Palos Animal Hospital’s Wellness Exams for Pets in Palos Heights
You want your pet to live a long, happy, healthy life, and so do we! The team at Palos Animal Hospital is passionate about helping your companion down the road to wellness through every life stage. That’s why we place such a strong emphasis on preventive care in the form of comprehensive physical wellness exams for pets, vaccinations, and parasite control. Depending on your pet’s age and lifestyle, we recommend a comprehensive wellness exam once or twice a year. You can learn more about our wellness services below.
About the Physical Pet Wellness Exam
During your pet’s wellness exam at Palos Animal Hospital, we perform a nose-to-tail assessment to determine if there are any abnormal conditions, such as skin infections, tartar buildup (teeth), or lumps. We then document our findings in your pet’s medical chart and provide recommendations for treatment or advanced diagnostics if necessary. We offer in-house laboratory and in-house diagnostic services, for your convenience, which allow us to perform internal examination on pets. If you’ve noticed any changes in your pet’s appearance or behavior, or if you have any concerns at all about their health, please feel free to let us know during these wellness visits.
Dog and Cat Vaccinations
Vaccinations are another critical part of your pet’s wellness visits. Just like human vaccines, dog and cat vaccines protect against viruses and diseases by preparing the immune system to fight off certain disease-causing organisms. Some of the most common core pet vaccines available for dogs include rabies, parvovirus, distemper, and adenovirus. We also vaccinate for Bordetella bacteria (part of the kennel cough complex) as a core vaccine. For cats, they include rabies, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia. Vaccine recommendations and schedules are dependent on each pet’s breed, age, and lifestyle. We can customize a schedule for your pet during each wellness exam visit at Palos Animal Hospital.
Pet Parasite Control
Did you know that some pet parasites are linked to potentially fatal diseases? Heartworms are among the most common of these pet parasites. Caused by infected mosquitoes, heartworms live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of affected pets. This condition is known as heartworm disease, and it can be fatal if not treated. Another parasitic pet disease is Lyme (more prevalent in dogs than cats), which is a bacterial infection that’s transferred by ticks. Lyme disease in pets can lead to lameness, and, in more serious cases, kidney disease. Fleas are another culprit, as they can result in flea allergy dermatitis, a common skin condition in dogs and cats. To protect your pet from these parasites, Palos Animal Hospital offers several preventive medications in-house that can be applied orally or topically. For best results, we recommend that you keep your pet on a parasite preventive all year-round, especially if your pet spends a lot of time outdoors.
Is it time for your pet’s wellness exam? If so, schedule an appointment at Palos Animal Hospital today!
