Preventive Veterinary Care in Gallatin, TN
Pets age at a much more rapid rate than we do, and as they age, they are at risk for developing age-related illnesses and issues like arthritis, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and cancer. Regular pet preventive care helps your vet identify your pet’s particular risk factors, whether age, lifestyle, weight, or genetics, and quickly get on top of any potential problems.
What is Pet Preventive Care?
Pet preventive care is a strategy of getting ahead of veterinary problems, so your pets can function well and live longer. The focus of a preventive care program is to ensure that your pet is receiving everything they need to live a healthy life, including proper nutrition, good hygiene, adequate stimulation, and early detection of any illness or disease that may be developing. Based on age, health status, and pre-existing conditions, some pets require a check-up annually, and others semi-annually (every six months).
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Comprehensive Veterinary Care for Your Four-Legged Family Member.
Vet Preventive Services at Bluegrass Veterinary Hospital
At Bluegrass Veterinary Hospital, we offer a wide range of preventive care services to help keep pets healthy and happy.
- Complete Wellness Care: This is a comprehensive pet check-up where we examine your pet from the nose to the tail. We examine their eyes, ears, mouth, heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, liver and intestines, reproductive organs, and skin for evidence of masses, enlarged organs, or areas of discomfort. We will also check for evidence of lymph node changes and check your pet’s legs, joints, and paws.
- Pet Vaccinations: The importance of vaccinations to the overall health and longevity of your pet cannot be understated. Depending on your pet’s age, medical history, and lifestyle, we may recommend vaccinations that include rabies, distemper, bordetella, and leptospirosis for dogs and rabies, distemper, and feline leukemia for cats.
- Annual Bloodwork: Blood work often plays a vital role in evaluating organ function and aids in detecting infection, anemia, diabetes, kidney failure, thyroid disease, and other medical conditions. Many diseases can be treated and even cured when caught in the early stages.
- Microchipping: At Bluegrass Veterinary Hospital, we understand that the bond you and your beloved pet share is invaluable and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, collars and ID tags are not foolproof, and dogs and cats can still get lost, leaving your beloved pet among the countless unidentified lost strays at animal shelters. Microchips are implantable computer chips that encode a unique identification number to help reunite you with your lost pet. Unlike collars and ID tags, they can never break or fall off.
- Nutritional Counseling: Pet nutrition is very important for their general health. However, the plethora of dietary options, brands, and formulas available can be confusing when deciding which kind of pet food is best for your pet’s health and wellness. Our vets are educated in proper nutrition and can recommend different prescription and non-prescription diets and supplements for your pet based on species, breed, age, and special needs.
- Parasite Prevention: Parasites can be deadly for an animal of any size if left untreated. Prevention provides the best protection; that’s why we perform an intestinal parasite screen to rule out any kinds of intestinal parasites, such as roundworms, tapeworms, and giardia. We also perform a heartworm test and recommend flea and tick prevention.
- Focused Geriatric & Pediatric Care: Pediatric care focuses on the needs of younger pets, which are highly susceptible to infectious diseases. Puppies and kittens require a series of vaccinations starting at 8 weeks of age to 16 weeks. We also recommend a fecal test to check for intestinal parasites. Geriatric pet care is important to maintain a good quality of life. Specific areas requiring special attention in older pets include the immune system, joints, weight, teeth, skin, arthritis, and intestinal system.
What Constitutes a Comprehensive Pet Check-Up?
During a routine wellness examination, your veterinarian will ask you questions about your dog’s diet, exercise, thirst, breathing, behavior, habits, elimination patterns (bowel movements and urination), lifestyle, and general health. Your veterinarian will also perform a physical examination of your pet.
Based on your pet’s history and physical examination, your veterinarian will then make recommendations for specific preventive medicine treatments such as vaccination, parasite control (including preventive treatments for fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites, and heartworm), nutrition, skin, and coat care, joint health, weight management, or dental care.
Pet Preventive Care Costs
Most pet preventive care costs are covered by pet insurance. Additionally, you save money in the long run by preventing issues or catching them early for easier treatment. Contact our Veterinary in Gallatin, Tennessee to learn more about specific prices.
Pet Check-Ups at Bluegrass Veterinary Hospital
Preventative care for your pet is critical to maintaining their overall health and avoiding unwanted and even life-threatening illnesses. Dr. April Lynch-Zimmerman, DVM & Benjamin L. Zimmerman, DVM, and the team at Bluegrass Veterinary Hospital care about pets as much as you do and offer a full range of veterinary services to help your pets live a long and healthy life. Contact us to schedule an appointment!