Annual physical exams are important to keep your pet healthy for as long as possible. Your Veterinarian is going to check for early signs of problems so that they can be addressed before they become a major problem. Many times this will result in a more successful outcome for your pet.
“When you consider that our pets age at approximately six to seven times the rate that we do, it’s easy to see that yearly veterinary exams are important not only for vaccinations and vital statistics but also to notice any early signs of disease or other problems,” states the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
Blood Pressure monitoring
Measuring a pet’s blood pressure is an important part of our anesthesia protocol. It is also an important part of managing certain diseases such as heart disease and kidney disease as well as during times of shock. Maintaining normal blood pressure is vital for a pet’s health.
Intraocular Pressure readings – Glaucoma Screening
We use a tool called a TonoVet is used to measure the pressure of the eye to screen for glaucoma or uveitis. Both of these problems can be very painful for pets and we recommend this as a part of a Senior Wellness Exam.
This is another part of our anesthesia protocol to make sure your pet’s heart is beating normally. It can also be used if your pet is found to have an arrhythmia or other heart problems to determine a cause and aid us in selecting the best treatment.
Therapeutic Laser Treatments
Laser therapy is a non-invasive way to reduce pain and inflammation as well as increase speed of healing. A beam of laser light penetrates deep into tissue without damaging it. It induces a biological response in the cells called photo-bio-modulation. It can be used for a soft tissue injury such as a sprain or a strain, arthritis, gingivitis, on a wound, or incision. Your pet may feel a warm soothing sensation and most treatments only take a few minutes. Protocols are unique to each pet and their condition, but are very helpful as a part of multimodal pain management.
A microchip is a small devise that is about the size of a grain of rice that can be implanted under your pet’s skin as a source of identification. If your pet is found and has a microchip, an animal hospital or local shelter/rescue can use a microchip scanner to pick up the frequency of the chip. An Identification number is shown on the scanner that is unique to your pet. That person can then look up the number in the registry, which will give them your information so that they can contact you and get your pet home safely. The American Humane Association states that over 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year. One in three pets will become lost at some point in their life. The return-to-owner rate in dogs with a microchip is over 50% compared to un-microchipped dogs, which is only about 22%. A great time to consider microchip implantation is when your pet is undergoing a spay, neuter, or dental procedure, but it can also be performed during a routine examination.