeries are not performed based on the order of check-in but on the procedures being performed that day.
• Feel free to call during the day to check on your companion’s surgical and recovery status. Your pet will be assigned a technician who can update you regularly. Your veterinarian should call you with a full status report by the end of the day.

After Surgery

• Follow your discharging veterinarian’s instructions
• Monitor your pets incision for swelling and redness
• Monitor your pet’s appetite
• Maintain bandages and administer medications as instructed
• Return for follow-up as directed

Urgent Care Service

When there is an emergency—you want to be sure that you have a trusted friend waiting to help you. Friendship Hospital for Animals will care for any animal presented 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This “Urgent Care Service” is designed to meet pet health needs ranging from routine concerns such as ear infections to life threatening critical emergencies.

No appointment is necessary. Upon arrival, all patients are quickly assessed by our highly trained triage staff. This staff has completed in-hospital coursework, on the job training, and passed an exhaustive exam to assure that they can accurately assess your pet.
Urgent Care Service patients are seen in the order dictated by the emergency doctors on duty. Their first priority is always critical patients that need the immediate attention of the doctor. More routine or stable cases will then be seen in the order in which they arrive. We appreciate that clients with non-critical patients understand the need of our urgent care staff to treat critical patients first and may, depending upon case load, be required to wait until critically ill patients are stabilized and cared for.
The Urgent Care Service is staffed by a dedicated team that is selected for its motivation to intensive patient care. The emergency doctors on duty consist of senior emergency staff selected for their work ethic, compassion, and ability. They have received advanced training and are experienced in emergency medicine. The service is also staffed by veterinary interns who are fully licensed and capable new doctors. They are the best new doctors in the country, and have immediate access to consults with senior staff doctors 24 hours a day. A senior staff surgeon is on call at all times.
We understand the concern and love you have for your pet. We will treat your pets like they are our own and we will also communicate with you as thoroughly as possible, so that you can understand your pet’s status and progress. We strive to keep you involved in the care of your critically ill dog or cat.
Our Urgent Care Service offers:

• 24 hour intensive nursing care
• 24 hour lab
• Digital radiography and emergency ultrasound
• Emergency Surgery services
• Crystalloid and colloid fluid support
• Blood and plasma transfusion
• Continuous ECG, blood pressure, CVP, and blood oxygen and gas monitoring
• State of the art pain management and thermal support
• Short term ventilator support

Your pet should be seen urgently if he/she is:

• Having difficulty breathing
• Is unconscious
• Has not urinated
• Is having difficulty walking
• Has a distended belly
• Has significant uncontrolled bleeding
• Is in significant pain

For more information about what constitutes and emergency go to the American Animal Hospital site.
If you have any question about whether or not your pet should be seen, please call us (202-363-7300). If you have any concerns at all, we encourage you to bring your pet in and have us evaluate him.

Wellness Care Services

At Friendship, we believe preventive health care is the best way to enhance your pet’s longevity and vitality. We also believe that each pet is a family member and an individual with unique medical, dental, and nutritional needs.

You can expect a Client Care Technician in every scheduled appointment to assist the doctor and answer any of your questions pertaining to the health and maintenance of your four-legged family member. Our client care technicians work hard as a liaison between you and the doctor and are available 24 hours every day via e-mail/pet mail and telephone to answer any of your questions or address any of your concerns.
The client care technicians will educate you regarding recommended preventive health products and services. We are more than happy to demonstrate the best ways to take care of your companion animal. Whether you are requesting advice on how to brush your dog or cat’s teeth, nutrition advice, or on how best to medicate your animal; we are always available to help you care for your pet and answer your questions regarding his health.