Do you want to know the secret to helping your pet enjoy a long, happy and healthy life?
As loving pet parents, we want our animal companions by our side for as many years as possible. At Paw Prints Animal Hospital, we believe the best way to ensure this happens is by making a commitment to their ongoing wellness. By bringing your pet in for regular checkups, you’ll help protect him or her from many common ailments that can affect companion animals. You’ll also give us the opportunity to identify and address potential health problems early, before they have chance to develop and worsen. These simple things can add years to your furry family member’s life.
Wellness & Vaccinations
An Ounce of Prevention
Our wellness services are comprehensive and extremely thorough, because we want to do everything in our power to keep your best friend healthy. At each visit, the doctor will examine your pet from nose to tail, looking for anything out of the ordinary. We’ll also develop and implement a customized preventative care plan tailored to your pet’s unique needs, lifestyle and risk factors. This will include vaccines, parasite control, nutrition and weight management and anything else deemed relevant to your companion.
Updated Preventative Care Recommendations
As veterinary medicine continues to evolve, so do the recommendations designed to keep pets healthier and protected from preventable disease. Following current AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) guidelines and the needs of pets in our area, we are proud to offer a comprehensive preventative care program tailored to your pet’s lifestyle and risk factors.
Vaccinations Tailored to Your Pet’s Needs
Our doctors recommend core vaccinations to help protect dogs from serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses. Because Leptospirosis has become increasingly prevalent in our region, the Leptospirosis vaccine is now considered part of the recommended core protection for many pets in our area.
To provide this protection, we now administer the DHLPP vaccine, which helps guard against:
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Leptospirosis
- Parainfluenza
- Parvovirus
It is recommended that pets receiving the Leptospirosis vaccine for the first time come back for a booster vaccine in 3 to 4 weeks for FULL immunity, followed by annual protection thereafter.
We also offer both 1-year and 3-year Rabies vaccine options based on your pet’s age, vaccination history and individual needs.
Annual Parasite Screening
Routine yearly testing is an important part of preventative care, even for pets who appear healthy. Our standard recommendations include:
- Annual heartworm testing
- Annual fecal parasite screening
These tests help us detect hidden infections early and ensure your pet remains protected year-round.
Wellness Blood Work – Why it Matters for Your Pet
Pets age much faster than people, and many illnesses develop silently before any visible symptoms appear. Wellness bloodwork allows us to detect problems early, often before your pet feels sick. Early detection can lead to simpler treatments, better outcomes, and lower long-term costs.
Benefits of Wellness Bloodwork
- Detects hidden disease before symptoms develop
- Evaluates organ function including liver, kidneys, and pancreas
- Screens for diabetes, thyroid disease, anemia, and infections
- Provides a baseline for comparison as your pet ages
- Helps monitor pets on long-term medications
- Can improve quality of life and potentially extend lifespan
- Offers peace of mind when results are normal
What Is Included in a Wellness Panel?
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) – evaluates red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
- Chemistry Panel – checks liver, kidney, blood sugar, electrolytes, and proteins
- Urinalysis – helps assess kidney health and urinary tract issues
- Thyroid Testing (when recommended)
- Heartworm and Fecal Parasites
- Feline Viral Testing when appropriate
When Should My Pet Have Bloodwork?
We recommend wellness bloodwork at least annually for adult pets beginning around 5 years of age. Senior pets (7+ years old), pets with chronic medical conditions, or pets taking long-term medications may benefit from screening every 6–12 months.
Common Conditions Found Early Through Screening
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Diabetes
- Thyroid disorders
- Anemia
- Infections and inflammation
- Early cancer-related changes
- Electrolyte abnormalities
Our goal is to help your pet stay healthy for as long as possible. Wellness bloodwork is one of the most valuable tools we have for preventive care.
Ongoing Health Management
Wellness visits also provide us with regular snapshots of your loved one’s health status at each appointment. We can then compare this information against previous exams to identify any changes. This allows us to detect the signs of illness early and develop an effective treatment plan in a timely manner. With many ailments, an early diagnosis can vastly improve the outcome for your pet. The more we stay on top of these things, the better chance we’ll have of extending and improving the quality of your companion’s life.
Getting to Know You
Finally, annual visits give all of us at Paw Prints Animal Hospital the chance to truly get to know you and your animal companion. Developing a relationship with you and forging a bond with your pet is an integral part of the care we provide. This allows us to partner with you in managing your loved one’s health, and also makes visiting the vet a more positive experience. The more we understand your best friend’s needs, the more precisely and effectively we can develop a health care plan.
You want to see that special little guy or gal enjoy many wonderful years. At Paw Prints Animal Hospital, we’d love to help you achieve that goal. Call us today to get started!
Trusted Veterinary Care for Pets and the People Who Love Them
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