General Wellness
Diet & Nutrition
Proper diet and nutrition can help your pet fight against disease, maintain a proper weight, and promote the overall well-being of your pet.
Maintaining a healthy body weight is a very important aspect of a pet’s overall physical health. Good nutrition can help provide your pet with a happier, safer, and longer life. There are many nutritional supplements that can help fight against disease, maintain a proper weight, and promote the overall well-being of any animal.
When is a diet change needed?
Pets should be fed a balanced wellness diet based on a number of factors, including their life stage, their breed or size, activity level, and any health issues they have. Diet changes are recommended when they enter a new life stage. For example, transitioning is recommended from puppy or kitten to adult, or from adult to senior, which is usually around age seven. Diet changes may also be recommended if your pet develops any issues that could be treated with a prescription diet, such as obesity or a food allergy.
Why is maintaining a healthy weight important?
Obesity is a common problem among pets, as it can be easy to overfeed a pet that knows how to beg. Being overweight is a serious problem for animals, and can cause health problems as they get older. With proper diet and exercise, all pets should be able to meet their dietary needs and be within a healthy weight range. The best way to make sure your pet’s needs are being met is to consult with us about a specific diet for your pet and their lifestyle. Our staff will help your pet battle unhealthy weight gain and counsel you on the best nutritional options available.
How diet & nutrition can help your pet
We will help you make the right dietary changes for your pet so that they can stay on track living their happy and healthy lives. A healthy diet and good nutrition can reduce or even eliminate:
- pet allergies
- itching and scratching
- dull coat
- arthritis
- joint and hip problems
- intestinal disorders
Skin and coat supplements are a great way to keep your pet looking and feeling their best. Arthritis and joint supplements can be helpful for many pets as they age.
Microchipping
Microchip identification is the most reliable way to reunite lost pets with their owners.
Microchip identification helps return lost cats, dogs, and other animals to their homes every day. Pet ID chips are the most reliable way to reunite pets with their owners and provide peace of mind.
Why should I microchip my pet?
Microchip identification is the most reliable way to find lost pets and return them home with their owners. The procedure is safe, easy, and inexpensive.
When should I microchip my pet?
Some owners feel that their pet doesn’t need identification because they stay indoors, but in our experience, these are the most likely to become lost when they accidentally get outside. As separation from your cat or dog can happen all too easily, permanent identification by microchipping is critical. Every pet should have microchip identification as the procedure can be done at any age, but the most common practice is when the pet gets spayed or neutered since they are under anesthesia for those procedures.
How does microchipping work?
The small microchip (the size of a grain of rice) is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades of your pet in a relatively harmless veterinary procedure. The chip is permanent, lasting the whole life of the pet. Your information has to be registered with your bar code number so that you can be contacted if your pet ever becomes lost.
If a pet is found, all animal care facilities (shelters, hospitals, etc.) will scan the pet for a microchip using a special microchip reader that is simply waved over the skin. Once a microchip is found, a special hotline is called, and the lost pet is reported. The pet owner is then called immediately and given the contact information about where to pick up their pet.
Looking for your pet? Click to access the Universal Pet Microchip Lookup: https://www.aaha.org/petmicrochiplookup
Parasite Control (Lice, Fleas, Ticks & Internal Parasites Including Heartworms)
Parasites can be very damaging to your pet’s health. Preventive measures should be taken to inhibit potential outbreaks.
The idea of your pet being infested with parasites is a disturbing thought, but it’s also a medical issue that can have serious consequences. Parasites can diminish quality of life and even cause life-threatening health issues.
Common internal parasites include heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. The most frequent external parasites include Lice, fleas and ticks. Your pet should be free from parasites, both internal and external.
Why are parasites dangerous?
Lice and Fleas:
Lice and Fleas are small insects you can see in your pet’s fur. Some animals are allergic to the saliva of fleas, which can cause inflammation and more discomfort. If ingested while your pet is grooming themselves, fleas can transmit an intestinal parasite called tapeworm. Lice and flea infestations can lead to anemia and fleas are also capable of transmitting serious diseases.
Ticks:
Ticks are members of the spider family and live in cracks and crevices in the home or outside in vegetation such as grassy meadows, woods, brush, and weeds. Some tick bites only cause mild irritation or swelling at the site, but other tick bites can infect your pet with serious illnesses. If left untreated, these diseases, such as Lyme or other tick born diseases, can lead to more severe health problems or even be fatal.
Note: If you see a tick and cannot remove it, we will gladly help you. Call us immediately to limit the impact of the tick’s attachment. It’s much safer to have one of our trained professionals remove the tick for you. Make an appointment with us immediately to limit the impact of the tick.
Heartworm Disease:
Heartworms are transmitted when an infected mosquito bites your pet. Heartworms are parasites that live in the heart and its surrounding blood vessels. The adult heartworm produces offspring called microfilariae, which circulate in the pet’s blood. Unrecognized and untreated heartworm infections can be fatal.
When should I seek treatment for parasites?
Fleas:
If your pet is showing signs of fleas such as continuous scratching, gnawing or licking, schedule an appointment immediately. Additionally, flea dirt, the byproduct of fleas that looks like coffee grounds or pepper, can usually be seen by looking at your pet’s abdomen or by combing your pet’s coat with a fine-tooth comb.
Ticks:
If you see a tick on your pet, do not try and burn it off with a match. This does not work and could harm your pet. It’s much safer to have one of our trained professionals remove the tick for you. Make an appointment with us immediately to limit the impact of the tick.
Heartworm Disease:
The best treatment for heartworms is prevention. One of the most common and effective prevention methods is a monthly oral medication during the mosquito season, May through October in Okanagan Valley.
The parasite is transmitted through mosquito bites and usually the pet shows no signs for months. Later symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing, weight loss, tiring easily and listlessness. In many cases pets do not show outward signs until advanced stages of the disease. An annual blood test is recommended to screen for heartworms. This disease can be treated if found early, but it can be costly.
How can I prevent parasites?
Our veterinary team is happy to help you choose the correct preventive regimen based on your pet’s risk factors and health status. It is important to discuss with us yearly which antiparasitic products are ideal for your household based on the everyday life of your pet.
Vaccinations
Preventative care is an important aspect in maintaining your pet’s health. Proper vaccination is vital in protecting them against harmful diseases.
We believe that preventative care is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your pet’s health. There are a variety of diseases that affect animals, so proper vaccination of your pet is vital in protecting them from the many types of illnesses to which they are susceptible to.
Why are vaccinations important?
Vaccinations are vital to the health and protection of your pet, and serve as a preventive measure in combating viral diseases like Parvovirus, Parainfluenza virus, Distemper, Panleukopenia, Feline Leukemia Virus, and Rabies.
When should my pet get vaccinated?
Vaccinations are particularly important for puppies, kittens, and other young animals that have immature immune systems. Veterinary vaccinations generally begin at 6-8 weeks of age and then boosted throughout your pet’s life depending on the vaccine. Our doctors will determine the appropriate vaccination plan for your pet.
How are vaccines administered?
Vaccines help to combat diseases by exposing the pet’s immune system to inactive or small amounts of a particular form of bacteria or virus. Vaccines are administered through a subcutaneous injection (under the skin), orally, or intra-nasally, depending on the vaccine.
Vaccinations are accompanied by a consultation and examination with our veterinarians to make certain that your pet’s condition is stable enough to receive them. Proper and timely administration is necessary to ensure optimal protection.
Wellness & Preventive Care
Annual wellness exams evaluate your pet’s overall health, detect problems before they become serious, and keep them on track to live a long, healthy life.
We follow your pet through the many phases of their lives. From specialized and preventative care during their younger years to regular wellness checks as they age, we seek to prevent and detect problems before they arise. We know your pet is important to you, that’s why we work hard to ensure they are given only the best in care through all the years of their lives.
It is recommended that your pet have a wellness exam at least once every year. As your pet ages, they recommend having even more. We believe strongly in preventive care and have developed wellness protocols for every stage of the life of your pet. Depending on your pet’s life stage, vaccines may be administered, as well as disease screenings.
Why are wellness exams important?
Wellness exams give us a chance to evaluate the overall health of your pet while also giving us a baseline for their own unique bodies and tendencies. They also allow us to detect potential problems before they become serious, and even make your pet more familiar with our veterinary hospital, making future visits easier on them and you.
When should my pet visit the vet?
We believe in preventative medicine as the best approach to keeping our patients healthy. This includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations on a one- or three-year basis, external and internal parasite prevention, and dietary management. Our doctors will help determine what vaccinations are appropriate according to you and your pet’s needs. We will discuss in detail what your options are to help you make the best possible health decisions for your pet.
How do wellness exams work?
During a wellness exam, our veterinary team will start out by taking your pet’s vital signs. Our veterinarian will perform a comprehensive examination of your pet from nose to tail and may also perform diagnostic tests such as blood work, urinalysis, or intestinal parasite tests. Depending on your pet’s life stage, vaccines may be administered, as well as disease screenings for kidney, liver, blood disorders, and more.
Wellness examinations do not necessarily mean that your pet is going to be subjected to complicated or costly medical tests and treatments. This allows us to prevent major health issues from developing undetected and gives us the opportunity to analyze and record baseline values such as temperature, body condition, and lab work. We measure these when your pet is healthy in order to provide better care in the event of illness or emergency. A dental health exam and a weight check are always important parts of a wellness exam, and may indicate problems that can progress rapidly and have significant impact on your pet’s overall health.
We strive to prevent illness whenever possible. Early detection and correction of medical problems will help to ensure that your pet will live a long, healthy, and active life.