Pharmacy
It’s important for the most commonly used pharmaceuticals and vaccines to be on hand when your pet needs them. Your veterinarian is skilled in the use of these products and knows how your pet will respond to them.

Nursing Care
Nursing care is an important part of every AAHA Member Hospital. Veterinary assistants help in surgery, recovery, diagnostics, therapy, administering medications, and in intensive care . . . much the same functions as those of a nurse or technician in a human hospital.

Clinical Pathology
Your veterinarian must be able to diagnose possible health problems quickly and accurately. AAHA Member Hospitals must offer pathology services such as blood chemistry analysis, urine analysis, tests for parasites, and many other diagnostic tests. Results are usually available within 24 hours. That way, treatment can begin as soon as possible if any problems are detected.

Dentistry
Proper dental care is important to your pet’s health and well-being. Your veterinarian has the skill and equipment necessary to perform thorough teeth cleaning, extractions, radiographs, periodontal treatment, and endodontic treatments. 

Radiology
Radiographs or x-ray films are an important tool for your veterinarian. These films can help detect such problems as bone fractures and calcium deposits and identify objects in the stomach, intestines, and urinary tract. They can also be used to confirm or detect the presence of certain diseases. AAHA Member Hospitals have regular evaluations to be sure their equipment yields the highest quality radiographs with a maximum of safety to your pet.

Library
Your veterinarian is an expert in a highly technical field. But veterinary medicine is a vast area of science that keeps advancing. For this reason, a complete veterinary medical library is maintained in every AAHA Member Hospital to provide quick reference on any aspect of medicine that may concern your pet. If your veterinarian doesn’t know the answer instinctively, she can find it fast.

The education of veterinarians closely parallels that of physicians and dentists. Each completes 2 or more years of college plus 4 additional years of training in their specialty.  Veterinary medicine sees new advances daily. The American Animal Hospital Association has been a major factor in improving veterinary education and the quality of small animal care; it provides a number of independent study courses and other continuing educational activities.