Preventive Care

Preventing disease is key to maintaining good health in our animal companions, and ensuring your pet has regular check-ups and wellness exams is the best way for us to help them live a long, healthy life.

A male veterinarian uses a stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat of a black and white husky dog laying on an exam table in a veterinary hospital.

Does my pet really need regular wellness exams?

Even when your pet seems perfectly healthy, bringing them in for regular check-ups allows us to screen for disease and treat any potential problems before they become bigger concerns — for the same reasons your own physician and dentist recommend them! When you can detect a problem in its early stages, it is typically much easier (and less expensive!) to treat.

We will work with you to tailor a recommended wellness program for your pet based on your their breed, age, lifestyle and overall health.

How often should my pet come in for preventive care?

We recommend seeing your pet at least once a year for a full check-up. Based on age, health, or pre-existing conditions, some dogs and cats may require twice-yearly exams.

We want to not only ensure that they are in top condition and have what they need to be protected against future illnesses, but we also want to use this time to answer your questions and offer any recommendations as needed to improve your pet’s care.

What’s included in regular preventive care?

We’ll perform a comprehensive wellness exam, starting with your pet’s weight and body temperature, followed by a thorough review of all systems, tip to tail. We’ll check their skin, teeth, gums, eyes, ears, as well as listen to their heart and lungs, feel their abdomen, and move their joints.

We’ll administer vaccines and perform any diagnostic tests your pet may need such as bloodwork, fecal testing, or screening for heartworms and tick borne diseases.

Each wellness exam and preventive care regimen is specialized for your pet’s unique needs, and may also include nutritional counseling, a body condition score, or a review of lifestyle and exercise habits. You should also use the time during a wellness exam to address any of your own pet health questions or concerns with us.

Tri-color dog with an open mouth and tongue sitting on a sunny spring day in a flower meadow

Parasite Prevention

Pet parasites are one of the most common health threats to our pets. Fleas and ticks are found outside in yards and around patios, and can even be brought inside by humans on shoes and clothing. They can cause itching, hair loss, anemia, infection, and serious diseases such as Lyme. Mosquitos transmit deadly Heartworm disease, and intestinal parasites such as hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms cause diarrhea and other ongoing health concerns for both indoor and outdoor pets.

The only way to prevent infestations and protect your pet is to invest in their protection with preventatives.

We carry a variety of options to meet your budget and your pet’s lifestyle needs. Ask us for recommendations best suited to your pet.

Annual Routine Lab Work

Routine laboratory screening and blood testing is recommended for all dogs and cats as part of a comprehensive preventive health care program, in order to give us key information about your pet’s health. In younger pets, regular values give us a baseline to compare changes against as your pet ages, aiding in early detection of many common pet parasites and diseases.

Annual (or semi-annual) screenings are critical for senior pets, or those with chronic medical conditions.

Our pets not only can’t tell us when something is wrong, but their instinct is often to hide it from us when there is! Pets also age much more rapidly than we do, so changes in health can occur quickly. It’s important that we catch them early for best management and care.

A man wearing gloves uses a syringe to carefully drop liquid into a small laboratory vial

Pet Wellness Exam Questions

You might be wondering…

If this is your first visit with us and you have any previous medical records for your pet—either from a rescue, breeder, or another practice—please email them to hi@verdigrispets.com. If this is a new pet, please bring a fecal sample with you, if possible. The sample should be no more than 12 hours old, and can be brought to us in a regular poo bag. Don’t forget to also bring your (leashed or crated) pet!

A wellness exam typically requires a minimum 30-minute appointment block. Once you arrive, our staff will ensure your records and personal information are up to date, and then proceed by taking your pet’s weight, as well as current information on their diet, lifestyle, and other medical history. They will also want to know if you have any other issues or questions for the doctor. Once you are in the exam room, the doctor will perform a thorough physical exam and prepare any required vaccines. If there are any other concerns or recommended tests, we may need to draw blood, take swabs, or other samples. This will require us to take your pet into our treatment room for further examination and analysis, and can add extra time to your appointment.

Yes! Indoor cats need wellness exams. In addition to keeping up-to-date on legally required vaccines, indoor cats can still develop illnesses and conditions that have nothing to do with the great outdoors. They can experience hormonal or genetic conditions, problems with weight, tumors, and more. Humans can also track parasites and diseases in from outside on their shoes and clothing. Cats’ natural instincts are to hide pain and illness, so by the time you notice any symptoms, the problem can already be quite advanced. It’s easier, and more effective, to prevent an issue, rather than to treat it later. It can also save you more money over the life of your pet!

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Modern Pet Care

With all new, top-of-the-line equipment and a gorgeous new facility, we’re modernizing the entire pet care experience. Our hybrid primary-and-emergency care model eliminates day-to-ER transfers, reducing stress on both pets and owners, while also allowing for consistency in treatment planning and standard of care.