Vet Talk: What We Mean By “Preventative Care” For Your Pet
As a pet owner, your responsibility to your furry friend is to keep them healthy. Pet wellness alleviates suffering, improves your pet’s mood, and reduces behavioral issues. A healthy animal also impacts your mental well-being—if your pet is stressed, chances are you are, too.
However, pet health isn’t only about going to the vet when your buddy is unwell. Some conditions are avoidable, and that’s where preventative pet health comes in.
What Is Preventative Animal Care and What Does It Entail?
As the name suggests, preventative care stops diseases before they occur. The veterinarian adopts an all-around healthcare approach where they check your pet’s overall well-being and risk of disease. Depending on the findings, vets can treat emerging conditions or recommend a wellness program based on risk factors, health status, and medical history. Here’s what to expect during your next preventative care appointment.
1. Physical Examination
The veterinarian checks the animal’s entire body for abnormalities and signs of discomfort. For starters, they inspect your buddy’s ear canal for growth, discharge, and infections and look at the eyes for cloudiness, redness, or excessive tearing. Additionally, the vet feels for enlarged organs and inspects the animal’s skin for unusual folds, dryness, oiliness, and dandruff.
Weight checks are also part of the process. If your pet loses too much weight between veterinary appointments, it might be dealing with digestive disorders, endocrine diseases (like Diabetes), and kidney disease. Conversely, sudden weight gain could point to stress, pregnancy, liver disease, endocrine disease and/or lack of exercise. When your pet is overweight, they’re more likely to experience heart problems, arthritis, high blood pressure, and breathing difficulties.
2. Vaccinations
Vaccination protects your pet from diseases by reducing the severity of clinical symptoms. If a disease is contagious, immunization protects other animals in your household and neighborhood to prevent liability in case of an accidental transmission.
In California, for dogs, the Rabies vaccine is also mandatory by law. Even if your pet spends most of its time indoors, you may risk hefty fines if your dog is unvaccinated for Rabies.
Vaccines fall into two categories. While core vaccines are necessary for all animals, non-core vaccines depend on the pet’s risk exposure, lifestyle, and medical history. Remember to keep up with your pet’s immunization schedule. Your furry friend may receive the first shot, but they still need a booster for maximum protection.
3. Dental Care
Dental health impacts other aspects of your pet’s well-being. It’s not uncommon for mouth bacteria to reach the animal’s bloodstream and damage the kidneys, heart, and liver. Dental care also treats bad breath and strengthens the gums to keep your pet’s teeth in place. But because animals cannot communicate their pain, your pet’s distress may go unnoticed. At the same time, pet parents examining their animals’ mouths don’t always know what to look for. However, veterinarians have the ability to identify:
Chipped teeth
Tumors
Bite misalignment
Swollen gums
Bleeding
Gingivitis
Tooth discoloration
Abscesses
The vet proceeds with treatment in the event of dental disease. They could also recommend professional cleaning or introduce your pet to new oral care products.
4. Parasite Control
Because of the high occurrence and transmission rates, most animals contract a parasite at some point in their lifetime. If untreated, parasites can irritate the skin, cause injuries, and weaken your pet’s immunity.
Parasites can even spread to humans and other animals in your house. Besides searching the skin, the vet checks for parasites using fecal samples, urine tests, and blood work. The next stage is treatment, the vet will recommend oral or topical medications to eliminate certain parasites.
Don’t wait until disaster strikes for you to invest in your pet’s well-being. Regardless of the animal’s age, preventative care gives your furry friend a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Contact us to make an appointment today!
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