Preventative Pet Care: Keep Your Pet Healthy and Happy
Preventative care is the class of veterinary medicine that involves keeping your pet healthy by helping them avoid sickness, injury, disease, parasites, or poor health by managing their overall wellness and spotting warning signs early.
Examinations
Wellness examinations are an important part of ensuring your pet’s health both today and for the long-term. It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t wait until something is wrong with your pet before making a visit to Cainhoy Veterinary Hospital. The best time to treat an illness is before it happens, which is why we recommend annual general health checkups (more frequent if your pet is very young or very old)—a core principle behind our Tips for Pet Wellness and Preventative Care.
During these appointments, we’ll conduct a range of physical examinations that include:
- Checking eyes and ears
- A thorough exam of the heart and lungs
- Examining mouth, teeth, and gums
- Conducting temperature check
- Examining abdominal area
- Checking for any unusual lumps, bumps, or other physical changes
- Examining coat and skin for overall health
- Recording and analyzing weight
We’ll also pay special attention to any specific areas of concern you bring to our attention. For example, if your pet has developed a cough, our Charleston animal hospital will pay careful attention to their breathing and may recommend additional diagnostic testing.
Vaccinations
Pets encounter a variety of dangerous and potentially deadly diseases in their daily lives. Not only do these diseases threaten your own pets, but they can be highly contagious and spread throughout the pet community. Some, like rabies, pose an even greater risk by affecting both animals and humans. Rabies is a fatal disease that spreads through bites, making vaccination essential not just for your pet’s safety, but for public health as well.
Vaccinations are the best way to protect your pet, your family, and the broader community from preventable diseases. Our veterinary team is highly trained in administering the appropriate vaccines to safeguard your pet’s health and ensure a long, happy life.
Core vaccinations will vary depending on pet species, but they play a crucial role in disease prevention and overall well-being.
For dogs:
Rabies Vaccine
DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza) Vaccine.
For cats:
Rabies Vaccine
FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia)
We are proud to offer PUREVAX vaccines for cats at Cainhoy Veterinary Hospital. PUREVAX provides the safest vaccines available for cats and provides protection from a number of diseases.
We may also recommend additional non-core vaccines, depending on your pet’s lifestyle and the likelihood that they may be exposed to these diseases.
Core vaccinations must be kept up-to-date with additional appointments every few years. At every appointment, we’ll make sure you know where your pet stands and what they need to stay up-to-date. While yearly vaccinations are important, they are certainly not the only reason our veterinarians encourage annual visits. Wellness exams, along with bloodwork and fecal diagnostics, are part of our comprehensive pet diagnostic care and should happen yearly to help us provide your pet with the best possible care.
Parasite Control
Like diseases, parasites can cause severe health problems and even death in pets. Even parasites that don’t pose a mortal threat to your pet can make your pet feel uncomfortable, unhappy, and in pain.
Parasites in pets are extremely common, which is why a smart parasite prevention and control plan is so important. While there are at-home methods that can help avoid parasites, such as regular grooming, preventative medication, and skin and coat checks conducted by the owner, veterinary support is also important.
During regular veterinary check-ups conducted annually (or more frequently for very young or senior pets), your trusted veterinarian in Charleston will provide you a guidance on the best way to prevent parasites— and check for signs of parasite infestation that may have already occurred. We suggest yearly fecal exams which can be one of the most effective ways of spotting parasites. While flea, tick, and heartworm products can help prevent many parasites, fecal exams allow us to spot those who may not be covered by those preventatives.
It’s also important to remember that, unlike many pet diseases, parasites can be easily spread from pets to people, leaving you and your family itching, in pain, or worse. Prevention and treatment are essential.
Microchipping
As much as an ID tag and collar can help identify your pet in the event that they’re lost, these can be easily removed or simply fall off. That’s where microchipping comes in - the most secure and permanent way to ensure that your pet can always be returned to you in the event that they’re lost.
Microchipping involves the insertion of a small chip just beneath your pet’s skin. The procedure is fast, minimally invasive, and no more painful or uncomfortable for your pet than a routine vaccination shot. This chip stores information about you and your pet, including contact info, address, and more. Additionally, we offer HomeAgain chips that are Temp Scan enabled which can help reduce stress during your pet's future visits! The chip can later be updated for changes of address or phone number, and now your pet will be able to be identified and returned to you if it’s picked up by a shelter or other facility.
Keep your pet with you forever by having them microchipped and ensuring they’re always able to find their way home to you.
Nutrition & Weight Management
The food your pet eats is an essential part of their overall health. It can provide them the nutrients they need to stay healthy or to help fight off infections and even some symptoms of disease.
However, poor nutrition can have a significant negative effect on your pet’s health. Obesity and poor nutrition are both chronic issues in the pet community, with as much as a third of all cats and dogs in America considered overweight or obese. Not only can obesity cause discomfort and an inability to run, jump and play the way that pets love, it can also cause serious and chronic health issues that may become irreversible if left unchecked.
Don’t worry if you think your pet is overweight or obese - simply schedule an appointment and we’ll help you get back on the right track with a fitness and nutrition plan designed for your specific pet’s needs.