The Role of Preventive Care in Ensuring a Healthy Pet
Preventive care is a cornerstone of overall health and wellness. Regular wellness checks not only allow you and your vet to create a baseline of health for your pet, but they also make it easy to spot any abnormalities quickly. At Cherry Creek Veterinary Hospital, we believe that wellness care is every pet’s right.
An Ounce of Prevention
Kittens and puppies need quite a bit of veterinary support in their first year. Establishing their core and non-core vaccination schedule takes numerous visits before their first birthday, and spaying or neutering is typically done by 6 months of age. Then there’s the microchip, parasite prevention, nutritional guidance, and behavioral support that round out the necessary elements of early wellness care.
Establishing a healthy baseline at an early age helps us safeguard their vitality long into the future.
A Pound of Cure
Because pets hide symptoms of illness or injury, they could be suffering silently without routine exams and diagnostic testing. Delaying routine veterinary care often leads to emergency situations. If an owner doesn’t know about an illness or injury, it can progress until critical care is necessary. This creates a great deal of stress for both pets and their owners, and can often be avoided with preventive medicine.
Healthy Habits
As pets age, we aim to enhance healthy dental care practices, maintain weight, and support an active lifestyle. Since the majority of adult and senior pets are considered overweight or obese, have some form of periodontal disease, or both, yearly wellness exams become even more critical to their overall well-being. Fortunately, preventive medicine for pets, coupled with a high level of owner involvement, both obesity and periodontal disease are largely preventable.
The Scary Truth
Allowing weight gain to continue unchecked leads to a long list of associated issues, including arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer.
The effects of periodontal, or gum, disease extend far beyond the mouth. Oral bacteria has the potential of seeping into the bloodstream where it travels to the body’s major organs. Systemic illness, such as heart, kidney, or liver disease, can all stem from poor oral hygiene.
With a proper diet and regular dental care, pets have the greatest possible chance of enjoying optimal wellness.
Preventive Medicine for Pets
Early detection of various age-related conditions can yield better outcomes, less expensive treatment, and improved health. Vaccinations are crucial throughout a pet’s life, in addition to heartworm testing and preventive medication. Importantly, the prevention of heartworm also reduces problems connected to fleas, ticks, and other parasites, as well.
Health check-ups for dogs and cats are essential to lifelong health and wellness, and our veterinarians and staff members are always here to provide excellent service to our patients and clients. If you have further questions about how to influence a pet’s wellness, please call Cherry Creek Veterinary Hospital at (916) 349-2755.