Wellness

We use the term "wellness" to cover basic and continuing pet care needs. Nothing that you can do for your pet is more helpful than regular care. For pets younger than six years old, we suggest an exam annually. These exams include a physical exam, fecal analysis and vaccines appropriate to your pet's lifestyle and environment. We will address issues such as the need for flea and tick preventative or heartworm medications.

Remember that old adage about dog years? Well, it is quite true. Each year that passes for you is like seven years for your dog. When thought of like that, it is just all that more obvious that we must be vigilant about the health of our pets.

When pets are older than six years, we suggest having blood work done annually to look for things like kidney problems. Common old age problems such as these, if caught early, can be remedied or helped in some way.

Aside from what we do at the clinic, a great deal can be done for the health of your pet at home. As with anything that you care about, pay close attention to your pet, to the way that he or she walks, breathes, or eats. Small things, such as a dog eating with his head to one side, could indicate a need for some extra help. Exercise and the ability to regularly relieve itself is very important to the health and happiness of your pet.

Diet is another important factor in the health of a pet. Certain things can be taken out of or added to a pet's diet to ensure health. Glucosamine, for example, can help relieve joint pressure in large breed dogs. Obesity in kittens can lead to diabetes. Obesity can cause stress on the joints of dogs. Hence, dogs and cats maintain better health when they eat either dog or cat food. Cheese and hot dogs aren't going to do much good for them!