You love your fur baby and want to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. You also want to improve the chances that your companion will spend many years by your side. The best way to achieve these goals is to make a commitment to routine wellness care. Bringing your pet in for regular checkups should be a part of your overall health care plan, and at Lakeway Animal Medical & Surgical Clinic, we’ve made doing so as easy and convenient as possible. Why? Because we share the same goal of helping your pet enjoy a lifetime of good health.
Our wellness care has been uniquely designed to assist your fur baby through each life stage he or she experiences. As your fur baby grows from puppy or kittenhood into an adult cat or dog, and eventually reaches those precious golden years, his or her health care needs will inevitably change over time. Whether it’s a first round of vaccines, a diagnostic test to monitor ongoing health, specialized geriatric care, or anything that may arise in between, our wellness services will be there to support your companion every step of the way.
Because your four-legged best friend ages at a much faster rate than you do, we recommend bringing them in for a wellness check at least once per year. These visits are important in helping us gather a snapshot of your companion’s current health, as well as to monitor his or her ongoing health over time. Seeing your fur baby regularly allows our doctors to identify any potential medical concerns and address them right away before they have a chance to develop into a more serious and costly problem. This early detection can vastly improve the quality and length of your fur baby’s life.
A typical wellness visit at Lakeway involves a thorough physical examination, during which a doctor will check your fur baby’s eyes, ears, mouth, and skin. A check of the internal organs, such as the heart and lungs will also be conducted using a stethoscope to ensure that the body is functioning properly. Should the vet deem it necessary, routine diagnostic tests may also be run to measure and monitor ongoing health. We’ll also discuss your fur baby’s weight and nutritional needs to make sure that he or she has a diet and exercise plan in place that supports optimum health.
Another important part of wellness visits is vaccinations. Companion animals need vaccines to help protect them from a wide variety of serious, sometimes life-threatening medical conditions, but not every fur baby requires every vaccine to stay healthy. As part of our personalized approach to animal health care, we will develop a customized vaccination plan that is tailored specifically to your pet, based on such things as age, health, lifestyle and risk factors.
Wellness blood-work is also highly recommended, especially for those fur babies that are seven years of age and older. This bloodwork includes a Complete Blood Count (CBC), Complete Chemistry Profile Panel, and urinalysis for all fur babies, as well as a Thyroid Panel for pets older than seven years. We also highly encourage intestinal parasite fecal screenings twice a year for dogs and cats, as well as radiographs and single- or double-cavity ultrasound.
Lastly, but certainly not least, wellness visits provide all of us with the chance to get to know you and your four-legged best friend on a more personal level. We believe that quality veterinary care starts with a solid relationship with our clients and a lifelong bond with our patients. We encourage you to ask questions and voice any concerns that you may have so that we may discuss them further. The better we understand you, your fur baby and his or her needs, the more we can customize our approach to provide you both with the best care and service possible.
You want what’s best for your fur baby, and so do we. It starts with a solid foundation of quality wellness care. Let us become your trusted partner in helping your four-legged friend live a long, happy and healthy life!