Wellness & Preventive Care

Overview

We follow your cat through the many phases of their lives. From specialized and preventative care during their younger years to regular wellness checks as they age, we seek to prevent and detect problems before they arise. We know your cat is important to you, that's why we work hard to ensure they are given only the best in care through all the years of their lives.

The American Animal Hospital Association recommends that your cat have a wellness exam at least once every year. As your cat ages, they recommend having even more. We believe strongly in preventive care and have developed wellness protocols for every stage of the life of your cat. Depending on your cat’s life stage, vaccines may be administered, as well as disease screenings.

During every visit, we…

• Perform overall exam

• Check the teeth

• Record your cat’s weight

• Discuss changes in diet

• Address behavioral issues

• Evaluate for signs of pain

• Answer all your concerns

Why are wellness exams important?

Wellness exams give us a chance to evaluate the overall health of your cat while also giving us a baseline for their own unique bodies and tendencies. They also allow us to detect potential problems before they become serious, and even make your cat more familiar with our veterinary hospital, making future visits easier on them and you.

When should my cat visit the vet?

We believe in preventative medicine as the best approach to keeping our patients healthy. This includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations on a one- or three-year basis, external and internal parasite prevention, and dietary management. Our doctors will help determine what vaccinations are appropriate according to you and your cat’s needs. We will discuss in detail what your options are to help you make the best possible health decisions for your cat.

How do wellness exams work?

During a wellness exam, our veterinary team will start out by taking your pet's vital signs. Our veterinarian will perform a comprehensive examination of your cat from nose to tail and may also perform diagnostic tests such as blood work, urinalysis, or intestinal parasite tests. Depending on your cat’s life stage, vaccines may be administered, as well as disease screenings for heartworm, kidney, liver, blood disorders, and more.

Wellness examinations do not necessarily mean that your cat is going to be subjected to complicated or costly medical tests and treatments. This allows us to prevent major health issues from developing undetected and gives us the opportunity to analyze and record baseline values such as temperature, body condition, and lab work. We measure these when your cat is healthy in order to provide better care in the event of illness or emergency. A dental health exam and a weight check are always important parts of a wellness exam, and may indicate problems that can progress rapidly and have significant impact on your cat's overall health.

Early detection and correction of medical problems will help to ensure that your cat will live a long, healthy, and active life.