Pets are more likely to develop diseases and adverse health conditions as they age, because their bodies—like ours—become less resilient over time. Aging is difficult for everyone, but providing your pet with proactive wellness and preventive care can help keep them healthier throughout their life, and prevent or delay common conditions’ onset or progression.
Our Livermore Family Pet Hospital team firmly believes that wellness and preventive care are the keystone of your pet’s health and veterinary care. We help you easily ensure your pet receives the care they need by offering important wellness and preventive care services.
#1: Pet wellness examinations
During wellness exams for adult pets and developmental exams for young puppies and kittens, our team performs a head-to-tail assessment of your four-legged friend’s physical health. In young pets, we check for growth or development problems, and in older pets, we look for changes that could indicate an early disease process. Because our Livermore Family Pet Hospital team can detect disease in the early stages—during your pet’s wellness exam—and before you notice your furry pal’s changes at home, your pet’s outcomes improve, and their treatment charges are more cost-effective. Common conditions we may detect during your pet’s routine physical examination include:
- Arthritis
- Dental disease
- Heart murmur
- Lumps or bumps
- Weight changes
Wellness examinations also offer you the chance to ask our veterinary team questions related to your pet’s physical, behavioral, or emotional health. In turn, our team gets to know you and your pet on a deeper level.
#2: Pet vaccinations
Vaccinations protect pets from deadly diseases that may be present in the environment, wildlife carriers, and stray or unvaccinated pets. Some vaccinations, such as rabies and leptospirosis, can also prevent disease from spreading to humans. Vaccines are important for your pet’s health, and contribute to the One Health initiative to keep people and animals healthier worldwide. Our hospital offers core and lifestyle vaccine protocols, customized to your pet’s individual needs.
#3: Routine pet wellness diagnostic tests
During a wellness visit, our Livermore Family Pet Hospital team offers your pet age-appropriate diagnostic screening tests, which may include blood, urine, and fecal testing. These tests help us establish your pet’s healthy baseline values, and we can monitor them each year to look for subtle or slowly progressive changes. Routine wellness testing can detect chronic diseases, including kidney and thyroid diseases, diabetes, or liver enzyme changes, before your pet shows any clinical signs or experiences long-term, irreversible complications.
#4: Pet parasite control
All pets are prone to parasite infestations, regardless of their lifestyle. Fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites are ubiquitous in the environment, and many parasites pass easily among pets and wildlife. Our hospital offers parasite prevention and control products to suit your pet’s needs, preventing many parasite-related illnesses, including:
- Flea or tick allergy dermatitis
- Flea or tick-borne diseases (e.g., Lyme disease, cat scratch fever)
- Heartworm disease
- Parasite-associated anemia
- Chronic diarrhea
#5: Pet dental care
Your pet’s oral health matters more than you think. Periodontal disease signs appear in 70% to 80% of pets as young as 3 years of age, and left untreated, can lead to bad breath, pain, gum damage, tooth loss, and jawbone breakdown. Oral bacteria’s spread can cause severe infection in your pet’s heart, kidneys, or liver, leading to chronic disease or damage. Regular dental examinations, professional dental cleanings performed under anesthesia, and at-home toothbrushing are all essential to keeping your pet healthy.
#6: Pet nutrition and weight counseling
Half of U.S. dogs and cats are overweight or obese. Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent your pet from developing chronic conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, or lung disease. However, many pet owners are not aware their pet is overweight. Our expert veterinary team can show you how to evaluate your pet’s body condition, set a healthy goal weight, and formulate an individualized diet and nutrition plan.
Your pet’s nutritional needs change throughout their lifetime, and our veterinarians can recommend the best products for your pet’s life stage and activity level. We can also recommend specialized diets to treat pets’ chronic diseases, including kidney and heart diseases, cancer, and more.
#7: Pet wellness plans
To help you plan financially for your pet’s preventive care, we offer comprehensive wellness plans for each of their life’s stages. Rather than paying for individual services each time you visit with our Livermore Family Pet Hospital team, the wellness plan allows for a low monthly payment, which discounts and spreads out each individual service’s cost. Our plans are customizable, and depending on the plan you choose, may include your pet’s examinations, vaccines, diagnostic tests, parasite control, dental care, and elective surgeries. We want to make your pet’s wellness care affordable, so you can provide them with the best health care available.
Take control of your pet’s health by prioritizing their preventive care. Schedule your pet’s preventive care visit with our Livermore Family Pet Hospital team, or to enroll your furry pal in one of our wellness plans.