History
Medicine
Surgery
Dog and Cat Spay Surgery
Male Canine Neuter Surgery
Pain Management
Dentistry
Prescriptions
Exotic Animal Care
Rescue and Shelter Medicine
Vaccinations
Specialist Referral
Allergy Treatment
Geriatric Care
End of Life Care
Emergency Treatment
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SERVICES
History
In 1964, Hayward was a prosperous town with 90,000 people, diverse small businesses and fruitful orchards. Dr. Noble found Hayward the perfect place to start a veterinary clinic. After obtaining a permit and remodeling the building to fit hospital needs, Dr. Noble moved west with his wife and five children. In the beginning, Noble Veterinary Clinic catered to horses. It was only after three years from opening that Dr. Noble shifted to treating small animals. The hospital became popular through word of mouth from loyal clients and pleased patients. In 1970 the Hayward Animal Shelter opened and introduced a new dynamic for providing medicine to the community. After 42 years of service, Dr. Noble retired. Noble Veterinary Clinic still enjoys the same warm and caring clients that Doctor Noble encountered when he first established the clinic.
Medicine
Only the most current medical therapy is used for patients at NVC (Noble Vet
Clinic). Our veterinarians have the combined knowledge of Dr Singer’s first 10 years
working at a corporate practice with 6 other doctors along with their own. We are
members of VIN, the veterinary information network, which is a medical internet bulletin
board for researching disease and treatment as well as interacting with other vets in order
to work out complicated problems. Your pet’s medical condition will be explained to you
thoroughly and you will be given options for the best ways to work through their care.
In addition, our veterinarians go to one conference a year in order to learn more
and stay current which allows us to provide the best care for your pets. Many a journal
comes to NVC and there are weekend and evening talks that we participate in as well.
Our style of medicine is a group practice. This means that your pet is cared for by
all, not necessarily just the vet you meet when you come in. The doctors discuss patient
care with each other and confirm the best way to do things. We believe this continuity of
care is best for you and your pet, however you certainly may request a preferred doctor
when scheduling appointments.
Surgery
Extensive surgical expertise is brought to bear when performing invasive
anesthetic procedures at NVC. Complete monitoring is provided including breathing
monitoring, heart electrical conduction, blood pressure monitoring and support as well as
oxygenation of tissue evaluation. Routine elective procedures such as spay/neuter, lump
removal, injury repair as well as advanced techniques such as orthopedic surgery and
intra-abdominal exploratory surgery are performed.
Dr Singer has taken a course in orthopedics at the OA (Orthopedic foundation of
America) in 2006. He uses this expertise to care for shelter and rescue animals that
wouldn’t be provided care otherwise as well as for those clients who may not be able to
or care to afford the advanced care that board certified individuals provide.
Exotic species are provided surgery as well. Surgery has been performed on as
small as a 30 gram dwarf hamster (successfully!) with most procedures having been
performed on rabbits. Balancing the careful needs of these animals medically and
knowing when surgery is or isn’t appropriate is what you as the client should be looking
for in a veterinarian.
Female Dog and Cat Spay Surgery
We at Noble Vet are using an improved method to spay your pet. Only the ovaries are removed: an "ovariectomy."
Overiectomy is a less invasive procedure, and it is expected that your pet will respond to this by having an easier time healing. It has been shown that there are fewer side effects with this procedure, including the elimination of the rist of infection at the uterine stump.
While uterine cancers remain a risk since the uterus is left intact, these cancers have been determined to occur in only .003% of veterinary patients (equivalent of 3 in 100,000).
Please inform any veternarian you consult in the future that this procedure was performed because there are a few (relatively infrequently but potentially dangerous) drugs that affect the reproductive tract of animals and should be avoided. Noble Veterinary Clinic doctors do not currently use these drugs for any indication.
Ovariectomy is by no means a new procedure. Veterinary surgery journals in the United States have been touting this procedure as an improvement. Veterinarians in other countries have been performing spay surgeries this way for well over 25 years without siginificant complication rates. We are happy to answer any questions for you and refer you to journal articfles at your request.
Male Canine Neuter Surgery
At Noble Vet Clinic we perform a scrotal castration, which means that the testicles are removed directly from the sac where they are located. The incision is made in such a way that you may not be able to see it and internal sutures are used as well as glue on the scrotum/sac as well to keep things together. We find that dogs are less likely to lick or irritate the area when the procedure is performed this way, however they may need a collar to prevent licking if they spend too much time bothering the area. An additional benefit is that fluid or small amounts of blood can leak out instead of building up which allows better healing.
Pain Management
Pain hurts (as it says on a poster in each exam room)! At NVC we believe in
multi-modal pain control, which is directed at all the different ways that pain occurs.
Pain relief thru decreasing inflammation, effecting the brains perception of pain, numbing
the local area causing pain and many other means are used to help make patients more
comfortable. Once upon a time, veterinarians thought that pain aided recovery by keeping
animals from moving around and re-injuring themselves. It is now known that pain and
inflammation cause delayed healing. Our pets deserve better than that.
Dentistry
Nothing is quite so satisfying as to remove the pain and disease associated with
dental infections. At NVC we perform COHATs – Comprehensive Oral Health
Assessment and Treatment which includes a complete physical exam with blood
screening to make sure the patient is medically able to undergo anesthesia and find other
conditions that can complicate matters. We use the safest anesthetic regimens and
multiple monitoring techniques to be sure all is OK with your pet. Then each and every
one of the 30 teeth in a cat and 42 teeth in a dog are cleaned, polished and charted to look
for defects. Radiographs are taken to look for hidden problems. An extensive plan for
treatment including extractions, root planing (specialized hand scaling of unattached gum
from root of tooth), antibiotic gel or bone replacement powder is made and an estimate
made to carry it out.
Included follow up is a return to evaluate healing and demonstration of techniques
to brush and apply sealant to the teeth to prevent future disease and put off when the next
dental procedure needs to be performed. We at Noble Vet are heartened by the continual
stories of our clients telling us how much better their pets feel with a clean, healthy
mouth and how much more enjoyable it is to snuggle with their pet when it has fresh
breath.
Prescriptions
NVC carries a full pharmacy of medication that enable our doctors to prescribe
for the health of your pet. We choose only the best flea and heartworm preventative
medications that are fully backed by their manufacturers (not true of internet pharmacy
meds). We will happily write you a prescription (script) for any medicine that is
appropriate for your pet and has been seen in a timely manner by our veterinarians. Our
only goal is the best health for your pet.
Please note that we do not respond to phone calls or fax pharmacy requests for
refills. There are questions of the legality of these Rx procedures and the veterinary
association that manages the licenses of our doctors has told us not to respond in any way
but by writing a script.
Exotic Animal Care
Dr Singer has had extensive experience working with rabbits the first 10 years of
his career. He has counseled rabbit owners and veterinarians from all over the world.
Rabbits have been referred to him from all parts of the Bay Area. Along with this
expertise comes avian work – originally he thought he was going to be a bird only
veterinarian – as well as caring for any number of rodents, reptiles and even zoo animals.
Rescue and Shelter Medicine
We find it very satisfying helping less privileged animals who have not been
cared for a loving manner in their lives. Thru our associations with the Oakland and
Hayward animal shelters we try to keep suffering to a minimum as well as help keep pets
from being euthanized and placed in new homes. Animals with more substantial injuries
that used to be given up on have advanced procedures performed on them in order to get
them into a better situation. The days of an animal being sacrificed for a sneeze or a scar
or spot of hair loss are hopefully behind us.
Vaccinations
Giving injections to prevent disease in your pet is an important medical decision.
This used to be the reason for bringing in your pet on a regular basis to a veterinarian.
Now we believe that regular check ups are the most important health care decision that is
made to safeguard an animal’s health and that vaccination should not be taken lightly.
Health considerations need to be taken into account in terms of which vaccines to give as
well as NOT give and how often.
At Noble Vet we believe that too many vaccines can cause problems. The World
Health Organization has classified adjuvants (the part of a vaccine that makes it more
effective) as carcinogens. We do not use adjuvanted vaccines in cats and follow the
Academy of Feline Practitioners guidelines on where and when to give vaccines to cats.
Smaller dogs should not be given smaller doses of vaccine but should also probably not
be given as many vaccines. The vaccines we use at Noble are among the safest and most
expensive on the market. We want to make sure your pet is vaccinated as appropriately as
possible.
Specialist Referral
Almost all of the health concerns that face pets have a potential specialist who can
help to take care of them. We at Noble Vet will help you decide at what point it is
appropriate and which person or group to go to in order to acquire that care. While we are
very capable at NVC, there are others who are very good and can provide the best
possible care for your important friend. Dermatology, surgery, internal medicine,
ophthalmology, neurology, alternative therapies, oncology, radiology and more can be
facilitated in a timely basis. All information necessary is transferred to the specialist and
summarized results are updated in NVC records so that we are aware of all therapies your
pet has undergone.
Allergy Treatment
The Bay Area has become an increasingly potent source of allergens for dogs and
cats. Itching all the time and having a poor haircoat is not comfortable! We have the
latest flea treatment and advice how to rid your home and the pets environment of these
pesky parasites. At NVC the most safe and thorough medication and treatment plans are
used to keep your pet as relieved as possible. Blood tests are also available to determine
what a pet is allergic to in order to remove what can be from how the pet lives or develop
a desensitizing plan so that those allergens don’t cause as many problems.
Geriatric Care
Older pets need more regular care as the aging process speeds later in life. If your
large dog is over 6 years, medium dog is over 8 years or your small dog or cat is over 10
years of age then they are considered senior or geriatric. At NVC we take pride in being
able to identify conditions that are likely to come up as soon as possible to keep your pet
healthy and comfortable. Pain is a very real thing in older pets (don’t we all know!) that
they hide well sometimes. Ask and we will tell you the signs of pain in animals and
determine if your pet demonstrates any limitations on their physical exam.
Signs to watch for, especially in cats, are drinking and urinating more or
vomiting/diarrhea or weight loss or behavior change which can all indicate that a health
issue is occurring. We will perform a complete set of tests in order to determine the
nature and severity of disease and discuss with you what can be done to put off the
effects of aging. Dietary considerations will be discussed.
An uncomfortable but necessary part of this evaluation is preparing for the end.
Losing quality of life is a difficult process and somewhat subjective and we will guide
you in understanding what represents a worthwhile lifestyle and what does not for your
pet.
End of Life Care
This is the hardest time for you and your pet. Euthanasia is the term for ending an
animals life and means “gentle or peaceful death”. We at Noble Vet aspire for this to be
done as easily as possible for your family and your special friend. The entire process will
be explained. A sedative is used which renders the pet mostly unconscious that allows
further gentle handling without any stress. An intravenous catheter is placed (plastic tube
in a vein) which allows the final injection of an overdose of anesthetic that takes the
patient to a level of deep unconsciousness and beyond. All while the animals guardian is
holding them and soft music plays if desired.
Remains after care options exist – they can be taken home, held for future
decision, sent for mass burial or cremation performed with ashes returned in a timely
basis or scattered in a garden setting. Other choices like burial in a cemetery can be
arranged.
Emergency Treatment
These cases ALWAYS take priority at NVC. We ask our clients to understand
when more critically ill animals are presented and we make a promise that we will take
care of their pets when they have the same needs. Your pet is triaged when you come in
or call much like any human emergency room and we will do our best to provide timely
care by our doctors. It may be in the best interest of your pet to go for after hours care or
be referred to another facility depending on time of day or schedule density, but we wil
do our best to fit you in in an immediate or timely manner. Indeed many of our clients
come to us because other veterinarians could not see them in a timely manner.
Dr. Singer has worked emergency shifts early in his career and was in line to do
an emergency internship before the program was dissolved. He continues to find this area
of veterinary medicine to be satisfying in the way that animals can be quickly benefited
by our efforts.
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