Wellness Programs

One of the best things you can do for your pet is to keep him or her healthy. And one of the easiest and least expensive ways to do that is by bringing in your pet for regular exams and vaccinations. Dogs and cats (and other pets) age far faster than people, so significant changes in your pet’s health can happen in a short time. Wellness programs allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early, when they’re easier to treat or manage. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We recommend that healthy adult dogs and cats visit us once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets with health issues or illnesses need more frequent checkups. We’ll work with you to create an individualized wellness program, including a vaccination and prevention protocol customized specifically to your pet. Call us today to schedule your pet’s wellness exam.

Puppy Wellness

Congratulations on your new puppy! Thank you for choosing us to help protect and care for your new addition to your family.

Our puppy wellness program is designed to help get your puppy started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your puppy’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy dog, including information and advice on nutrition, training, behavior, and socialization. You should plan half hour for your first visit to the clinic as the veterinarian take as much time as needed to answer your questions and help you to understand how your new puppy will develop over time.

Schedule your puppy for his or her first exam as soon as possible. Until your puppy has received a series of vaccines, he or she is susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. We will make sure your new dog is protected against rabies, distemper, and parvovirus, among other diseases. Your puppy will also need to be tested and treated for parasites, which are extremely common in young dogs. After your puppy has had its first vaccination you are safe to introduce your puppy to your family and friend’s healthy dogs that are fully vaccinated. This socialization is extremely important for your puppies healthy mental development. On leash walks on sidewalk and time spent on the front and back yard to get used to the outside world will help to desensitize to the many new things that he or she will be exposed to in the future. We do not recommend going to dog parks until after all vaccines have been completed.

Most puppies have roundworms and giardia, which are intestinal worms that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal signs (although dogs can have worms without showing any symptoms). It is important for puppies to be treated for intestinal parasites not only to 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 puppy is properly treated, you can keep your entire family safe from these and other parasites.

We look forward to meeting your new puppy! Schedule your appointment today.

Kitten Wellness

Congratulations on your new kitten! Thank you for choosing us to help protect and care for your new addition to your family.

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, behaviour counseling and tips on how to prevent some of the common feline diseases such as lower urinary tract obstruction, obesity and dental disease.

Schedule your kitten for his or her first exam as soon as possible. Until your kitten has received a series of vaccines, he or she is susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. Kittens can be born with feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. We will recommend your kitten be tested for these two viruses. If you have an exiting cat at home this test should be performed prior to the two cats contacting one another. Alternately, we can perform this simple blood tests at the time of the pre-surgery blood work to allow you to know your cats status for these two cat contagious diseases. Depending on your cat’s life style and risk of contracting feline leukemia from other cats we may advise vaccinating him or her against this disease.

Many 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.

We look forward to meeting your new kitten! Schedule your appointment today.

Adult Pet Wellness

Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup 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 a longer happier life. 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 until the disease is in its advanced stages. We will recommend a weight check at every visit. Changes in weight can be very sublte and not easily detected in furried pets. You can come by our hospital anytime to have your pets weight checked and monitored throughout the year.

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 preventive medical care based on his or her risk factors. 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 a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet.

Because you spend the most time with your pet, you are your pet’s expert, as well as his or her greatest advocate. Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have. We appreciate it when you write down your questions before coming to the clinic so we can help you with all of your concerns.

Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our adult wellness program in more detail.

Senior Pet Wellness

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 he or she ages and it will 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.

Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. 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 before your dog turns 7 years of age or your cat turns 8 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.

We will tailor a senior wellness plan to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam!