
Wellness Care
- Help our team keep your pet healthy by bringing him or her in for regular veterinary consultations and examinations. Dogs and cats (and other pets) age far faster than people, so significant changes in your pet's health can happen in a short time. Wellness programs allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early, when they're easier to treat or manage.
- Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventive treatments.
There are some diseases that can also present a human health risk that can be prevented by having a vaccinated pet.
Vaccine schedules have changed dramatically over the past few years as more research becomes available about vaccines and their effectiveness (duration of immunity). The result has been that we no longer vaccinate every year for every disease. Some vaccines are now given every 3 years, some every second year and a few still need annual boosters to ensure the pet is adequately protected. Some vaccines are only given to animals at risk of exposure to a particular disease. (We keep track of this! Thank goodness for our excellent computer system!)
- Even though some vaccines are no longer given annually it is still vital that we see your pet regularly. How often is "regularly"? That depends on a number of factors including age, breed, species, lifestyle, health status etc.
- Generally, we will see one of our patients for a Wellness Examination and Professional Consultation with one of our Doctors once every year.
- As your pet ages, we will suggest more frequent visits to allow us to detect disease in its early stages and institute preventive measures to help keep your companion vital and comfortable.
- Keep in mind that our pets age more rapidly than we do. For example, a 9-year-old dog's age is roughly equivalent to 63-year-old human. We would recommend seeing this dog twice a year. That would be similar to the 63-year-old human seeing his or her doctor every 3 ½ years.
- We will work with you to create an individualized wellness program, including a vaccination and prevention protocol, for your pet. Call us today to schedule your pet's wellness exam consultation and examination.