Preventive Health Care

Preventative health care is essential to ensure that your pet has a full, healthy life. Our Wellness Care services include:

1. Comprehensive physical examination.

Regular examinations keep your pet healthy .At least once a year, your pet should have a complete physical examination, which allows us to develop a comprehensive health profile for your pet. This information helps us identify medical problems at an early stage, before they develop into serious conditions that are difficult and expensive to treat. During an exam we discuss vaccinations, nutrition, behavior and other topics that are important for maintaining the health and well being of your pet.

2. Puppy/Kitten Care.

We recommend that your puppy or kitten come in three times in the first few months for vaccine boosters, at which time they will receive a physical exam, dewormers and will be checked for parasites. The three vaccinations are necessary to build up their immune system. The physical exam is necessary each time because some diseases have a long incubation period and may not be seen on the first or even second examination. Doing a vaccine on a puppy or kitten that is not well may make them sicker. The three fecal tests and dewormers are necessary because worms go through cycles from egg to mature worm. Dewormers kill adult worms and not eggs. We therefor need to repeat it to make sure we get the worms that had not hatched yet when the previous dewormer was done. The eggs or other parasites may not have shed in the stool when the first sample was taken, that is why we repeat it two more times. Kittens will also have a blood test taken to check fo Feline Leukemia and FIV /feline AIDS/viruses. Two fairly common and potentially fatal viruses. Over your visits we will instruct You on how to care for your pet ,including cleaning the ears ,trimming the nails, bathing and care for your pet’s teeth. We will provide you with once-monthly preventive medication to protect your pet from fleas, ticks and heartworm disease. After 6-7 months of age we recommend to spay or neuter your pet. We also strongly recommend microchipping your pet.

3. Adult Dog /Cat Vaccination.

Pets living in the city have special health care needs. Prevention is the key to city pets healthy. Vaccines are the cornerstone of your pet’s preventive health care plan. There are several types of vaccines available for both dogs and cats .The routine or ‘core’ vaccine available for dogs is the ‘4-in-1' it includes: Distemper, Parvo virus, Adenovirus/Hepatitis and Parainfluenza.
This is administered to puppies three times in the first year of their lives, beginning at 6-8 weeks of age. It is then repeated a year later and a vaccine schedule will then be determined by your veterinarian depending on your dog’s specific needs. Lyme vaccine is required for dogs that travel to an area where there are deer and dogs may be exposed to deer ticks. This vaccine is done twice at 3-week interval and then repeated annually.
The ‘core’ vaccine for cats includes :Panleukopenia/Distemper/,Rhinotracheitis/Herpes/,and Calicivirus. Like with dogs ,it is done 2-3 times for kittens and then a schedule is determined depending on your cat’s specific needs.Cats that go or live outdoors should be vaccinated against the feline leukemia virus.
Vaccine against Rabies is required by law for both dogs and cats. It is designed to protect you pet against this deadly disease. There is a 1-and 3 -year vaccine available. You can discuss your pet’s rabies vaccine schedule with your vet at the time of your next visit.
Heartworm disease can be a potentially fatal, we can test your pet for heartworm and provide him with an appropriate preventive medication.

4. Senior Pet Health Care and Diagnostics.

As pets get older, new problems arise and therefore their medical care needs change. Wellness examinations, blood work, X-ray and dietary counseling all are important steps you can take toward keeping your senior pet healthy and happy. Senior wellness exam will help us catch any abnormal sounds in the heart, any suspicious lumps, stiffness in the joints and dental problems. Full blood work and urine analysis will help to rule out problems with organs, including kidney and liver disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, any infection or inflammation.A full body X-ray will help us visualize any abnormalities in the structure of your pet’s organs, some tumors and joint degeneration. After the diagnostics, further action will be determined, such as possible changing your pet’s diet, adding supplements, dental work-up, or possible starting medication. We believe that routine diagnostics lengthen and improve the quality of your senior pet’s life.

5. Microchipping

Microchipping is an inexpensive ,minimally painful procedure. It is a permanent type of identification for your pet that involves inserting a small computer chip under their loose skin between the shoulder blades. Animal do not need to be anesthetized and most do not react to the injection any more than they would to a vaccine. Collars and tags may be lost but microchips are permanent and stay active for live.