Importance of Preventative Pet Care

What is included in preventative pet care?

Preventative pet care usually encompasses a range of different services, although it is important to note that exactly what will be included in your pet’s preventative care program will depend on her individual circumstances. Typically, you can expect to be offered the following for your pet:

Regular physical examinations

There is a great deal that you can tell about the health and wellbeing of your pet just by conducting a physical examination. This assessment, which goes from nose to tail, looks at a number of different factors, including:

• Her vital observations, such as her heart rate, oxygen levels, and core temperature.

• The condition of her coat and skin.

• An assessment of the physical condition of her body, including checking for any unusual lumps and/or bumps or markings.

• A check of her ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth.

• Assessing her limbs, ability to stand and move around.

If there is anything unusual discovered in your pet’s physical examination, it may be recommended for her to undergo further testing which could include a blood test, urinalysis, fecal testing etc which will give our team further vital information about the health of your precious pet.

Routine vaccinations and boosters

Vaccinations are a key component of any preventative pet care program since they are the only way to help your pet avoid many of the infectious and potentially deadly diseases that could pose a risk to her health. This includes diseases such as rabies, parvovirus, feline panleukopenia or myxomatosis. Vaccinations are usually given on a strict schedule when your pet is young and then your pet’s immunity is then boosted by subsequently planned top-ups. Our veterinary team will be able to tailor a vaccination schedule specifically to your pet.

Parasite prevention

It isn’t just airborne or contact-based diseases that you need to worry about. Some parasites, which live on or in your pet’s body, also carry infectious diseases as well as creating other health problems for your furry pal. These include fleas, ticks, and worms. In the case of heartworms, which are a type of internal worm that lives inside the blood vessels of your pet’s heart and lunch, failing to protect your pet could cause irreversible damage to her health and even death.

There are lots of different type of preventative available, ranging from spot-on and topical treatments to collars, oral medications, and even some injections. Our preventative care experts will help you to find the most suitable parasite preventative for your pet and explain the importance of sticking to a strict schedule of administration so that there is no point during which your pet is left vulnerable.

Spay/Neuter service

Contrary to popular belief, spaying/neutering your pet doesn’t just prevent unwanted pregnancy, although this is definitely a good reason for getting your pet done. After all, there are countless unwanted animals living in temporary accommodation across the country, and many more euthanized each year because there aren’t the resources to keep caring for them. However, spaying/neutering your pet will also prevent her from contracting certain health problems when she is older. For example, spaying a female can help prevent uterine infections, breast, and ovarian cancer. Meanwhile, neutering a male can prevent testicular cancer.

For this reason, we recommend that all pets are spayed/neutered as early as possible as this maximizes the health benefits that they will reap.

​​​​​​​These represent just some of the ways in which our experienced veterinary team can support the health and happiness of your pet. Contact us today to find out more about preventative pet care, or to schedule an appointment at our offices in Castle Rock, CO.