Keeping Cats & Dogs Well with Pet Exams in Madison, WI
Your pet ages far faster than you do, which means problems can develop faster, too. At Petcare Animal Hospital in Madison, WI, we recommend annual and sometimes semi-annual pet exams in order to stay on top of your pet’s health. With routine vet visits, we’ll be able to catch problems early and treat them before they progress into a more advanced (and harder to treat) stage.
What to Expect at Your Pet's Exam
Our veterinarians will tailor each pet exam to meet your cat’s or dog’s unique needs. Some of the services we commonly perform include:
- Nose-to-tail physical exam
- Dental exam
- Weight check and body condition score
- Fecal exam (to check for intestinal parasites)
- Vaccinations, if due for boosters
- Heartworm testing (for dogs)
- Urinalysis (to check bladder and kidney health)
- Discussion of parasite prevention
- Age-appropriate bloodwork
- Behavioral counseling (to address minor behavioral problems)
- Nutritional counseling (to address obesity and nutritional issues)
We’re also able to perform many of our wellness services for your rabbits and pocket pets. These small critters need routine wellness check-ups, too, to live their longest, healthiest lives.
The Importance of Parasite Prevention
Parasites are a serious problem for our pets. Not only do they cause irritation and discomfort, but they can also cause disease. Fleas, ticks, and heartworms are the three most common parasites our pets face, but intestinal parasites can be a big problem too. Many flea, tick, and heartworm prevention products also prevent intestinal parasites so your cat or dog has complete coverage. Despite our cold winters, year-round parasite prevention is essential!
Here’s why you need to keep up with parasite prevention year-round:
Fleas are notoriously hard to get rid of. They often lay their larvae in your pet’s bed, your carpet and rugs, your curtains, and even underneath your floor boards. With so many places to shelter in your home, these critters are a problem all year long.
Ticks, unfortunately, do not always die out in winter—they just become dormant. Yet, even temperatures as cold as 35-40 degrees are warm enough to lure them out of their burrows to look for a blood meal. With increasingly fluctuating temperatures these last few years, ticks are becoming a larger problem.
Heartworms are transmitted to your pet via the bite of an infected mosquito. While mosquitoes do die out in the winter, their resurgence in spring is becoming harder and harder to predict.
Giardia, coccidia, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms are just some of the intestinal parasites our pets can contract. Diarrhea, weight loss, internal blood loss (as in the case of hookworms) are some of the signs of intestinal parasites. If left untreated, some of these parasites can cause fatal disease. These parasites can be transmitted to our pets from the bites of certain insects or through ingestion of contaminated soil, water, or feces. With routine fecal exams, we can stay on top of your pet’s intestinal health and treat any parasite issues right away.