Fortunately over the last few years there have been significant advancements in the effectiveness of some of our vaccines. This has allowed us to extend the length of time between some immunizations for up to 3 years. Now we will be updating vaccines according to each pet’s risk factors for exposure to certain diseases. These changes have allowed us to concentrate on some other important health issues other than immunizations.
Routine parasite tests and preventatives
For your pets, parasites can be dangerous to their health and sometimes cause death. These parasites can also be dangerous and contagious to people. Fleas, mites and ticks, can have annoying and painful effects on your pet by causing diseases and severe skin conditions. Mites are the cause of mange, an easy to treat but sometimes painful condition. Fleas cannot only affect your pet on the outside, but inside as well. If ingested, fleas can lead to the development of tapeworms.
We recommend having annual parasite tests done to check not only for heartworms, but for intestinal parasites (roundworms, hookworms, etc) as well. Intestinal parasites are easy to treat with a simple deworming. Heartworms however have a more extensive treatment depending on how infested your pet is. It is easiest to take preventative measures by giving pets monthly heartworm prevention and at least annual de-worming than to risk health problems from infestation.
The importance of regular dental care cannot be emphasized enough. As with people, healthy teeth and gums are extremely important to a long, healthy life. An issue often overlooked is the connection between your pet’s dental maintenance and the rest of their body. Neglected teeth not only effect your pet’s mouth, but can also lead to distressed functioning and even diseases of the body’s vital organs, such as the heart, lungs and kidneys. Once every one to two years, depending on age and teeth condition, is our recommended time frame for pets to have dental cleanings.
A few highly important concerns, especially with older pets, are the increased risks of heart disease and decreased functioning of organs. Early symptoms of these associated diseases are not apparent to the naked eye. But, if undetected and allowed to reach later stages, diseases can cause extreme health issues or even death. For your adult animals it would be highly beneficial to perform a blood screening at least once every two years to help detect and prevent early stages of these diseases. For senior pets we recommend more frequent screenings to help us keep track of changes that may occur more quickly in our aging patients.