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Wellness Examinations

Our pets are a part of our family, and every responsible owner wants to ensure that their pets are in the very best of health. The majority of conditions that animals are susceptible to have no obvious symptoms early on. Once they do present themselves, many pets may already be suffering and may then require extensive medical assistance. Your pet may not be able to tell you what is wrong, but our examinations aim to discover the source of any problem, or indeed prevent them before they arise.

To help keep your pet in optimum health we recommend full nose to tail wellness examinations at least once per year. If you have recently purchased a pet then we strongly recommend that you book an appointment for their first examination within the first few weeks of ownership.

Younger animals are more vulnerable to illness and this will allow us to reassure you of their health and give us a starting point for their medical records.

Your pet’s physical examination will include some or all of the following:

• Abdomen and anal sac examination to check for swellings, bloating or any other abnormalities.
• Bellybutton check in puppies or kittens to ensure there is no hernia.
• Examining the condition of the coat and skin - this can indicate the overall health of the animal.
• Checking the genital area for any malformation.
• Examination of the heart and lungs, checking for any irregularities such as heart murmurs.
• Manipulation of the joints to ensure they are mobile and functioning correctly.
• Examination of the ear canals and ear flaps for parasites, infection, growths or tumors.
• Weight check, where dietary or exercise recommendations may also be made.
• Eye exam. Your veterinarian will check for discharge, redness, and abnormal responses to light. They will also examine the optic nerve in the back of the eye.
• Full dental check up including looking for any signs of periodontal disease.
• Older pets may require blood tests to check their liver, kidneys and other internal organs.
• If your pet requires any routine vaccinations or treatment, then they will usually be taken care of at this time, for example your dog may be tested yearly for heartworms.
• Fecal testing may also be required and so you may be asked to provide a stool sample from your pet. Fecal testing is vital to allow your veterinarian to check for internal parasites which live in your pets’ gastrointestinal tract. These parasites can be deadly in pets and cause health problems for humans. Examples include roundworms and hookworms.

As well as a physical examination we will also want to talk to you about your pet’s overall wellbeing. This will include asking about their usual behavior and disposition, their water intake, diet and eating habits, urinating and bowel regularities and activity levels. These will allow us to paint an overall picture of your pets’ health to compliment the physical examination. If this is your first visit to us and we do not detect any underlying health concerns, we can use this information as a basis to represent your pet in a normal state of health. If this is a subsequent visit then we can compare this to their base report and check for any significant changes, which could be early indicators of medical problems.

Make sure that your pet is as healthy as you are by booking a medical examination for them today.

Vaccinations

Just like humans, animals can be affected by infectious diseases, some of which can be transferred to humans. As responsible pet owners that want to keep your animals safe and healthy, we highly recommend that you vaccinate them in line with current guidelines.

Puppies and Kittens

Puppies and kittens receive initial protection against infectious diseases from their mother’s milk as long as she has been regularly vaccinated. However this protection only lasts for a few weeks and so your new addition will need to be vaccinated from an early age

Many puppies or kittens will go to their new homes having already received their first vaccinations, but check with their former owner when you collect them. If they have not yet been vaccinated, we recommend that they get their first vaccinations done as soon as possible after taking ownership of them.

As a guideline:

• Puppies & Kittens should be vaccinated at 6, 9 and 12 weeks.
• Booster injections should then be given 12 months from the initial vaccinations, and annually thereafter.

Dogs

Your canine friend should be routinely vaccinated against the following:

• Canine distemper virus

Spread by bodily fluid contact, there is no specific treatment and dogs with severe symptoms often die. Those who survive commonly have neurological difficulties later in life. Symptoms include fever, coughing, diarrhea and vomiting.

• Canine parvovirus

Spread by contact with feces from infected dogs, it mainly affects puppies, but can also be seen in dogs that have not had regular booster vaccinations. Symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea and dehydration. Without treatment, 80% of dogs with parvovirus will die. Treatment has an approximately 85% success rate.

• Infectious canine hepatitis

Infection is passed via bodily fluid contamination, and the virus can survive in the environment for prolonged periods. There are two types of the virus, a kennel cough type infection and a liver infection (hepatitis). Symptoms are almost identical to parvovirus. The symptoms can be treated rather than the main disease, but most dogs will survive.

• If your dog is going to be spending time in kennels, they may also be vaccinated via the nostril against kennel cough, which is a combination of parainfluenza virus and bordetella bronchiseptica
• All dogs should be given a rabies vaccine

Cats

Your feline friend should be routinely vaccinated against the following:

• Feline calicivirus

Commonly called ‘cat flu’ as its symptoms include sneezing, fever, discharge from the nose and eyes, and mouth ulcers. Spreads via cat to cat contact, airborne contact or contamination of the living environment. Vaccination prevents some strains but not all.

• Feline herpes virus

Spread by the saliva or discharge from the nose and eyes in infected cats, it can also survive in its environment. Like feline calicivirus, it is a type of ‘cat flu’ as its symptoms include fever, sneezing, conjunctivitis and discharge from the eyes. Once a cat has had feline herpes it is infected for life and may suffer recurrent flare-ups that are treated with antibiotics and eye drops.

• Feline infectious enteritis

Spread by the feces and urine of infected cats, this virus attacks their immune system leaving the animal unable to fight infection. Pregnant cats can transmit the disease to their kittens while they are in the womb. Symptoms include fever, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.

• Cats dubbed ‘at risk’ should also be vaccinated against feline leukemia virus

This disease is thought to require very close contact of infected cats to be spread, such as milk from mother to kitten or bite wounds. Much more common in city areas, and among un-neutered and stray cats. Multi-cat households also present a higher risk. The symptoms include poor body condition and coat, anorexia, diarrhea and jaundice. The virus attacks the bone marrow which results in leukemia and sometimes lymphoma.

Dental Services

When we think about our pets’ health all too often we forget about a vital part of their well-being – their dental care. As a species that are routinely taught to brush our own teeth twice a day, we really ought to make more effort to ensure that our animals’ teeth are as healthy as our own. Some of the symptoms of poor oral care in pets include:

• Weight loss. Infected gums and tooth pain can result in a reduced appetite and significant weight loss.
• Bad breath due to neglected teeth and gums.
• Dirty, stained teeth that could be harboring bacteria.
• Heart, kidney and liver disease which can all arise from untreated dental infections.
• Premature death. Bad teeth and gums can actually shorten the life expectancy of your pet.
• One of the primary causes of these problems is gum disease which sees the bacteria-harboring plaque and tartar accumulating on your pets’ teeth. This can, in turn, infect the gum tissue, causing pain and potential tooth loss. The bacteria can also enter the blood stream and cause damage to their internal organs, which untreated can lead to organ failure and eventually death.

Cats

Research has shown that dental disease is the primary health concern for cats, with around 70% of felines aged over 3 experiencing some form of dental problem. Between 4 and 6 months of age kittens lose their baby teeth and develop their permanent ones. Once the permanent ones are present your cat should have around 30 teeth.
Some of the symptoms of dental disease in cats include:

• Drooling
• Bad breath
• Decreased appetite
• Discolored teeth
• Blood in the saliva
• Bleeding, red or swollen gums
• Weight loss
• Receding gums
• Broken or missing teeth

As with cats, brushing your dogs’ teeth as a part of their regular daily routine can help prevent the onset of oral decay. There are plenty of canine brushing kits available, or alternatively you could use gauze wrapped around your fingers. Again, make sure you purchase special pet toothpaste as human toothpaste can make them very sick.

It is vitally important for you to carry on your cat’s dental care at home. There are a variety of brushing kits available that usually include a finger brush, small pet toothbrush and special toothpaste. Never use human toothpaste on your pets’ teeth. Make brushing your cats’ teeth an integral part of their daily routine to ensure that you are providing the best preventative care to dental disease possible.

Dogs

Doggy dental care is also extremely important. Most adult dogs will have 42 teeth by the time they are 7 or 8 months old but many show signs of gum disease by the time they are 4 years old due to a lack of proper cleaning.

Symptoms of poor dental or oral health can include:

• Excessive drooling
• Inflamed or red gums
• Loose teeth
• Cysts under the tongue
• Tumours in the gum
• Particularly bad breath

As with cats, brushing your dogs’ teeth as a part of their regular daily routine can help prevent the onset of oral decay. There are plenty of canine brushing kits available, or alternatively you could use gauze wrapped around your fingers. Again, make sure you purchase special pet toothpaste as human toothpaste can make them very sick.