Wellness
At Escatawpa Animal Clinic, it is our goal to help our patients stay healthy and happy for as long as possible. For this reason, we focus our attention on wellness and preventative care. It is always better for your pet’s health and more economical for you to prevent complications from progressive disorders, heartworms, parasites, and infectious diseases before they get established. This can be accomplished through regular checkups, vaccinations, and maintaining consistent preventative protection from heartworms, fleas, and ticks.
Annual wellness exams give us the opportunity to evaluate your pet’s overall health while providing us with a baseline for their particular bodies and tendencies. During a physical exam, our veterinarian will perform a complete wellness examination of your pet, checking your pet's teeth and oral cavity, examining the joints and muscles, heart and lungs, eyes, ears, and skin. We’ll check everything from nose to tail and in between. Wellness blood panels are recommended for young pets, and senior profiles are suggested for pets 7 years and older. A urinalysis also may be recommended for your pet at certain ages, or if they fit certain risk categories. If our feline patients are at least six months of age, we may recommend having them tested for Feline Leukemia, and Feline Immunodeficiency virus.
We understand that every pet is unique, and each requires an individualized veterinary healthcare management plan. As pets age, their health care needs change considerably. Puppies and kittens require different medical procedures and tests than an adult dog or cat, vs one in his or her senior years. We also provide guidance for your pet’s nutritional needs for each life stage, including dietary requirements for growth, weight maintenance, and performance.
At your pet’s visit, we will explain potential health issues that your pet may face depending on the species, breed, the pet’s stage of life, current health condition, environmental conditions, habitat, and so forth. Based on these factors, we will develop a vaccine schedule for your pet’s individual needs; we typically begin vaccinating kittens at 9 weeks of age while puppies can be vaccinated at 6 weeks of age. We will also develop preventive protocols for your pet regarding the best ways to control fleas and ticks on your pet.
Additionally, our veterinarian can spay or neuter your pet at the appropriate age, not just to prevent unwanted litters, but to lessen the development of cancer in both genders of dogs and cats.
Whether you’re in need of a checkup, diagnostic services and treatment for a sick pet, or preventative care to keep your pet healthy, the team at Escatawpa Animal Clinic is committed to providing personal attention to the unique concerns of every pet owner.
Call today to schedule an appointment to start your pet on the road to a happy and healthy life.