“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
Prevention is key for wellness and reducing risk of an emergent situation. We create a vaccine and parasite preventive protocol that suits your pet’s lifestyle needs. We discuss the food you feed and the weight of your pet. We discuss the management of any genetic predispositions. We monitor your pet’s mobility, skin and coat, and physical and vision changes to assess their aging process. We screen annually for parasites, organ function and cancer for early detection and more options for successful treatment.
What Is Wellness & Preventive Care?
We spend time getting to know and understand you and your pet. The best food to feed them, their ideal weight, vaccine schedules, etc. Prevention and management of genetic diseases and predispositions is the key to a healthy and long life. We give you all the proper tools and information to care for your pet and give them the life they deserve.
Dental Work
Just like humans, dental hygiene is paramount for preventing infections and loss of teeth. Our goal is for your pet to have all of their teeth for their entire life. This is best accomplished by starting now. Ask us for a plan for your pet’s dental hygiene!
Reproductive Care
Recent studies have shown a correlation between the risk of cancer and orthopedic issues in dogs and how early they are spayed or neutered. In some breeds there is a significantly higher risk when altered early. We encourage you to discuss your dog’s individual risks when making this decision. Cats that are not spayed or neutered develop behaviors that may not be desirable. Call us to discuss these behaviors when making your decision.
FAQ
Female cats typically start coming into season around five or six months of age, but can start earlier in the Spring. Cats are in season more often during the “breeding season” when the days are longer. Cats can be in season and become pregnant every 2-3 week. Because of the behavior changes associated with the process, many owners opt to have them spayed.
Male cats mature around the same time (five to six months), and sometimes begin “spraying” urine to mark their territory to attract females. Male tomcat urine has a strong odor that neutered cat urine does not have. This is a large reason owners opt to neuter their male cats.
Both female and male cats should be nearly fully matured before altering. This is approximately five to six months of age.
Male or female dogs historically were altered at six months of age or older because anesthetics of the time weren’t safe for younger pets. In 2020, the University of California-Davis released a 10 year study of dogs by breed and gender showed strong evidence that spaying or neutering too early can cause a higher risk of cancer and orthopedic issues later in life. Please contact us to discuss your pet’s risk factors specifically.
We first recommend choosing a diet that is formulated by a company that has a boarded Veterinary Nutritionist on staff. The labeling and claims that are made about a brand of food can be misleading, as the industry is not tightly regulated. The AAFCO is a good start to understanding the diet labels. Kibblequeen.com is a website of a boarded Veterinary Nutritionist that can serve as a resource. The Tufts College of Veterinary Medicine’s Nutrition Center is another great resource, and the program that researched the connection between grain free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy.