Here at Animal Health Clinic in Picayune we believe that a key factor to keeping your pets healthy and happy is an annual health examination. Annual exams help us establish an overall health profile of your pet and are useful for tracking trends and being aware of potential health problems before they become difficult and costly to treat. Detecting disease in the early stages improves your pet’s ability to fight back.
Our role is to partner with you in the healthcare of your companion pets. It is our goal to educate you on the procedures and medications that are especially beneficial for your pet. This allows us to be more flexible with our recommendations, and gives you more control of your pet’s healthcare.
Our wellness visits focus on preventative medicine based on the specific life-stage of your pet. Each patient is assessed individually based on factors such as species, breed, age, and environmental challenges. We understand that the needs of your furry friends will change as they begin to age, therefore, we have established protocols for each life stage of your pet.
Young Pets
When our pets first come into our lives, they have unique health and wellness needs that will be met here at Animal Health Clinic. Vaccines must be administered not only for the life and health of your pet, but also to ensure your pet is compliant within the law for rabies inoculation for example.
Our doctors recommend spaying or neutering all pets not used for breeding purposes. Not only do these procedures prevent unwanted puppy or kitten litters, they also provide numerous health benefits as your pet ages.
Heartworm prevention in both puppies and kittens are crucial for their long-term health, and intestinal parasites, fleas and ticks can all be prevented using products available at Animal Health Clinic.
We also recommend microchipping all pets to greatly increase their opportunity to be reunited with you in the event they wander away from home.
Other considerations for young pets include nutritional and dental counseling so your pet is getting off on the right foot in their young lives.
Finally, blood work can also be measured in puppies and kittens so our caring doctors have a baseline of your pet’s health they can compare to blood testing when your pet is older.
Junior and Adult Pets
As our dogs and cats begin to reach adulthood, their requirements begin to change as well. Maintaining vaccine heartworm preventative, intestinal parasite prevention and flea and tick products continue to be an important part of the wellness protocol at Animal Health Clinic.
Other health matters such as yearly dental cleanings become more important for adult dogs and cats. Pets as young as one year of age can begin to experience dental issues, and approximately 80% of pets over the age of three have some form of periodontal disease so it is best for your pet to get started on the road to oral health as soon as possible.
Blood work continues to be an important part of the health of adult animals, as these values can help our doctors discover possible issues prior to the onset of disease.
Senior Pets
Animal Health Clinic has a plan for senior animals as well. Large-breed dogs may be considered “senior” at the age of five (5), while average-sized breeds are generally considered “senior” at the age of seven (7). It is important to bring an older animal to the veterinarian more frequently, just as older humans see their doctor more often.
Blood work becomes the cornerstone of disease diagnosis and prevention, as the tests can discover and track early onset of issues facing older pets. Other age-related considerations included osteoarthritis, and pain medications as needed.
Whether your pet is a puppy or a kitten, young adult, or senior, come see us at Animal Health Clinic for your pet health care needs. If you live in Picayune, Slidell, Lacombe, Mandeville, or New Orleans, we would love to get to know you and your pets and start them on a journey of healthy and happy living.