Pet Wellness Services
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
At Hill Country Animal Hospital, our veterinarians and our medical staff recommend regular wellness examinations for the same reason your personal physician or dentist recommends them - if a health problem or issue can be detected in its early stages, there is a far greater likelihood it can be resolved and treated with less difficulty, less expense and greater success.
Our commitment begins when your new companion enters your family. Our goal is to provide you the finest veterinary care possible so you and your beloved companion can enjoy a long, healthy and happy life together.
Each age and stage of your pet's life presents different health issues that require attention and care. Our team of doctors and veterinary staff provide individualized attention and develop a health care plan for your pet that takes into consideration his/her special needs, lifestyle, breed and home life. We also listen to you, the pet owner, and your schedule, routine, needs and family life. By understanding the whole picture, we can better tailor your pet's health care plan to suit his and your lifestyle.
Preventive Health Care
When you bring your pet to Hill Country Animal Hospital, we work with you to create a lifetime preventive health care plan. This includes a balanced schedule of vaccines (to protect your pet against dangerous, but preventable, diseases), routine dental care (good oral health protects overall systemic health), and microchip identification (should your pet become lost). We also provide internal medicine services, nutritional and behavioral counseling, general and orthopedic surgery, advanced diagnostic testing capabilities and much more.
Our commitment to you and your pet's health begins with an annual examination, which includes:
- Examining your pet's teeth, throat and oral cavity
- Checking your pet's vision and eyes
- Examining ears for infection, ear mites, allergic reaction and other related health issues
- Assessing your pet's heart and cardiac function
- Examining the skin
- Palpating lymph nodes and abdomen
- Examining the respiratory system
- Evaluating internal organ function and other systems
- Monitoring your pet's blood count and serum chemistry
- Performing laboratory tests to determine the presence of specific diseases
- Assessing changes in your pet's health since the last wellness visit
- Fecal check for the presence of intestinal parasites
During each examination we also listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and keep you up to date on all the information you need to be the best caregiver to your pet. Good communication between you and your pet's doctor ensures your beloved companion is receiving the optimal care and attention he deserves so he can live a long, healthy life.
Puppy and Kitten Care: Starting Your New Pet Off on the Right Paw
The first year of care for your new puppy or kitten is the most important. Like human infants, puppies and kittens require special attention for them to grow and develop well.
Our team of veterinarians and technicians partner with you to create a custom health plan so your new companion receives the vaccinations and examinations required to get the best start in life.
Your puppy and kittens first year of care will include:
- Physical Examinations: Your puppy's or kitten’s lifetime of wellness starts with its first comprehensive physical exam. Puppies and kittens should have 3-4 exams between the ages of 8-16 weeks. These visits are important because they provide our veterinarians with an opportunity to assess your pet's overall health and to administer vaccines.
- Vaccinations: Due to their developing immune systems, puppies and kittens must receive a series of properly staged vaccines. Because every puppy and kitten is unique, we tailor our vaccination recommendations based on their lifestyle and/or breed and according to the suggested medical guidelines.
- Diagnostic Testing: Puppies should be tested for Heartworm and kittens tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS.
- Additional Recommendations: Your veterinarian will also discuss and recommend other services, such as spaying, neutering and microchipping.
Senior Care
Congratulations! By taking the time to learn more about the special needs of your senior aged pet, you have taken the first step toward providing the best care for your friend in his or her golden years. At Hill Country Animal Hospital we place special emphasis on senior care and are proud of the unique interest we take in geriatric medicine and care of chronic disease.
As with humans, pets in their senior years—those of about seven years of age and older—begin to go through a gradual reduction of their physical capabilities. However, this process can be slowed and managed through proper veterinary care, thereby offering your beloved pet an extended period of vitality and good health. Additionally, preventative care tailored to your pet's age, lifestyle, risk factors and other elements can help prevent common diseases or detect them at early and easily treatable stages.
There is also an important role for you to play as your pet's primary caregiver. While you cannot control age-related decline, you can influence your pet's activity level, living conditions, access to quality senior veterinary care, and daily nutrition. With help from your veterinarian at Hill Country Animal Hospital, you can manage these factors to prolong your pet's good health, vitality, and increase his or her well-being, even as his or her pace slows a bit.
However, the best time to begin your pet's senior care program and recognize the need for a little extra TLC is well before age-related conditions begin to set in. The veterinarians at Hill Country Animal Hospital recommend regular senior wellness exams, which should include lab tests to detect the early signs of disease processes. Dental care at this point in life becomes even more important as well. We recommend routine dental exams and cleanings for all pets, but especially those in their senior years. Diet and weight gain are also important issues to keep in mind. When you bring your pet in for a senior wellness visit, your veterinarian will evaluate his or her weight and offer recommendations based on what we find.
Vaccinations
Vaccines prevent diseases once responsible for the death of many dogs and cats. They prepare your dog or cat for exposure to certain viruses and bacteria, so when exposed, the immune system can destroy the invaders before the body becomes overwhelmed.
During the first few months of life, a series of vaccinations for both puppies and kittens is necessary. This is due to several factors: the immune system of the young animal is not fully developed and maternal antibodies (protection from the mother) neutralize the vaccine.
Sometime between age 6 weeks to 20 weeks, the maternal antibodies disappear and the puppy's/kitten's immune system begins functioning. For this reason, vaccination every three weeks is considered the safest way to ensure protection for your young pet. As the maternal antibodies disappear and the immune system begins functioning, your pet needs fewer vaccinations.
Vaccinations are also important for keeping adult pets healthy and free from disease. However, not every pet requires the same series or frequency of vaccines. At Hill Country Animal Hospital our veterinarians determine a vaccination protocol based on your pet's lifestyle, susceptibility to disease, geographic location, and the most current recommendations from the American Veterinary Medical Association. Our goal to is to maintain optimal health and protection while not over-vaccinating your pet.
Flea and Tick Prevention
In Texas fleas are a year-round problem for pets and their owners. They are not just a nuisance; they carry diseases that can be dangerous to you and your pet. For example, fleas can transmit tapeworms to your pet, and often you can see segments of the tapeworm in your pet's stool. Your pet can also be allergic to fleas, and just one flea bite can cause an intense allergic reaction, resulting in a severely painful skin infection.
Ticks are also a problem in our area. They can carry a variety of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in certain parts of the country. If you plan to travel to an area where these diseases are a problem, please talk to one of our veterinarians about the precautions you can take to protect your pet.
The good news is these problems can be avoided by using one of the safe, effective parasite prevention products available at Hill Country Animal Hospital. Ask a member of our medical team to recommend a product right for your pet.
Heartworm Disease
Heartworm disease is a serious, life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It affects dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats. In the U.S., heartworm disease is most common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries, but it has been reported in dogs in all 50 states.
Clinical symptoms of heartworm disease develop very slowly. Early symptoms include lack of energy, exercise intolerance, coughing and difficulty breathing. Because heartworm disease is increasing in frequency and is a serious and deadly disease, we recommend your dog be tested annually.
Heartworm disease prevention is simple and effective. For dogs, a once-a-month heartworm preventive can be given as a chewable treat. This same chewable medicine prevents not only heartworms from developing, but also kills and prevents most other types of worms that can infect your dog. Cats are protected by applying a drop of heartworm prevention liquid to the skin once a month. We recommend this to prevent heartworm disease as well as fleas, ear mites, and other types of worms that can infect your cat.
If you would like to have your pet tested for heartworm disease, or if you would like additional information on how best to protect your pet from this dangerous parasite, please call Hill Country Animal Hospital today for an appointment.