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A recent survey done by Silkin Management Group in Portland, Ore. revealed 9 out of 10 people answered the same thing to this question: What is the most important service your veterinarian provides? The answer: Keeping my pet healthy by ensuring they don't suffer from any preventable diseases or parasites.
I was a little shocked to be honest with you. I thought they would say something like “Uh, save my dog when he is dying or after he got run over by a car.” But no, their answer spelled out one of my professions more common service, called preventative medicine.
Preventative medicine is measures taken to prevent diseases, (or injuries) rather than curing or treating symptoms. In our profession that means a good annual checkup, proper vaccinations and parasite control, and a few other good tips. I'll explain what that entails for both dogs and cats.
Both dogs and cats should get an annual checkup and have a good examination. There is no substitute for a doctor with good eyes, ears, hands and a brain. To show you how important an exam is, a study was done in England to look at what could best predict a death under anesthesia. Do you think it was blood tests? An EKG of the heart? Chest xrays? Urine tests? Nope, the answer was a good physical exam.
Adult dogs should receive vaccinations for distemper/parvo and rabies every three years and leptospirosis and bordetella (kennel cough) every year. In addition they should have a fecal exam for intestinal parasite and a quick, one-drop blood test for heartworms. Your veterinarian or one of his/her staff will also cover important areas such as dental disease, flea and tick control, diet and exercise during the visit. Age and breed specific problems will also be covered. Older pets have special requirements and certain breeds have issues that you need to be aware of (hip dysplasia and kidney disease, for example, are more common in certain breeds). There are a lot of simple changes you can make that will prevent these diseases from shortening your pets' life.
Adult cats should receive a vaccine for panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus every three years. If you can say those without stuttering you win a special treat (by the way, ice cream is the special treat my 3-year-old daughter does tricks for). Rabies is given every three years or each year, depending on which vaccine your veterinarian offers; we offer both and they each have advantages. Ironically the one year vaccine is more expensive, go figure! Feline leukemia vaccine is also recommended yearly if your kitty falls into that risk category. Add in a yearly fecal exam and then diet, age and breed specific issues and you are done for the year.
Preventative medicine is not a glamorous field of medicine but as shown by that survey, it is one of the most important areas of medicine. Keeping your pet healthy has a number of advantages. One is having a healthy, active, long-living, happy pet. The other is financial; it is infinitely cheaper to prevent a disease than it is to treat or cure it. We all knew that didn't we?
Be on the lookout for our annual vaccine amnesty day, set for July 20. We know lots of pets don't get regular veterinary care. We waive our office visit fee for one day each year to make it a little more affordable for pets to get the vaccines and parasite tests necessary to keep them healthy.
Dr. Stephen Sheldon practices at Gypsum Animal Hospital. He can be reached at 970-524-DOGS or by visiting the hospital website, www.gypsumah.com.
I was a little shocked to be honest with you. I thought they would say something like “Uh, save my dog when he is dying or after he got run over by a car.” But no, their answer spelled out one of my professions more common service, called preventative medicine.
Preventative medicine is measures taken to prevent diseases, (or injuries) rather than curing or treating symptoms. In our profession that means a good annual checkup, proper vaccinations and parasite control, and a few other good tips. I'll explain what that entails for both dogs and cats.
Both dogs and cats should get an annual checkup and have a good examination. There is no substitute for a doctor with good eyes, ears, hands and a brain. To show you how important an exam is, a study was done in England to look at what could best predict a death under anesthesia. Do you think it was blood tests? An EKG of the heart? Chest xrays? Urine tests? Nope, the answer was a good physical exam.
Adult dogs should receive vaccinations for distemper/parvo and rabies every three years and leptospirosis and bordetella (kennel cough) every year. In addition they should have a fecal exam for intestinal parasite and a quick, one-drop blood test for heartworms. Your veterinarian or one of his/her staff will also cover important areas such as dental disease, flea and tick control, diet and exercise during the visit. Age and breed specific problems will also be covered. Older pets have special requirements and certain breeds have issues that you need to be aware of (hip dysplasia and kidney disease, for example, are more common in certain breeds). There are a lot of simple changes you can make that will prevent these diseases from shortening your pets' life.
Adult cats should receive a vaccine for panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus every three years. If you can say those without stuttering you win a special treat (by the way, ice cream is the special treat my 3-year-old daughter does tricks for). Rabies is given every three years or each year, depending on which vaccine your veterinarian offers; we offer both and they each have advantages. Ironically the one year vaccine is more expensive, go figure! Feline leukemia vaccine is also recommended yearly if your kitty falls into that risk category. Add in a yearly fecal exam and then diet, age and breed specific issues and you are done for the year.
Preventative medicine is not a glamorous field of medicine but as shown by that survey, it is one of the most important areas of medicine. Keeping your pet healthy has a number of advantages. One is having a healthy, active, long-living, happy pet. The other is financial; it is infinitely cheaper to prevent a disease than it is to treat or cure it. We all knew that didn't we?
Be on the lookout for our annual vaccine amnesty day, set for July 20. We know lots of pets don't get regular veterinary care. We waive our office visit fee for one day each year to make it a little more affordable for pets to get the vaccines and parasite tests necessary to keep them healthy.
Dr. Stephen Sheldon practices at Gypsum Animal Hospital. He can be reached at 970-524-DOGS or by visiting the hospital website, www.gypsumah.com.
