VCA Roberts Animal Hospital

For over 60 years, VCA Roberts Animal Hospital has been serving the communities of Hanover, Hanson, Norwell, Hingham and Rockland. We are passionate about providing exceptional veterinary service for our clients and top-notch medical care for their pets. Our hospital provides wellness exams, preventative care, vaccines, diagnostic services, spays, neuters and dental procedures. Our hospital also provides endoscopy, ultrasounds and consults with our Board-Certified Internal Medicine Specialist. We are also able to provide your pet with an Echo when needed. Our friendly staff looks forward to knowing every client by name and treating you like family when you are in our care! 

**VCA Roberts offers help to rescue groups! If interested please contact our Hospital Manager, Gerry Martin**

For our Feline Friends...

The team at VCA Roberts understands that bringing your cat to visit their veterinarian can be a stressful event for your cat, since many of us are cat lovers and owners as well. We are striving to make our hospital more cat friendly so the visit goes more smoothly for you and your cat. We are currently adding Feliway diffusers in the hospital to relax your feline friend and have also added a designated "cat corner" of the waiting room. We believe with changes like these we can make it easier for you and your precious cat to see your veterinarian on a regular basis.

Local Medical Issues

Here on the South Shore, we live in an area that is endemic for Lyme disease. It is a preventable disease.

AVOID TICKS. First, be aware that the tick that transmits Lyme is active all year. Anytime the temperature goes above 42 degrees they can be active. Even dogs that don't spend a lot of time outdoors will get ticks occasionally. Keep your grass mowed short, and keep the brush away from areas where the dog will play. Avoid known tick areas such as high grass, brushy woodlots, deer trails and marshes.

CHECK FOR TICKS. Since it takes the tick 48 hours to transmit the disease, if you can get them all off every day, you can significantly reduce the risk of transmission.

USE PROTECTION. There are several products available from VCA Roberts Animal Hospital that can be applied topically or given by mouth as a treat on a monthly basis and are very effective. Your pet's veterinarian can recommend the best preventative product during your visit. We recommend using preventatives year round, since fleas and ticks can still survive during the winter months.

VACCINATE. There is a good vaccine that is approximately 80% effective in dogs. This vaccine is based on a new concept that kills the organism within the tick before it gets transmitted to your pet. We do not recommend vaccinating positive dogs until they finish treatment to be sure the vaccine is effective.

TEST. Talk to your vet about testing for Lyme disease. It is a simple blood test and results are available in about 10 minutes. We are finding 50-70% positives in routine testing.

LYME POSITIVE: WHAT HAPPENS NOW? Your veterinarian at VCA Roberts Animal Hospital will work with you to outline an appropriate treatment plan. Antibiotics, pain medication and additional diagnostics are commonly prescribed in treating Lyme disease.

WHAT ABOUT CATS? Rarely, cats have been found with antibodies against Lyme but none have had symptoms.