Your pet deserves the best in veterinary care. Our highly trained and educated staff are dedicated to providing, not just emergency care, but ongoing wellness for your family pet. Animals of all kinds need exceptional, professional medical attention throughout their lives. Veterinary wellness visits ensure that your pet will receive a complete health examination. This also includes recommending diagnostic tests, and preventative treatments that are necessary to ensure optimal health on a daily basis.
Annual Wellness Examinations
When your pet gets their annual wellness visit, here’s what you can expect. First, your pet will receive a thorough physical examination from nose to tail. This is done to help catch any potential health problems with the mouth, eyes and ears, heart and lungs, abdomen, skin concerns, and more. Some things that may be detected include: any oral concerns, heart abnormalities, growths, areas of pain or discomfort, motility issues, etc.
During the visit, you’ll discuss your pet’s health at home, and you’ll have the opportunity to convey anything that may be concerning you. This may include any changes in behavior or appetite, or anything else that’s changed since the last visit. Our Doctors will also ask you specific questions in order to highlight common potential issues, as well as to get a better sense of your pet's lifestyle at home.
Next, your pet’s record will be carefully reviewed, and our doctors will discuss any preventative care that your pet may need. These may include:
- Vaccinations
- Parasite prevention
Wellness Services
Annual wellness exams provide the chance for your pet to receive needed diagnostic procedures, and treatment in a wide range of service areas. Additional services that may be conducted during your pet’s annual veterinary visit include:
- annual baseline blood work and urine testing
- Fecal(stool) samples to check for intestinal parasites
- heartworm and tick disease testing and prevention
- dental care and treatment
- microchipping
- FeLV & FIV testing for cats
- Ear smears and ear mite checks
- Fine needle aspirate cytology for tumors
- and more
Wellness Exams for Special Situations
Consistent wellness visits are also crucial for pets that fall into special categories such as puppies and kittens, and senior pets . These pets will need more frequent visits to the vet due to their age, and special needs that they may have.
Puppy and Kitten Care
Having a new puppy or kitten is a very exciting time for many owners. It can also be a very scary one as well, especially if you have never had a puppy or kitten before. There are so many questions that an owner may have. When do I need to bring my pet in? What vaccines do they need, and how old do they need to be? These are just some of the questions that you may have, plus plenty more. We recommend having your new pet examined a few days after you have gotten them. Early wellness exams can reveal health conditions you need to be aware of. During your pet's first year, our doctors will examine your pet every month starting at 6-8 weeks of age. Puppies and kittens are susceptible to many illnesses. So our doctors will vaccinate your pet against contagious diseases, until your pet is 16 weeks old. Then they will need to come in annually after that. These first few visits are the building blocks to protect your new pet's health. In addition, if you’re a new pet owner, you will receive valuable advice and tips on caring for your young pet, such as teeth brushing techniques and what type of parasite control is best.
Senior Pet Care
Senior pets, also referred to as geriatric, will vary on when they are considered a senior based upon their breed. The old saying for every 1 human year of age equals 7 dog years is not exactly accurate. What is true though is that pets do age much quicker than humans. Large breed dogs, such as Mastiffs, are considered to be a senior pet by the age of six. A small/toy breed dog may be considered a senior closer to 9-10 years of age. In fact all pets are aging multiple years to every 1 human year. That is why it is recommended that senior pets be examined every six months. Older pets often develop a range of age-related issues, such as loss of hearing, weight loss due to loss of appetite, arthritic changes, and failing eyesight. Veterinary wellness exams support the aging health of your beloved pet. If we can detect an illness in it's early stages then the prognosis will be better for your pet to a longer, healthier life.
These are just some of the many services and treatment options available during routine veterinary wellness visits at Seneca Animal Hospital. We are dedicated to providing the most advanced care for your pet, and we can’t wait to be a part of your pet's whole life!