What is Included in My Cat’s Health Plan?

Our feline-friendly health plans offer comprehensive care for your cat in a predictable, budget-friendly format. Your monthly payment entitles you to all the plan benefits and special subscriber discounts, and takes the guesswork out of what your cat’s next visit will cost.

Please read on for details about what is covered by our health plan for cats!

ADULT CAT BASIC HEALTH PLAN

• One wellness vaccination exam per year: During this exam, our veterinarian will evaluate the overall health status of your cat and provide recommendations for preventative care and lifestyle management. You will be informed about any abnormalities during the examination and counseled on what these may mean for your pet.

• All vaccines recommended by the veterinarian for your specific animal: Not all animals require the same vaccination schedule. Our veterinarian will work with you to determine the vaccines that are required for your pet. The best part? All of these vaccines are covered at no extra cost to you if cat requires more vaccines based on his or her lifestyle.

• Yearly wellness bloodwork (complete blood count and mini chemistry): These blood tests will give us more information about your pet’s immune system, red blood cell count, liver and kidney values, glucose and blood protein levels. This will allow us to pick up on abnormalities before your cat is showing any signs of illness. Even if all of the labwork is normal, this provides us with baseline values for comparison in case your cat becomes ill in the future.

• Yearly fecal parasite testing: Yearly stool sample testing is recommended for all dogs and cats to protect them and their human families from parasites. Did you know that some worms can be spread to humans? Young children are especially at risk. Although some preventatives (such as Revolution®) also provide protection against intestinal worms, it is still advised to check the stool regularly for evidence of “unwelcome guests”. If parasites or eggs are seen in the fecal examination, a doctor will prescribe a medication for your pet and discuss management of the condition with you.

• One annual comprehensive examination: Sometimes, even with the best care, a pet becomes sick. You may use your comprehensive exam to cover the cost of this initial examination for any illness that arises. Our doctors will use the findings of the exam to develop a diagnostic and treatment plan to get your pet feeling better.

• Two pedicures per year: Sometimes pets wiggle for nail trims at home. Let our staff help by clipping your cat’s nails while here for an appointment.

• 10% off annual Feline Leukemia and FIV testing: Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus are very serious infections that cats acquire from other cats. It is recommended that outdoor cats be tested annually for these diseases, since they are continually exposed to other cats. Indoor cats are usually tested as kittens, and do not require retesting unless they go outside or are exposed to cats of unknown viral status.

• 10% off Monthly Parasite Prevention: We strongly recommend monthly parasite prevention for all of our feline patients. This medication, applied once monthly to the skin on the back of the neck, protects cats from fleas, heartworms, ear mites and intestinal worms. As a health plan participant, your pet will get these anti-parasitic medication at a discount.

• 10% off microchip implantation: Microchips are a valuable way to ensure that your pet will always be able to find his/her way home if lost. Planning in advance by microchipping your pet can decrease stress during a difficult situation later on. The microchip is the size of a grain of rice, and is placed under the skin between the shoulder blades. Any veterinarian or shelter can scan for the microchip if your pet is found and brought in. The number that is read on the reader is traceable back to you.

UPGRADE OPTIONS

As pets age, or if they have other ongoing medical conditions, there may be times where additional monitoring bloodwork and regular testing is ideal to keep tabs on important body functions and organ health.  We offer two levels of preventive care monitoring upgrades to help meet these needs as your pet ages – the Silver Upgrade offers enhanced labwork, and the Gold Upgrade offers labwork plus other important testing, as well as an additional comprehensive exam.

We also offer a Dental Upgrade, which includes the recommended yearly comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment (“COHAT“) along with the pre-anesthetic labwork and associated hospital stay and care.

Silver Upgrade

In addition to all of the above basic services, this upgrade also includes:

• Urinalysis: Urine provides us with additional information that complements the results of the bloodwork. This urine test may reveal evidence of kidney or liver disease, a urinary tract infection, or urinary tract crystals. A urinalysis is especially useful for cats, since they very commonly develop chronic kidney disease as they get older.

• Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio (if indicated): If a pet has protein in his/her urine, there are many potential underlying causes. This test allows us to determine if the amount of protein in the urine is significant or not. That additional information helps guide diagnostic recommendations and treatment.

Gold Upgrade

In addition to the basic services, also includes:

• An additional included comprehensive examination (for a total of 1 wellness vaccination exam and 2 comprehensive exams per year): Some pets, due to age or underlying conditions, may require additional exams every year. These can be used for wellness or illness visits. Rest assured that if your pet becomes ill, the initial assessment exam will be covered by your wellness plan.

• Thyroid screening test (total T4): Middle-aged to older cats may be predisposed to developing hyperthyroidism, or an elevated thyroid hormone level. This causes the cat’s metabolism to be too quick, leading to weight loss, increased appetite, and an increased thirst. Cats can also have vomiting or diarrhea when their thyroid level is too high. At its worst, hyperthyroidism can also cause blindness due to elevated blood pressure. Screening cats for this condition allows us to diagnose it earlier, so we can begin treatment as soon as possible.

• Urinalysis: Urine provides us with additional information that complements the results of the bloodwork. This urine test may reveal evidence of kidney or liver disease, a urinary tract infection, or urinary tract crystals. A urinalysis is especially useful for cats, since they very commonly develop chronic kidney disease as they get older.

• Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio (if indicated): If a pet has protein in his/her urine, there are many potential underlying causes. This test allows us to determine if the amount of protein in the urine is significant or not. That additional information helps guide diagnostic recommendations and treatment.

• Blood pressure measurement: Several diseases in cats can impact blood pressure (including hyperthyroidism and chronic kidney disease). Even in a healthy patient, it can be important to have a baseline blood pressure prior to illness or anesthesia.

• Eye pressure measurement: Glaucoma is a painful condition that develops when the pressure in the eye is too high. This can lead to vision loss, and sometimes surgery or removal of the affected eye is required. If diagnosed early, glaucoma can often be managed with topical medications. Eye pressure measurement is painless for your pet and can also be used to monitor other ophthalmic conditions.

• Discounted laser therapy packages ($239 for a package of 6 treatments): Laser therapy is an extremely safe and effective treatment modality used to help with wound or incision healing, arthritis, disc disease, and many other conditions. Our patients become much more comfortable when treated with the therapeutic laser. Most conditions require twice weekly treatments for 3 weeks to see results. Enjoy this significant discount on the cost of laser therapy for your pet as a valuable benefit of your wellness health plan.

Dental Health Upgrade (Dental Health Plan)

Dental disease is one of the most common conditions that we see in our pets. Left untreated, dental disease can lead to oral pain, decreased appetite, loss of teeth, infection and organ disease. These complications can greatly impact the overall health of the pet.

For these reasons, we often recommend a complete oral health assessment and treatment (COHAT) for pets with dental disease. This requires general anesthesia to allow for a thorough examination and cleaning.

Sometimes after the teeth are cleaned, using our ultrasonic cleaning tools, we uncover teeth that are so diseased they need to be removed for the patient to be pain-free. The cost for extractions depends on the difficulty of the extraction procedure, and ranges between $30 and $130. The dental health upgrade package includes a 10% discount on all needed extractions (see below).

Our dental care upgrade includes:

• One total oral health examination under anesthesia
• Monitoring of the patient before, during and after the procedure
• Inhalant anesthesia
• In hospital injections (pain management +/- antibiotics)
• IV catheter: this allows us to have access to a vein in case of emergency. Besides making the procedure safer for the patient, it also allows us to provide intravenous fluids to manage blood pressure during surgery.
• Ultrasonic scaling and polishing of the teeth
• All day hospitalization
• 10% off all dental extractions (if required)
• 10% off antibiotics to go home (if indicated)

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions about choosing the right care for your pet, including which of our health plans may be best for you and your family!

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