Essential Preventative Care for Your Pet's Lifetime Health
Preventative care for your pet is essential for their overall health and wellbeing. It involves regular vet checkups, vaccinations, dietary recommendations, exercise and lifestyle advice, and parasite control. At Broad River Animal Hospital, we feel it’s important to understand the needs of your pet, as well as the various preventative care options available to ensure your pet remains healthy and happy.
Preventative
Wellness Examinations
Wellness exams are critical to helping your pet maintain good long-term physical health.
Combined with regular vaccinations, parasite prevention and proper nutrition, these routine examinations include regular physical checkups to give your pet the best chance at excellent lifelong health.
When you bring your dog or cat into Broad River Animal Hospital for their routine checkup, we can prevent health issues from developing in your pet, or catch them early, when they are most treatable.
Vaccinations
Vaccinating your pet is an important part of maintaining their health and wellbeing. Not only does it help protect them from serious illnesses, but it also helps to reduce the spread of disease among other animals. Vaccines can help keep your pet healthy, and in some cases, may even help extend their life.
If you have any questions about the right vaccine schedule for your pet, be sure to consult with one of our veterinarians. Vaccinating your pet can help ensure a long and happy life for them.
Parasite Prevention
Many over-the-counter flea and tick medications simply do not work, while other can be toxic and even deadly to your pet. Thankfully we now have multiple safe and effective flea and tick remedies available at Broad River Animal Hospital. Controlling fleas and ticks not only helps keep pets comfortable, but helps prevent a variety of serious infectious disease, such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia and others.
Heartworm is another parasite that is easily controlled with a regular treatment plan. This parasite is spread by mosquitoes and does extensive damage to the blood vessels surrounding the heart and the lungs.
Intestinal parasites, such as hookworms and roundworms are very common in Western NC. They cause disease in cats and dogs but can also cause disease in humans, especially children. Roundworms are a leading cause of blindness in children in the U.S. Broad River Animal Hospital can help you protect both your pets and your families from these dangerous parasites. Please call us or ask us when you come in for a wellness exam.
Microchipping
Millions of dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year. One in three pets will become lost at some point during their life.
One simple way to avoid some heartache related to your missing pet, is to proactively microchip your dog or cat. If your pet is lost, any animal shelter and most vets can immediately identify you as your pet’s owner to get your pet back home.
The microchip is injected under the skin using a hypodermic needle – no surgery or anesthesia is required. It is no more painful than a typical injection and it can be implanted during a routine veterinary office visit. If your pet is already under anesthesia for a procedure, such as neutering or spaying, the microchip can often be implanted during the procedure.
Please call our Weaverville office if you have questions about microchipping or would like to book an appointment for your pet to be microchipped.
Nutrition & Weight Management
Pet nutrition and weight management are important factors to consider when caring for your pet. A nutritious diet and active lifestyle can help to keep your pet healthy and happy. It is important to research and understand the nutritional requirements of your pet, as well as how to help them maintain a healthy body weight.
We recommend that you consult with a member of our team about your pet’s nutrition at least once a year. Seeking professional guidance is crucial if you are transitioning between different types of food or selecting a special diet, such as a prescription diet.
Dealing with pet nutrition and dietary issues can be frustrating and overwhelming. Dogs and cats have nutritional needs that are very different from our own. Broad River Animal Hospital can help you determine the best diet for your individual pet’s needs.
