Wellness & Preventative Care

Our kitten wellness program is designed to help get your kitten started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your kitten’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy cat, including information and advice on nutrition, litterbox training, and behavior. You should schedule your kitten for their first exam as soon as possible. Until your kitten has received a series of vaccines, they are susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. We will make sure your new pet is protected against rabies and panleukopenia (distemper). Depending on your cat’s risk, we may also advise vaccinating them against other diseases, such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV). In addition, your kitten will need to be tested and treated for parasites, which are common in young cats. Most kittens have roundworms, which are intestinal worms that can cause coughing, weight loss, and a potbellied appearance in cats (although they may not cause any symptoms). It is important for kittens to be treated for roundworms, not only to help rid them of the infection but also to prevent you and the rest of your family from becoming infected. Roundworms are a zoonotic parasite, which means they can be transmitted from pets to people. By ensuring that your kitten is properly treated, you can keep your entire family safe.

Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkups can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms. Dogs and cats age far quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. During your pet’s wellness exam, we will perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We may also recommend that your pet receive dental care. When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend bi-annual exams and additional baseline lab work so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.

As dogs and cats get older, they need more attention and special care. Our senior wellness program can help your pet remain fit and healthy as they age and help us catch any potential problems earlier, when they’re easier to treat or manage. Regular veterinary exams can actually help your pet live longer, too! Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters his or her senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of even serious diseases until they are quite advanced. Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine what life stage your pet is in. As your pet reaches senior status, we will recommend bi-annual exams and additional baseline lab work. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup when your pet turns 7 years of age. We can treat many symptoms that are commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life in many ways: by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending an appropriate nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications to keep your pet comfortable. Your pet can age up to seven times faster than you do, which may explain why older pets are more likely to experience health and behavior problems. But how can you tell the difference between normal aging and the warning signs of a serious health problem, such as arthritis and hip dysplasia?