Our wellness protocols are designed to prevent disease and prolong the lives and life quality of your pets. As soon as you welcome a new pet into your home, you should consider preventative care to protect their health. For puppies and kittens, we recommend beginning a vaccination series between six and eight weeks of age. While adequate vaccination is important, the comprehensive physical examinations, intestinal parasite screenings and prophylactic dewormings also given during this series will help ensure your new family member gets started on the right paw for a happy, healthy life.
For a healthy adult pet, we recommend a visit to our clinic
EVERY 6 MONTHS.
Since pets age at a much quicker rate than humans, these visits will become increasingly important in early detection of any changes in their health.
At Dix Hills Animal Hospital, we strongly believe in preventative health care. The environmental dangers surrounding our pets pose many threats to our beloved pet’s health. When you visit us for your puppy’s wellness exam, expect our staff to take the time to discuss with you prevention philosophies and effective home care methods. This will allow you to manage your pet’s general hygiene and go over any concerns that you may have regarding your pet’s health.
AGE-RELATED WELLNESS PROGRAMS
At Dix Hills Animal Hospital, we can keep your pets happy and healthy by utilizing the following:
COMPREHENSIVE PET EXAM
The physical exam is a very important aspect of your pet’s wellness. During this exam, the doctor evaluates the entire pet, which includes:
- An eye exam using an ophthalmoscope
- An ear exam using an otoscope
- A heart exam using a stethoscope
- Other points evaluated include teeth, skin, coat, vital signs, body condition, and joints. Doctors also use their hands to palpate the abdominal contents.
On average, veterinary physical exams discover three additional health concerns than what is known by the pet owner.
INTERNAL MEDICINE
Internal medicine deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disease inside the body. Common examples include:
- Pancreatitis
- Kidney/Urinary Disease
- Internal Infections
- Cancer
- Diseases of the Liver, Gallbladder, Endocrine System (e.g., Diabetes, Adrenal, Thyroid, etc.) and Heart Disease
Preventative Care & Early Disease Detection
Although a comprehensive exam is imperative, it may not tell the whole story. Monitoring lab parameters, such as blood analysis and urinalysis, each year alerts us of potentially threatening trends of the internal organs and helps identify internal disease at the earliest stage possible.
Our prevention philosophies also include custom vaccination protocols based on your pet’s age, size, breed, and risks. The doctors will work very closely with you to understand the environment of your pet and will then design a custom preventative schedule to best protect your beloved four-legged friend.
As we all know our pets can’t verbalize what might be ailing them. Our concept is Animal Wellness, a methodology that approaches our pets’ physiology from an early detection standpoint. Our hospital offers numerous wellness blood tests and senior packages tailored to various stages in your pet’s life. Dix Hills Animal Hospital believes that diligent health screening can prolong the life of your animal. We understand that veterinary bills can be intimidating or prohibitive in the decision process of how to monitor your pet’s health. With this in mind, we have developed wellness packages to hopefully accommodate your budget. Inexpensive junior blood-work allows us to gain a baseline view of your young pet’s general health and allows our doctors to see any underlying changes, or to compare their physiology as they age. At your pets seventh birthday they are considered to be a senior pet. Our wellness packages range from simple blood tests to increasingly more thorough examinations of organ function, cardiac health, and detect any neurological changes in your pet. Through these packages we can help your pets live comfortably through their senior years with vitality (see senior wellness packages).
CLIENT EDUCATION & CONSULTATION
Another important aspect of wellness care during the examination process is educating clients. Together as partners, we can ensure that your pets receive all they need to live long and healthy lives.
Feel free to ask us any questions. And of course, we take it upon ourselves to keep you in the know.
Screenings
We also offer annual blood screenings for all of our patients. If done routinely, these screenings will help our doctors detect potential diseases before they become a serious issue. If caught early, many common diseases can be managed through dietary modifications. Since pets usually don’t exhibit symptoms of many serious diseases, such as kidney or liver disease, until the disease is in its advanced stages, early detection leads to early treatment and can prolong your pet’s life.
- This will help us to determine your pet’s overall health. We will check their major organ systems and red or white blood cells (this is the same set of blood test that you get at your doctor). National lab statistics show that 1 in 5 pets (20%) will have the beginning of a treatable disease process not recognized on a physical exam alone
- With this new approach, your pet will undoubtedly benefit. Veterinary medicine is becoming more preventative, which follows the way we, as humans, are taking care of ourselves. We want your pets to be healthy and live long healthy lives
