Routine Services:
We work hard to educate our clients on preventative veterinary medical care because it is the foundation for your pet having a long, healthy life. Generally speaking, routine preventative care includes vaccines, monthly parasite preventions, and wellness bloodwork.
Living in a rural area that is rich with wildlife means that indoor and outdoor pets are at greater risk of contracting disease from parasites, wildlife and water in their environment. That is why we make sure our vaccines are the best offered and consider your pet’s lifestyle when developing vaccine recommendations.
Our Preventive Measures
We also offer flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal parasite prevention through our online store as well as at our hospital. These monthly preventions are essential in our area. Two different ticks carry Lyme disease and others carry harmful diseases that are manageable but not curable. Some of these tick borne illnesses are zoonotic meaning people are susceptible to them. Therefore, if one of these ticks bites you or your family, you could contract the disease. Thorough, fast acting tick prevention for our pets is our best defense to prevent illness. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes and are present in high numbers in our area. Although heartworms are treatable, the treatments are very expensive, inconvenient and can have complications. We prefer to prevent heartworm disease with a monthly chew. Conveniently, that same monthly chew treats for hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms which are contagious to people as well. Because these parasites can be transferred to humans, we recommend screening a stool sample from your pet at least twice a year and prescribe monthly deworming that also protects against fleas, ticks, and heartworm disease. Ultimately, these preventive measures keep our pets safe and keep you and your family safe as well.
Checking for Heartworms
Screening stool samples and checking for heartworms needs to be done at least once a year. To help with the cost, we negotiate lower lab prices for our wellness bloodwork to make this important diagnostic more affordable. We have seen that doing bloodwork before your pet is showing signs of illness allows us to detect subtle changes and tailor a treatment to give your pet a longer, happier life. Sometimes this results in your pet avoiding becoming sick at all. All preventative care has a focus on helping you as the pet parents provide high quality care with a focus on your specific pet and what their specific needs are. Not every patient needs every vaccine, test, or treatment, and as a team we know that. All of us are committed to taking the time to use our expertise to work together with you in preventing disease in your pet.
