EXAMINATION

We believe the best way to keep your pet healthy is with preventative care. We recommend bringing your pet in for regular examinations at least once or twice yearly, even if your pet appears healthy. In puppies and kittens, more frequent examinations may be beneficial to monitor growth and development, as things change quickly during this life stage. In senior pets, frequent examinations may be beneficial to closely monitor specific health problems that have already been detected and require treatment and long term management.

During these visits, we will obtain a thorough history of information about the patient from the pet owner, discuss any concerns, check the pet’s vitals, and a veterinarian will perform a full physical examination on your pet.

Regular examinations allow us to obtain a baseline in your pet’s health so that we are aware of any changes that could indicate a medical problem that may arise in the future. This allows us to detect potential health problems and address them before they become serious.

VACCINATIONS

Vaccinations are an important part of preventative care to protect pets from many diseases that they are susceptible to and prevent illness from those diseases. It is important to consult with our staff on the unique risks associated with our region of the country to determine which vaccinations are appropriate and recommended to keep your pet healthy. We will gladly discuss the benefits of protecting your pet with proper vaccination guidelines.

PARASITE PREVENTION AND TESTING

Parasite prevention and routine parasite screening tests are an important part of preventative care to ensure that your pet is not infested with parasites. Some parasites affect pets externally (on the skin) and are often visible to the pet owners.  Examples of common external parasites include fleas and ticks.  External parasites can often be detected during the physical examination by the veterinarian.  Other parasites affect pets internally (inside the organs) and can often go undetected without appropriate parasite screening tests.  Examples of common internal parasites are heartworms and intestinal worms.  Internal parasites can be detected though parasite screening tests. 

We recommend routine parasite screening tests, including heartworm testing and fecal intestinal parasite testing to determine if your pet is infected with parasites.  We will make appropriate recommendations for treatment if parasites are present.  We highly recommend establishing a parasite prevention program to protect your pet from becoming infected with parasites and our staff will be happy to assist in prevention product options that best suit your pet’s needs.  The cost of parasite prevention is often minimal compared to the cost of treatment.  Parasites can cause serious health problems for your pet and some parasites are even contagious to people; our priority is to eliminate parasite risks for your pet and your home.

Please contact our office if you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about preventative care and how we can care for your pet.