Few things in life are as satisfying as the loving companionship our pets provide. Our pets have become a valued member of our families and with proper care can live many healthier, enjoyable years. The field of veterinary medicine has progressed over the years greatly enhancing the life expectancy of our pets. Along with the longer life span comes an increase in the number of health problems that can occur. Older pets encounter many of the same health problems faced by humans with aging. Each year of a pet’s life is equivalent to 5-7 human years. Each year of the pet’s life represents 10-15% of its total life span. While certain conditions such as vision and hearing loss cannot be prevented, timely wellness examinations, routine vaccinations, dental check-ups, proper diet, and regular exercise are essential to a quality life.

We have developed a SENIOR PET WELLNESS SCREENING program that allows us to screen for many of the conditions seen in older pets. Catching the problems early provides the best opportunity to prevent major complications, or at least slows the progression of aging breakdown of many of internal organs.

The program includes a comprehensive medical history to be completed by you at the time of appointment or can be mailed to you prior to the appointment. At the time of the appointment a thorough physical examination from "nose to tail", general health profile, CBC, urinalysis, parasite examination, chest x-ray, and abdominal x-ray. Once all the test results are completed, we will report the results to you and make our recommendations specific for helping you pet live the best life possible. The values obtained also become very important to us later on when prescribing treatment for a pet presented for health problems. Normal values provide us with "baselines" from which to start as the pet continues to age.

We realize some clients either do not want this level of care or cannot afford this level of care for their pets. We don’t want you to feel pressured to do so. For that reason, we are informing you by mail of this preventive care option so that you might consider the program without any undue pressure. Our clinic staff will not attempt to "hard sell" you on this program. We simply want to offer the highest quality of veterinary care to those clients who want to know about it.

If you wish to exercise this option and wish us to include your pet in our Senior Pet Wellness Screening program please inform the receptionist at the time of your appointment. Please feel free to call if you have any questions.