Wellness & Prevention
Preventive veterinary care is the cornerstone of keeping your pet their healthiest so that you and your pet can have more great years together. Since pets age more quickly than people do, it is critical to have regular physical examinations every 6-12 months to assess your pet’s health. During routine preventive exams, your veterinarian will do a nose to tail examination assessing:
- Overall body condition
- Heart and lungs
- Abdominal organs
- Musculoskeletal system
- Neurologic system
- Lymph nodes
Annual age-appropriate lab tests, testing for heartworm and/or tick-borne diseases, and fecal tests for parasites may also be recommended for your pet. Your pet’s nutrition, diet, and exercise routines can be assessed and optimized to help your pet be in the best physical condition for their lifestyle and age.
When health problems are identified, a treatment plan will be outlined to evaluate the problems in depth. If your pet appears to be healthy enough for routine preventive care, your veterinarian will discuss which immunizations are advised, as well as parasite prevention including heartworm, intestinal parasites, and ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, etc.).
Remember, keeping up with preventive care for your pet is the best way to keep your pet happy and healthy for life.
Your pet is an easy target for parasites and small insects. Common parasites like ticks, fleas, and heartworm-carrying mosquitoes feed on your pets, potentially infecting them with many dangerous diseases. Discover how these tiny pests can cause big problems.
These bloodsucking insects feed on mammals and lay eggs in their fur and your carpet. Fleas can transmit harmful parasites like tapeworms and murine typhus and can cause dermatitis and anemia. One flea can reproduce nearly 50 times a day, making a flea infestation a substantial threat to your pet’s well being. Flea infestations often spread throughout your home, living in your carpet and furniture and making them tough to eradicate.
New England is an endemic area for ticks and Lyme disease. Ticks can be found lurking anywhere in nature, including your backyard, dog parks, trails, and wooded areas. They attach to your pet as well as to humans. Although small, the tick is one of the biggest dangers to your pet’s health. A single tick bite can carry a host of potentially fatal diseases including Lyme disease, typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis.
Although it is rare, animal-to-human transfer is possible, making the tick hazardous to you and your family. You should inspect yourself and your pet after any woodland activities.
Heartworm-carrying mosquitoes are a lethal danger to your pet. Once the mosquito’s bite transmits the heartworm larva to your pet, it slowly develops and makes its way toward the heart. Once there, it reproduces within your pet’s pulmonary artery, leading to constrictive blood flow and potential heart failure. Annual heartworm testing, a simple test that yields result in minutes, is recommended as part of your dog’s wellness visit. Learn more about our recommendations for heartworm prevention.
Internal parasites are easily diagnosed through a fecal test at the annual wellness visit. You may suspect intestinal parasites if your pet has a change in stools or is scooting or scratching at the hindquarters. If you suspect your pet has worms, however, do not attempt to treat it yourself. Various types of worms respond to specific medications, and some over-the-counter products can harm your pet. Your veterinarian can prescribe the appropriate medication for the type of parasite identified. Treatment is typically an oral medication—simple and relatively inexpensive.
Parasite Prevention Plan
Regular use of anti-parasitic medication is your best defense for keeping your pet parasite free. The best way to protect your pet from being exposed to intestinal parasites is to adopt a year-round regiment. Consult your Riverside Drive veterinarian to determine the best parasite control products for your pets.
We recommend monthly prevention against fleas and ticks for dogs and indoor/outdoor cats. We can recommend Frontline (a topical) for fleas and ticks and Comfortis (oral) for fleas.