Puppy & Kitten Visits
Getting your new puppy or kitten off to a healthy start sets the stage for their lives as healthy adults. Regular physical examinations, core and elective vaccinations, fecal testing for parasites, and deworming are all important elements of ensuring good health for your puppy or kitten.
We will also discuss starting your pet on preventions to avoid fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites, and most importantly, heartworms.
Our knowledgeable staff can help your family learn about potty training your pup, performing nail trims on your puppy or kitten, dietary recommendations and proper nutrition, and potential health hazards for your new pet. We can also teach you about appropriate scratching material to avoid damage to household items as kittens start to use their nails.
It’s also very important to address certain behaviors at a young age to avoid issues down the road. We can help facilitate a training program or get you referred over to a trainer.
Spaying and neutering are additional topics to consider. The appropriate age for the timing of sterilization surgery may vary depending upon the species and breed of your pet. We generally recommend dogs be spayed/neutered between 6-18 months and cats less than 5 months, but this is certainly a discussion we can have to determine what best fits you and your pets needs.
You may also want to consider pet health insurance while your pet is young and healthy — a great way to get your new little family member off to a good start.
Annual Wellness exams
Preventive veterinary care is the cornerstone of keeping your pet their healthiest so that you and your pet can have more great years together. Since pets age more quickly than people do, it is critical to have regular physical examinations done to assess your pet’s health. During routine preventive exams, your veterinarian will assess:
- Overall Body Condition
- Eyes
- Ears
- Nose
- Mouth
- Throat
- Heart and Lungs
- Abdominal Organs
- Musculoskeletal System
- Neurologic System
- Urogenital System
- Lymph Nodes
- Skin/Coat
If health concerns are identified, a medical plan will be communicated to you to further evaluate the problems in depth. If your pet appears to be healthy enough for routine preventive care, your veterinarian will discuss which immunizations are advised, as well as parasite prevention including heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, and ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, etc.). We only give your pet the vaccines they need. We do not have a one-size-fits-all protocol. Instead, we consider age, health, lifestyle, and exposure risk. We also listen to your concerns before deciding what (if any) vaccines to give. Annual age-appropriate lab tests, testing for heartworm and/or tick-borne diseases, and fecal tests for parasites will be recommended for your pet. Finally, your pet’s nutrition, diet, and exercise routines can be assessed and optimized to help your pet be in best physical condition for their lifestyle and age. Remember, keeping up with preventive care for your pet is the best way to keep your pet happy and healthy for life.
Senior Pet Care
Senior pets have special needs and benefit from more regular veterinary visits compared to their younger counterparts. Age-associated conditions include:
- Arthritis
- Dental disease
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Endocrine disorders
These conditions will start to become more prevalent as your pet gets older. For this reason, we recommend twice-yearly veterinary visits for pets over 7 years (5 years, if large or giant breeds) of age. Your aging pet may be showing early signs of osteoarthritis such as stiffness after rest or play, difficulty going up or downstairs, and reduced activity. Early intervention with joint supplements and prescription arthritis medications when indicated, along with modified nutrition and exercise plans, can greatly improve your pet’s comfort and mobility. Likewise, performing annual screening lab work on your older pet can help identify early stages of medical problems that might go unrecognized, and progress significantly without treatment.
Some pets experience age-related behavioral changes that can be a sign of cognitive dysfunction, which is similar in some ways to dementia. Your veterinarian can recommend diet modification and supplements to help improve your older pet’s mental sharpness.
Early identification and intervention is best, and we can see the most improvement in your pet!
Parasite and Heartworm Prevention
Preventing parasite infestations is an important part of keeping your family and your pets healthy. Ectoparasites (external parasites) and endoparasites (internal parasites) can easily affect your pet at some point in their life as these can be picked up in the environment. Ectoparasites, such as fleas and ticks, are not only a nuisance to your pet, but can transmit vector-borne diseases to humans and pets such as Bartonella (cat scratch disease, transmitted by fleas), Lyme, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichia, and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. Fleas can also cause a severe dermatologic condition for your pet resulting in very itchy, inflamed skin, due to flea allergy dermatitis.
Roundworms are the most prevalent endoparasite in pets. Others include hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. Pets are typically infected with these parasites through accidental ingestion of parasite eggs (which are microscopic) from areas that have fecal contamination from other infected animals. Alternatively, some parasites are acquired through ingestion of intermediate hosts such as rodents (Taenia tapeworm species; Toxocara roundworm species) or fleas (Dipyllidium tapeworm species). These parasites are also a health risk to humans and are considered zoonotic – meaning they can be transmitted from animals to people. For example, if a person accidentally ingests roundworm eggs, the larvae can migrate into the body and cause organ damage and potentially blindness. Hookworm larvae in the soil and grass can infect bare skin and cause a condition in people known as cutaneous larva migrans.
Heartworm is another important endoparasite that results from pets being bitten by infected mosquitos. The larval form of the heartworm travels through the bloodstream to the heart where it develops into an adult. The adult heartworms live in the right side of the heart and if left untreated, result in progressive heart failure and death. In the initial stages of heartworm disease, pets may be asymptomatic, but as the condition progresses, symptoms may evolve including a cough and exercise intolerance in dogs, and vomiting/coughing in cats. Treatment of heartworm disease can be very risky for the pet, and very costly.
Because of the health risk to your family and pets, it is important to keep your pet on a year-round parasite-prevention program. There are several preventives that, when used properly, are very effective at greatly reducing the risk of your pet acquiring heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, and tick-transmitted diseases. Additionally, you can help prevent the risk of zoonotic disease to your family by practicing good hygiene (frequent hand washing), avoiding eating unwashed raw vegetables or undercooked meats, and cleaning up pet feces in your yard. Please call to set up a consult for more information about pets and parasites.
At Patriot Animal Hospital, we take a fear free approach to avoid stress and promote a healthy relationship when visiting the veterinarian.
We set a precedent to practice a pro-active versus reactive approach to medicine by performing a thorough physical exam each year and recommending lab work and additional testing such as fecal and heartworm testing.
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