As people who have dedicated our lives to the well-being of companion animals, we understand that the best means to keep your pet healthy while also minimizing the lifetime cost of pet care through preventative care.

The basis of any preventative medicine regimen is regular wellness exams. 2nd Street Animal Hospital & Exotic Clinic recommends a complete physical examination for your dog, cat, or exotic pet at least once a year, but more frequent exams are encouraged.

BENEFITS OF SCHEDULING REGULAR PET EXAMS:

• Develop a picture of your pet’s overall health as well as to spot potential medical issues before they become serious health concerns.
• Opportunity to ask your veterinarian important questions about your pet’s health, habits, and daily care.
• Obtain information about up–to–date home preventative healthcare for your pet and offer important advice and new information on the care of your particular type and breed of animal.

Keeping your pet happy and healthy is a full time job, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world. By bringing them in  for regular checkups and wellness exams, you can help them to avoid a wide variety of future issues and make sure that they are doing well. Our team works hard to provide a fear free environment for all of our patients, so we take immense pride in the way we treat your pet.

At your pet’s routine checkups, we will:

• Check your pet’s vital signs
• Evaluate your pet’s posture, attitude, and walk
• Listen you your pet’s heart and lungs to check for any potential issues
• Do a routine dental exam to check for tooth and gum disease
• Evaluate your pet’s vision
• Administer a simple and noninvasive ear exam
• Palpate the lymph nodes and abdomen to scan for any signs of trouble
• Evaluate your pet’s skin to check for allergies, infections, and other skin related issues
• Palpate your pet’s joints, muscles, and bones
• Administer any necessary vaccines

To set up an appointment for a wellness exam, or to find out more about the wellness services we provide, call us today. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

LABORATORY TESTS MAY ALSO BE RECOMMENDED AT THIS TIME:

• Heartworm and tick disease test for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis
• Fecal flotation test for intestinal parasites.
• Complete blood cell count and blood chemistries to establish a baseline for your pet and detect any early changes.

VACCINATION PROTOCOLS

Vaccinations are not only safe and effective; they are an important and fundamental piece of your pet’s preventative healthcare plan. Advances in veterinary immunology have made diseases that once were relatively common and fatal to pets easily preventable. There are also vaccines — such as for rabies and other zoonotic diseases— that help protect your family from very dangerous and difficult–to–treat illnesses. Additionally, with each passing year, veterinary science is improving on existing pet vaccines as well as increasing our ability to prevent an even wider array of contagious diseases.

Our vaccination protocol is tailored to American Animal Hospital Association guidelines.

PARASITE PREVENTION ANDCONTROL

We recommend annual external and internal parasite control to protect not only your pet but your family as well. There are numerous oral and transdermal options with varying intervals of application. Our staff can discuss all the options available and develop a personalized program based on your pet’s risk of exposure.

MICROCHIPPING

How would you find your pet if he or she ever got lost? Each year, millions of pets go missing and many don’t make it back home. Microchipping your pet is a safe, simple, and effective way to prevent this tragedy. About the size of a grain of rice, identification microchips are encoded with your pet’s vital information and implanted beneath your pet’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades. Microchipping will be discussed at your pet wellness visit.

SENIOR PET CARE

As animals move into the senior phase of life, they experience changes that are very similar to aging humans. During the early stages of many “senior” age–related illnesses, pets appear healthy upon physical examination, but may have underlying diseases. Once symptoms appear, many conditions become difficult or costly to diagnose and/or treat. As a result, we recommend pets seven years and older undergo a complete physical examination at our animal wellness center with blood work and other associated laboratory tests performed at least once per year.

DISEASES AND CONDITIONS THAT ARE COMMONLY KNOWN TO AFFECT OLDER PEOPLE ALSO AFFECT OUR CANINE AND FELINE COMPANIONS. SOME OF THESE HEALTH CONDITIONS MAY INCLUDE:

• Kidney, heart, and liver disease
• Benign and malignant tumors
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Thyroid conditions and other hormonal problems
• Neuroses and loss of sensory perception
• Eye disorders and hearing loss

SIGNS TO WATCH FOR:

• Stiffness or limping
• Difficulty climbing stairs or jumping
• Difficulty breathing or changes in breathing patterns
• Tremors or shaking
• Excessive scratching or changes to the skin and/or coat
• Drastic weight change (either loss or gain)
• Difficulty seeing or hearing
• Changes in urination/defecation habits
• Confusion or disorientation
• Decreased responsiveness

Therefore, we recommend pets seven years and older undergo a complete physical examination with blood work and other associated laboratory tests at least once each year.

SENIOR PET TESTING MAY INCLUDE:

• Expanded blood profiles including hormonal imbalance screening.
• Complete urinalysis.
• Blood pressure testing.
• Ocular pressure testing for glaucoma.
• Electrocardiogram, if needed.
• Chest radiographs.
• Abdominal ultrasound.

As your trusted and compassionate veterinary care center in Northern Liberties, we are determined to help keep your dog, cat, or exotic pet in top health with our animal wellness services. If you would like to schedule your pet for wellness care, non-wellness medical services, or any of our pet care services, contact our animal wellness center today to schedule an appointment.