Wellness Check Ups
As medical professionals we understand that the most effective means of providing your
pet a long healthy life is by preventative medicine and early detection. This is why we
highly recommend regular yearly wellness exams, vaccines, microchipping, nutritional
and behavioral counseling, as well as dental care, and proper grooming.
Educating our clients is a vital aspect of ensuring a lifetime of good health for a pet.
A routine exam provides the opportunity to not only develop a picture of your pets
overall health but also the potential to detect any health concerns as early as possible
and teach owners to detect these issues at home.
During a Wellness Visit your veterinarian will:
-
Listen to your pet’s heart:
-
A stethoscope will be used to listen to your pet’s heart. Early signs of heart disease include heart murmurs and abnormal rhythms. If necessary an Echocardiogram in office will be recommended which will then be assessed by a board certified Cardiologist. Early detection can lead to identifying underlying conditions and management of disease with medications or a referral for advanced care.
-
-
Listen to your pet’s lungs:
-
Health issues such as infections, obstructive disease, and other problems can be detected by listening to your pet’s lungs via a stethoscope. The doctor may then recommend further diagnostics with radiography or blood work for earlier detection of any underlying issue.
-
-
Evaluate your pet’s vision:
-
If any ocular issue is detected an ophthalmoscope will be used to help detect and underlying issues with your pet’s eyes. Further testing for production of tears, corneal tears, and tonometry to evaluate the pressure of the eye may then be recommended to detect and early issues with your pet’s vision.
-
-
Check your pet’s oral cavity:
-
Examining your pet’s teeth and mouth is a vital part of preventing serious systemic illnesses. This is why dental care is an important aspect of preventative care. Young animals can also have dental issues such as baby teeth still present or bite issues which can lead to further dental disease in their future. A dental cleaning or with extractions may be recommended if dental disease is present.
-
-
Evaluate your pet’s ears:
-
Ear disease can be difficult to detect at home. Shaking of the head and scratching at the ears are usually a first indicator of outer ear disease. If any issue is addressed an otoscope will be used to evaluate your pets ear to help indicate any problems and evaluate the membrane between the inner and outer ear.
-
-
Palpate the lymph nodes, abdomen, and skin:
-
The use of touch is a great tool to detect anything abnormal occurring in your pet. Anything abnormally detected can be further worked up with proper diagnostics to determine the appropriate treatment.
-
-
Palpate joints and muscles:
-
From the young growing to the elderly patient’s joint and muscle disease is very common and as everything else has a much better prognosis if detected and treated early in the diseases process. Further evaluation can be done with radiographs if deemed necessary to allow for the proper diagnosis.
-
-
Lab work:
-
A complete yearly exam includes a heartworm test which includes tick borne disease testing, fecal flotation for intestinal parasites, and dependent on the age of your pet may include blood work. This is all done in house and results are received before leaving the office!
-
-
Vaccinations:
-
Our vaccination protocol is tailored to American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines, the lifestyle of your pet, as well as the diseases he or she is most likely to encounter. Vaccinations are not only safe and effective they are very important and fundamental piece of your pet’s preventative healthcare.
-
-
Microchipping:
-
Veterinary hospitals and shelters across the country have the capability to read microchips with special scanners. This microchip system is a simple, safe, and effective way that if your pet were to go missing they can safely reunite with their family.
-
-
As always appointments are preferred but walk-ins and after hours until midnight are always welcome.
