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 longer with better quality. 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. Our Annual package includes the Exam, Heartworm test for dogs, intestinal parasite screen for dogs and cats, and all applicable vaccines. Add the Comprehensive Wellness labwork and find out about your Pets’ internal health at tremendous savings during your Annual visit! We kindly ask you bring stool sample for cats to make their visit less stressful.
Our vaccination protocols are based on current recommendations from key opinion leaders, AVMA and AAHA; individual lifestyle of your Pet; their tolerance for vaccines; and your concerns. Shelby county requires annual Rabies vaccination. Other core vaccines include distemper, parvo, adenovirus and parainfluenza; after complete puppy series and first adult series, we rotate them in a tri-annual protocol. We routinely vaccinate dogs for Leptospirosis due to high risk of exposure in our area and potential transmission to humans. Feline Leukemia vaccine for cats is optional after initial series, and depends on the lifestyle. We are happy to provide a vaccine titer test for distemper and parvo viruses to interested owners. Our goal is to create a comprehensive protection for your pets and the community, without over-vaccinating or administering unnecessary products. Each pet is an individual, and we are happy to discuss your preferences and concerns.
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. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.
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.
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, and any specials we may have available to help you take thorough care of your Pet. Remember, an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure!
Don’t hesitate to ask what specials we may be offering at the time, such as Affordable Tuesdays, Senior Wednesdays, etc.
