Comprehensive Veterinary Wellness Care

 

At Thornton Animal Hospital, we believe “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The time and effort invested in a Wellness program has many rewards for both pets and owners and the Wellness programs at Thornton Animal Hospital are designed specifically for your pet. Our annual health maintenance programs include:

• Comprehensive Physical Exam
A full head-to-tail examination in order to spot any abnormalities or early signs of potential health issues.

• Vaccinations
Preventing viral illness and bacterial infection is key to any wellness program. Please see our vaccination page for a complete listing of recommended vaccines we offer.

• Internal Parasite Testing
A fecal analysis to determine if deworming is necessary.

• Heartworm testing
Heartworms are a mosquito-borne disease, which can be deadly if left untreated. We use a simple blood test to determine if your pet has heartworms. If the test results are negative, we strongly recommend monthly heartworm prevention to prevent the infection of heartworms. If the test results are positive, the doctor will design a course of treatment based on the specific needs of your pet.

At the annual exam we may also address such issues as the need for flea, tick, or heartworm preventatives, spaying and neutering or the need for health monitoring blood tests.

• Heartworm Prevention
We strongly recommend monthly heartworm prevention. Heartworm prevention usually comes in the form of a tablet and is relatively inexpensive, compared to the overall effects on a pet’s health. It is Thornton Animal Hospital’s strong belief that it is much more economical to prevent heartworms than to treat for the disease and most importantly, it is much safer for your pet. Typically, heartworm preventatives also prevent many intestinal parasites and your more expensive heartworm preventatives will usually include some form of flea prevention. Heartworm preventatives can cost as little as a few dollars per month.

• Flea Control
Fleas cause skin irritation, and in some cases allergic reactions. Ingestion of a contaminated flea can also infect your pet with tapeworms, a worm with a flattened, ribbonlike appearance. The flea population can explode in a short amount of time if they are living in your environment. The flea life cycle is 21 days and is comprised of 4 life stages; egg, larvae (maggot), pupae (cocoon) and adult flea. A single adult flea can produce up to 50 new eggs each day, thus starting the entire flea life cycle over. In order to reduce the chance of infestations, we suggest monthly flea prevention according to your needs, where every pet in the household is treated.

• Spaying and Neutering
We recommend these procedures for population control and to eliminate or drastically reduce the risk of cancers in dogs and cats. There are many health benefits to spaying or neutering your pet and our doctors will be happy to discuss these in detail with you.

• Health Monitoring Blood Tests
Blood work gives us a more complete picture of the overall health of your pet. These tests include blood cell counts and analysis, and clinical chemistries that help assess organ function and your pet’s general health. The type of blood test is specific to your pet’s stage of life and is recommended based upon the health or age of your pet.