11536 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125
Phone: 206-364-3733 Fax: 206-364-3667
Fortunately, our pets tolerate cancer therapy quite well. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue following cancer treatments are rarely observed in pets after receiving the very same chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy utilized in human medicine.
Although side effects can and sometimes do occur, they are most often transient and mild, and symptomatic management of most side effects is usually accomplished at home.
Working as a team focused on your pet's quality of life, we promise to offer comprehensive state of the art therapy administered by our experienced and compassionate staff.
"Here is a picture of Toby doing an agility run during his radiation treatment. This was on Feb. 23, after I believe, 5 treatments. I was actually amazed at the amount of energy and enthusiasm Toby displayed, even for his 5th and final run each day. Most of the time, he's pretty pooped by the last run. Toby seems to be dealing with the treatments really well."
INFORMATION FOR REFERRING VETERINARIANS:
We appreciate your confidence and look forward to working with you to provide your patients with optimum care.
In an effort to streamline the referral process, please complete a Records Request Form and return to us along with the patient's detailed surgery reports, diagnostic imaging results and all history notes pertaining to their diagnosis. Please be sure to include a diagnosis via histopathology or cytology and all relevant laboratory results.
We also understand that waiting for answers to the questions that arise after a diagnosis of cancer can result in sleepless nights for your clients. Both Dr. Gillings and Dr. Meleo offer phone consultations for your cases. Please complete a Phone Consult Request Form and return to us. Again, please be sure to include a diagnosis via histopathology or cytology and all relevant laboratory results, as well as any particular questions you or your clients have about this case. The doctor or her technician will call you with information regarding the case and answers to your questions within 3 business days of receiving the request.
Often, we rely on you, the primary care veterinarian, to perform routine blood draws and some physical examinations in between visits to our office. Frequently, we will ask you to run a CBC a day or two before treatment. We would ask that you request that the laboratory also fax us the results. If you have any questions about what bloodwork we need, please do not hesitate to call us. As technology can fail all of us at one time or another; if you have asked to hear back from us and have not, please call our office and speak with a staff member to ensure that your questions are answered.
What happens first? We schedule one full hour for an initial consultation though we do ask that you check-in 15 minutes early to complete the required paperwork.
During this hour, you can expect to be given information that will help you understand your pet's diagnosis and treatment options. It is our goal that the knowledge you acquire during this consultation will help you make the right decisions regarding your pet's quality of life. This is the right time to ask any questions you may have, and we do encourage you to take notes. In many cases, we do have handouts that we will send home with you.
If, after the consultation has been completed, you decide to pursue treatment for your pet, we will schedule your pet's first chemotherapy or radiation appointment; if chemotherapy is the appropriate treatment, this is often started on the very same day.
Please do not feed your pet the day of your appointment. In the event that additional diagnostics or procedures that require sedation or anesthesia are recommended, we need your pet's stomach to be empty. If your pet has any known allergies, please inform us, and feel free to bring your pet's own treats. Once sedation or anesthesia is deemed unnecessary, we do have a wide variety of yummies available, and your pet won't leave hungry!
IMPORTANT: If your pet has previously been diagnosed with diabetes, please inform our staff. We will likely have you proceed with your pet's normal feeding schedule.
