What is considered preventative care for dogs?
Preventative care for dogs is our annual wellness exams or bi-annual is what we prefer. It also includes all the vaccines that we recommend and putting them on prevention. We also recommend routine blood work for them as well.
What information does my veterinarian need to know about my dog's lifestyle before providing preventative care recommendations?
So, an essential thing with dogs is knowing how often they go outside, where they end up going when outside, as well as what they do with their time, whether they're more of a working dog or if they spend most of their time just sitting on people's laps. That's very important so we can tailor their wellness care to their lifestyle.
What recommendations will my veterinarian make when it comes to my dog's preventative care plan?
So we'll make a variety of recommendations. As I mentioned before, we recommend vaccines depending on their lifestyle. We also have different recommendations as far as prevention, whether flea, tick, and heartworm. We generally recommend that for all animals, but the type might vary based on lifestyle.
What is the difference between insurance and a wellness plan?
There are a couple of different types of pet insurance. There is more of the wellness type insurance that will pay for your routine visits and everything. Whereas some insurance plans cover accidents, diseases, and things like that, we offer a wellness plan here that covers all your basic wellness—vaccines, exams, nail trims, anal gland expressions—all in one package.
How can I keep my dog safe while in a car?
So a good way of keeping your dog safe is to simply reduce the amount of space your dog has in your car. You can use a crate or a kennel, as those both work well. Otherwise, some harnesses work well to keep your dog confined into one spot, rather than allowing the dog to roll around in your car.
Why should I keep my dog on a leash when I'm in public?
I strongly recommend keeping your dog on a leash at all times, especially when you're walking around any busy roads or you're in a new area. The biggest reason is that you have control over your dog then. You can prevent them from running out into the street, getting into some kind of garbage on the ground, as well as interacting with other animals. It's a great way to keep you in control and to keep your dog safe that way.
What can I do to keep my house and yard safe for my dog?
So there are many things. Having a dog is like having a child around. You want to keep everything that they will stick in their mouth out of reach for them. Don't allow them to get through garbage, and make sure you're cleaning up their feces in your yard regularly. You also want to look around, making sure that nothing is blowing into the yard that might not be good or that any plants would potentially cause issues.
What are the most common dog health conditions that can be prevented with a good wellness plan?
Obesity is prevalent, and it is great when you bring your pet to the vet; we can keep a very close eye on that and dental issues. Most animals do have dental care. You know how we go to the dentist twice a year, and your pet still has the same kind of issues with their mouth. So prevention is much better than coming in and getting several extractions of teeth. So those are two widespread diseases, and, as I said before, the vaccinations that we give prevent some very serious diseases.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (515) 224-9747, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.
Dog Preventive Care - FAQs
What does dog preventative care mean?
So preventative care is stopping diseases before they start.
How does preventive care help my dog?
It halts diseases before they start, such as fleas, ticks, and heartworm.
What will my veterinarian do during a dog preventative care appointment?
So the first thing we do, as with any appointment, is a thorough exam. This is making sure that your dog is healthy enough to be on prevention. Then also, with heartworm prevention, we like to run a heartworm test before we start, just to make sure that we don't have any heartworms present before starting that prevention.
What preventative medication does my dog need monthly?
We want your dog to be on flea, tick, and heartworm prevention all year round. Now, we do have a few options. We have injectable heartworm medication, which can be given every 12 months, so you don't have to worry about that. With your flea and tick prevention, we have one that's available every three months. Otherwise, we do have the more common monthly prevention for both of those.
Will dog preventative care keep my dog flea and tick-free?
Yup that is the goal. Of course, there are always resistant types of fleas. But with our new products, we have seen excellent results, and we haven't had any resistance yet.
How does my preventative care help my dog in all stages of life?
Preventative care is critical to have, especially starting with young puppies. When they're young, the good thing about heartworm prevention is that it treats intestinal parasites as well, which is very common with younger puppies. Then as they get older, it's vital to keep them from getting anything that might worsen other diseases, as well, such as parasites.
Is preventative care less expensive than treatment?
Yes, in most instances, it's much cheaper. For example, heartworm treatment is usually in the thousands of dollars, whereas monthly prevention is maybe around $10 to $15. Then with our tick prevention, that does prevent some tick-borne diseases as well, which can also cause some very serious diseases and costly bills just to diagnose them.
Can preventive care save my dog's life?
Yes, preventative care can definitely save your dog's life. Heartworm disease is potentially fatal, especially if they do have it severely, and these tick diseases as well. Some of them are quite severe if left unchecked.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (515) 224-9747, you can email us, or you can reach out on Facebook. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can.