Vets & Pets Optimal Veterinary Wellness Programs
At Vets & Pets in Martinsburg, WV, we believe that regular checkups and wellness exams are critical to your pet’s well-being. These wellness exams give us a chance to evaluate the overall health of your pet while also giving us a baseline for their unique bodies and tendencies.
Not only do these exams keep us up-to-date with your pet’s health, but they also allow us to detect potential problems before they become serious. This thorough checkup gives us vital information to help keep your pet healthy!
Regular wellness exams also make your pet more familiar with our veterinary hospital, which makes future visits easier on them and you. Please contact us today if you have any questions or would like to learn more about how we care for your pet.
Balanced Vaccinations
At Vets & Pets in Martinsburg, WV, we believe that one of the most important aspects of caring for your pet’s health is vaccinating him or her against potential diseases. There is simply no better way to protect your pet! A few vaccinations a year will provide immunity against a wide variety of diseases that are harmful and even deadly to your pet! Why wouldn’t you do everything you can to protect your pet?
Besides the essential vaccinations, there are some unique risks to pets that live in our region. For this reason, it is important to discuss your pet’s vaccinations with our veterinarians and our staff. We also offer some optional vaccinations that your pet may or may not need, depending on his or her lifestyle. Our staff is highly trained to help you decide whether or not your pets need extra vaccinations to stay healthy!
At Vets & Pets, we believe in taking excellent care of your pets. Giving vaccinations is an important part of keeping pets healthy. Feel free to contact us today if you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s vaccination.
Caring for Your New Puppy or Kitten
Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
Getting a new puppy or kitten is very exciting. You have a lot to look forward to. The great companionship that a good pet can bring is very rewarding. However, puppies and kittens come with a lot of responsibility and work. Here at Vets & Pets, we are here to help you with your new addition.
First, you should always bring your new puppy or kitten in for a full nose-to-tail examination to make sure that you have a healthy new animal. You also want to get him or her familiar with our veterinary hospital.
We are also here to help you raise him or her to become a well-behaved and healthy adult by discussing many topics with you. Our friendly staff is well prepared to discuss vaccinations, nutrition, behavior, socialization, neutering, and much more! No question is off limits so please bring any questions along to your appointment. We are here to help you succeed at raising a good pet!
We are so excited that you have found another member of your family, and we can’t wait to meet him or her!
Senior Pet Care
As our pets age, their health needs change. It is very important for owners to watch them closely to make sure that they remain healthy. This is especially true with cats, who hide their illness well. Sometimes, by the times that you realize that your cat is sick, it is too late.
Diet is very important for senior pets. Their needs change, so they should be fed a senior diet. It is also important to feed them high quality food. Many pets start to get picky as they age so it is very important that owners monitor how much their pets really eat.
It is also very important that senior pets are examined regularly, even more than once a year if possible. It is necessary to keep an eye on their weight and body condition. Your veterinarian may be able to notice a problem with your pet before you do!
Regular blood work with a urinalysis should be done to review certain values. This will help catch any problems early. It is important to check to make sure that your pet’s kidneys and liver is working properly. You are also looking for early signs of diabetes, cancer, and other potential problems. If possible, a thyroid panel should be done.
Arthritis is a very common problem with older pets. Here at Vets & Pets, we have many different options to make your senior pet more comfortable.
If you have any questions about the care of your senior pet, please contact us today. One of our dedicated staff will help you answer your questions.
Parasite Control and Prevention
The idea of your pet being infested with parasites is a disturbing thought, but it’s also a medical issue that can have serious consequences if not properly dealt with or prevented. Parasites pose a variety of health issues for our pets, who can be very susceptible to certain parasites depending on age, region, and other factors. Through preventative measures, you can successfully protect your pet. Pets that are not protected often develop parasites, leading to serious problems for them and their owners.
The cost of prevention is minimal compared to the cost of treatment, which can be expensive and stressful on your pet. Parasites like heartworm can even be fatal, so preventing parasites is of the utmost importance.
Flea and Tick Prevention
Here at Vets & Pets, we are proud to offer flea and tick prevention to our patients.
Fleas can be horrible. Not only do they infest your pets, but also they live in many dark spaces in your home. They like dark and warm places. They can be found in carpet, bedding, and more. If you get fleas in your home, it is not easy to get rid of them.
Fleas cause your pets to be itchy. They may dig themselves raw until their skin gets infected. The worst part about fleas is that many pets are allergic to them. Even one or two fleas will drive these pets crazy.
Ticks are also a problem in our area. They feed off of the blood of your pets. This is often not enough to make your pets sick. However, many ticks carry terrible diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia, and more. Some dogs are allergic to tick bites, which causes a serious problem.
Fortunately for us, we offer a prevention (or preventative choices) for fleas and ticks. These medications need to be given every month for the best results. We also recommend giving them all year round because fleas and ticks can cause problems no matter what time of year it is.
Contact us here if you have any questions about flea and tick prevention.
Heartworm Disease and Your Pet
Heartworm disease is a major problem for dogs in our area. For this reason, it is important for owners to understand a little about the disease, treatment, and the prevention.
Heartworms do not always cause a problem until they are adult worms. They can grow up to twelve inches as an adult. At that point, they live in the right side of the heart and the lungs. Affected dogs can have lung disease and heart failure.
Treatment is necessary or death will occur. However, as the heartworms die, they can cause even more problems so it is important to watch dogs carefully through the treatment process. There are times when more than one treatment is needed.
Fortunately, heartworms are preventable. Here at Vets & Pets, we recommend preventing heartworms instead of dealing with the consequences. We believe in a once a month chewable. It is much easier than dealing with the heartache of losing a beloved dog to heartworms! Preventable heartworm medications also help to keep your dog healthy by taking care of intestinal parasites.
Please contact us to get your dog started with a heartworm test and heartworm prevention today.