The old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is what exactly we strive to adhere to.
By focusing on preemptive care, our team will aim to keep your pet happy right from the start and maintain that for years to come! When you bring your pet to Westside Veterinary Hospital, YOU become part of the team. So lets get you up to speed on all the key factors in preventative wellness.
By focusing on preemptive care, our team will aim to keep your pet happy right from the start and maintain that for years to come! When you bring your pet to Westside Veterinary Hospital, YOU become part of the team. So lets get you up to speed on all the key factors in preventative wellness.
Dog Vaccines
Your pet's best health starts with preventing the diseases we can easily cross off the list, and only then can we begin to concentrate on the medicine necessary for the things we can't prevent.
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CORE series for all NEPA dogs include:
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Non-Core options based on lifestyle:
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Cat Vaccines
Don't forget those kitties! So often our poor feline family members get left at home and fall off the preventative health track more than dogs only BECAUSE they are so good at hiding their illnesses and seem so independent. In addition to their independence, many cat viruses can be lifelong once contracted, and vaccines are the primary way to prevent their more severe relapses and infectious spread. Be sure to keep yearly visits up on our purring patients and stay on the best path for your pet.
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CORE vaccines for indoor AND outdoor cats:
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Optional vaccines for cats that spend time outside:
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Year-Round Parasite Prevention
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Northeast PA has become a breeding ground for all the nasty bugs and parasites veterinarians love to hate... because your pet is their target! The only way around this threat is consistent, year-round flea, tick, heartworm, & intestinal worm prevention. Ask one of our skilled team-members which product fits your lifestyle & why!
We highly endorse Credelio Quattro oral for dogs and Bravecto Plus topical for cats. These products provide the highest level of coverage for combinations of all the parasites we care most about, and have some of the fastest tick kill times to especially prevent things like Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis (a very high threat in our area) and more! |
Early Detection Screening
One thing pets do best, apart from being our beloved companions, is hiding their illnesses until they are often much further along in the disease process. This is precisely why we strongly urge our patients to have yearly wellness screening for the various diseases we see most in their age categories. While not all disorders can be readily screened for, performing baseline testing is one sure way to increase the chance we'll find any potential issues well within a treatment window and keep your pet family happy for as long as possible!
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Pets of all ages:
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Small Breed Dogs and Cats 7 to 10 years old
Many combination tests available that can do ALL of the above tests together for a large discount at our partner laboratory. Ask for a yearly "Wellness Panel" that fits your pets age, breed, and lifestyle at your next visit so we don't miss a chance to diagnose/treat your furry family early and keep them healthier, longer. |
Senior Screening
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Our Senior Patients (ages 10+ for large breed dogs, or 12 to 15+ for cats and small dogs) require extra levels of attention due to the speed of changes that can occur. For this reason, we advise the following each year to ensure we are staying ahead of any ailments that may alter the course of treatment and keep them happier, longer.
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Preventative Dentistry
Humans are expected to brush our teeth AND floss AND still go to the dentist for professional deep cleaning at least once or twice yearly. The same standard if often highly neglected in pets. It is most certainly difficult to consistently brush a dog's or cat's entire mouth twice daily, and that's exactly why we are here to help. We want to change the status quo of only cleaning your pet's teeth when they're already significantly diseased and already often need surgical extractions!
- Cats, small breeds dogs (<20lbs) and certain large breeds such as Sighthounds, Bassett Hounds, and Spaniels often need cleanings ONCE YEARLY to ensure we never run into high-risk extractions.
- Medium to large breed dogs usually only need routine cleanings every 2 to 3 years, while some can even sneak by with even longer inter-dental periods.
- Goal is always to get your pet in pet in for a scale and polishing before extractions are even considered
- CHEAPER this way (often even just 1-2 extractions can double the cost of dentistry due to anesthesia, pain meds, etc)
- SAFER for your pet because shorter procedure and less depth of anesthesia for cleaning vs extraction
- Plus, your pet will retain many more teeth to chew with and live a long healthy life without any additional wear and tear on their organs that bad teeth tend to escalate!
