Examinations
What we do when you bring your pet to visit us for an examination
We check your pets:
- Eyes
- Ears
- Teeth
- Coat
- Heart
- Lungs
- Lymph nodes
- Joints
- Belly
We may even ask your pet to walk, stand or run.
However, even the most thorough exam can’t tell us if everything is healthy on the inside. We may ask to do one, two or perhaps an intricate variety of tests to help us see the whole picture.
Along with the physical examination, we may perform one, two or all of these tests for your pet.
Blood Tests
Blood work, also called a chemistry panel or profile, allows a view of organ function. Different tests are used to evaluate different organs. Discovering small changes early, before signs of illness appear in your pet, can allow us to help you create a proactive plan to protect your pet’s health and quality of life. Some types of blood tests require your pet to fast for 12-24 hours before the exam.
Urine Tests
A urinalysis is an evaluation of your pet’s urine. Changes in the acidity and the appearance of cells in the urine can indicate ongoing disease. A urine test may indicate kidney or bladder disease but can also detect other common diseases like diabetes and Cushing’s disease.
Fecal Testing
Fecal testing is the evaluation of your pet’s feces under a microscope. Common parasites – better known as worms – include roundworms, hookworms and coccidia. While you might not see these worms in your pet’s stool, special preparation and testing of the sample will allow us to find worm eggs and larvae, which are sure indicators of a parasite infection.
Pets age differently than Humans
Our pets age much faster than we do. Cats and dogs go through the terrible twos and may even enter their teens before they are 12 months of age! Visiting your veterinarian annually is the equivalent of you going to the doctor just once every five to ten years. This is why many veterinarians recommend regular exams every six months.
|
Years |
Cat’s |
Dog’s Age <50lbs |
Dog’s Age |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
12 |
12 |
18 |
|
2 |
19 |
20 |
25 |
|
3 |
25 |
25 |
32 |
|
4 |
32 |
32 |
39 |
|
5 |
35 |
36 |
45 |
|
6 |
40 |
41 |
51 |
|
7 |
44 |
46 |
56 |
|
8 |
48 |
50 |
62 |
|
9 |
53 |
55 |
68 |
|
10 |
57 |
60 |
74 |
|
11 |
63 |
64 |
79 |
|
12 |
67 |
68 |
85 |
|
13 |
70 |
72 |
92 |
|
14 |
73 |
75 |
98 |
|
15 |
76 |
80 |
|
|
16 |
80 |
Call us today to set dates for your pets’ examinations
Nutrition
We carry select varieties of prescription based pet food from Hill’s and Medi-Cal. These are diets that have been produced after years of dedicated research in pet foods in their research labs before they are released for public pet consumption. Quality control is stringent and very high quality proteins and other ingredients are used. These foods undergo the highest level of testing to help ensure that they are not tainted by toxins, as in the pet food scare from the imported Chinese ingredients in recent times.
Prescription based Pet Food
These foods are categorized as prescription-based food (although you don’t need a prescription to purchase them and there is no prescription fees added on) because they are specially formulated for a variety of dietary needs. All pets have specific dietary needs that may be related to a health condition, age, size, and breed or as preventive care to ensure conditions are not developed through consumption of foods that are not appropriate. These “prescription” foods contain qualities to meet those basic needs and in many cases is the only therapy for many medical conditions if correctly prescribed and used. Use of prescription medication in many cases are often overused, not needed or even contradicted when using the correct diets.
Hill’s pet food product line includes more than 50 pet foods formulated for the many life stages and special needs that your pet will go through. As well, they offer 60 prescription diet brand pet foods. It’s no wonder then that with the importance of choosing the correct foods for normal healthy life stages as well as for medical conditions, that they keep these diets mostly as veterinary exclusive since they want to ensure that a professional recommendation is made first, to get the maximum benefit for each pet. Medi-Cal pet foods’ provide a complete line of diets of similar outstanding quality with the same veterinary exclusivity. Examples of prescription diets for medical benefits include specially designed dental diets through a special manufacturing process that is intended to make the texture of their kibble a greater tool in the scrubbing of tartar off teeth; or specially formulated renal diets for kidney disease where the correct ratio of electrolytes to replace those lost in kidney disease, as well as strict protein restrictions, all designed to minimize the burden and aid the kidney in its function.
Pet Nutrition is Essential
Pet nutrition is of major importance in a veterinary practice because it has a great impact on the health and well-being of all pets. Just like humans, a pet’s diet is a key factor in the prevention and treatment of disease and maintaining good health.
You can visit the Hills and Medi-Cal websites to educate yourself more on the products and dietary supplements that they have to offer for your pet’s diet.
It is important to start your pet off with the proper diet from day one, so we encourage you to visit us for a nutritional consultation. A month of the wrong dietary regimen is a long time when you’re a young pup or kitty.
Parasite Control
Ticks and Fleas
Ticks are small spider-like acarids and fleas are insects, but these two tiny creatures have at least one thing in common—they are both parasites that feed on your pet’s blood and can cause a lot of discomfort and more serious health problems.
Flea bites may go unnoticed on some pets, cause slight irritation in others and produce extensive itching, red lesions, hair loss and even ulcers in those animals with flea allergy dermatitis, which is the result of extreme sensitivity to flea saliva. Severe flea infestations can cause anemia, especially in kittens. Fleas can also transmit several diseases, as well as tapeworm. Ticks are “vectors” or carriers of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever which can sometimes be transmitted to humans.
About Fleas…
Adult fleas are wingless insects, generally smaller than a sesame seed, who feed on the blood of animals. Their proportionately enlarged back pair of legs gives them an extraordinary jumping ability. Hanging on to your pet’s fur with their claws, their needle-like mouth parts bite through the skin to suck up blood—in quantities of up to 15 times their body weight daily in the case of female cat fleas.
If one flea finds your cat an attractive food source, you can be sure that other fleas will, too! They mate, with females laying 30–50 eggs per day. These eggs will drop to the ground within 8 hours and, as soon as 2 days later flea larvae will hatch and hide in dark places on the ground, on carpets or in upholstery. After about a week of feeding on adult flea droppings, crumbs, flakes of skin, etc., the larvae spin cocoons to become pupae. The pupae can remain in this stage for very long periods of time. As early as a week later, the pupae develop into adult fleas and emerge from their cocoons when they sense that a cat or other animal host is nearby. The cycle—which can take as little as 12 days or as long as 180 days—can then begin again.
About Ticks…
Ticks are wingless creatures that live exclusively on the blood of animals for three of the four stages of their life cycle. They are equipped with an apparatus called Haller’s organ which senses heat, carbon dioxide and other stimuli to allow the ticks to locate the presence of an animal food source. Once found, they crawl on and embed their mouth parts into the animal’s skin and proceed to suck up its blood.
You should inspect your pet regularly for ticks, especially if they have been outside in areas where there are woods or tall grasses. A thorough combing within 4 to 6 hours of exposure to such environments can help prevent ticks from attaching themselves to feast on your pet. Should you find a tick, it should be removed immediately, as the longer it is attached to its host, the greater the chance for disease. Do not touch the tick. Wear gloves and use tweezers to carefully grasp the exposed section of the tick’s body near your pet’s skin. Gently pull until the tick lets go. To dispose of the tick, wrap it in several tissues and flush it down the toilet. Do not crush, burn or suffocate it, as any one of those actions may spread infectious bacteria.
Controlling fleas and ticks
The best way to control flea problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Fortunately, developments in veterinary parasite control in recent years have made the twofold goal of eliminating fleas on pets and preventing further infestations much easier to achieve. Available for both cats and dogs, new insecticides and insect growth regulators in easy-to-use topical or oral forms not only eliminate any existing fleas, but also work long-term to prevent future infestations. This is accomplished either by killing the parasites before they can reproduce or by preventing their eggs from developing into normal adult fleas. Consult your veterinarian for advice about the proper product for your pet. Furthermore, thorough daily vacuuming of high-traffic areas and frequent washing of your pet’s bedding will also go a long way in reducing the flea population in your home.
Some of the same types of topical or oral products used to control flea infestation are also effective against ticks. Such treatments should be combined with daily examinations and tick removal for those pets, especially cats, which are frequently outdoors in areas with high tick populations. Ask your veterinarian for information about the situation in your locality. Clearing brush and long grasses and removing leaves, grass clippings and other organic debris will also help reduce the presence of ticks by disturbing their natural outdoor habitats.
When A Parasite Picks Your Pet for A Meal
If, despite your best efforts at control, you find that fleas or ticks have crawled (or jumped) on board your pet, you will have to use a product that will kill and/or repel the parasites. These include once-a-month topical treatments, or more regular use of sprays, powders, dips, shampoos, collars and, to combat fleas, oral or injectable medication. Once again, you should ask your veterinarian for advice about what the most appropriate product is for your pet. And remember, it is perfectly normal to see live fleas or ticks on a pet immediately after a topical treatment, spray, shampoo, collar, etc. is applied. Many believe that this means the product is not working, but the fleas or ticks have to fully absorb the product before they will be affected, which may take from a few hours to a few days.
Facts About Fleas
Worldwide, there are about 3,000 different types of fleas, but the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the most common to be found on cats and dogs.
Adult fleas can jump 600 times an hour. Each jump, in terms of the flea’s size, is the equivalent of a person clearing a 50-story building.
The record jump for a flea is 13 inches.
In just 30 days, 25 adult female fleas can multiply to 250,000 fleas.
Tips About Ticks
A female tick can lay up to 3,000 eggs.
Except for eggs, ticks need a blood meal to progress to each stage of their life cycle.
Some ticks can live for more than a year without a meal.
In very rare cases, toxins secreted by ticks can cause pet paralysis.
Vaccinations
The need for pet vaccinations
Vaccines are a breakthrough in medicine and an invaluable shield to help your pet stay strong and healthy by protecting them from diseases. Vaccines work by training the immune system to respond quickly when confronted by a specific disease. The animal’s rapid response to exposure to this disease reduces the severity of the illness, prevents possible death and speeds up recovery. By vaccinating your pet to the major common ailments, you are helping to boost their immune systems.
Vaccines are not only superb protection against disease for your pet but also for the pet’s human family and neighboring animals. They help the animal’s immune system to build up a highly effective defense against otherwise deadly diseases.
Is it time for your pet’s vaccination and which vaccines should be given?
The best advice for your pet’s vaccination and health can be given by the veterinarian who examines your pet. The veterinarian is your most valuable resource for tailoring your pet’s vaccination and check-up program.
Through knowledge and examining your pet, we can help you to decide when it is time for the next vaccination session and how frequently your pet should be vaccinated in the future. When your pet is examined the veterinarian can recommend which vaccines are best suited.
Lifestyle factors are important to consider when designing the vaccination protocol for your pet:
- Is your pet mainly indoors or outdoors or both?
- Does your pet travel with you? Where do you travel to?
- Is your pet surrounded by other pets in the home?
Based on the information gathered from these questions and others, our clinic will customize a combination of the following vaccines and remind you when your pet should return to receive their next vaccination dose.
List of Common Pet Vaccinations for Dogs and Cats
|
Dogs |
Cats |
|---|---|
|
Adenovirus |
Rhinotracheitis |
|
Bordetella bronchiseptica |
Calicivirus (FVC) |
|
Lyme |
Chlamydiosis |
|
Distemper |
Herpesvirus (FHV) |
|
Leptospirosis |
Leukemia virus (FeLV) |
|
Hepatitis |
Panleukopenia virus (Distemper, FPV) |
|
Parainfluenza |
Rabies |
|
Parvo |
|
|
Rabies |
|
|
Canine Flu |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Are you planning on travelling with your pet? Your pet may need special vaccinations!
It is important to discuss any travel plans you may have that involve your pet with your veterinarian. Pets, like humans, are susceptible to contracting serious illnesses when exposed to a different environment. Other countries may also have specific vaccination and health guidelines that you and your pet must follow to gain entry to the country. Ask us for more information or consult the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website: www.inspection.gc.ca, and the Government of Canada Animal Health Office for more information about vaccination regulations.