Wellness exams and other forms of preventive care are crucial to the long-term health and wellbeing of your dog. In this blog, our Hoquiam vets talk about many forms of preventive care and how they benefit your dog while helping them live long and happy lives.
The Importance of Preventive Care Exams
Veterinary preventive wellness exams are comprehensive checkups for your dog. When you bring your dog in for a routine wellness exam you allow your vet to examine for any potential signs of illnesses, conditions, or diseases before they become more advanced and when they will be easier to treat. Your vet will also utilize these visits to provide your dog with vaccinations and parasite prevention will stop many of these conditions from occurring in the first place.
Preventive exams give your pet the best opportunity for achieving lifelong good health without unnecessary pain while being more cost-effective than if you were to have to treat a printable condition later on down the road.
What information will my vet need about my dog?
Your vet will require various information about your dog such as what their lifestyle is like. Your dog will require different care and vaccinations than others based on their activities and what environments they are exposed to. The diet that your dog will need also depends on factors similar to those. So, it's very important to provide your vet with an accurate representation on what lifestyle your dog will lead.
What are the differences between a wellness plan and an insurance plan?
Just as it sounds, wellness plans cover the cost of routine wellness care such as vaccinations and parasite prevention as well as routine examinations. Pet insurance on the other hand is designed to cover the costs of all care needed especially unexpected and urgent care such as traumatic injury or even serious illness, insurance will cover those where a wellness plan will not.
How can I safely bring my dog in the car?
It is important to have your dog confined to the interior of your vehicle. That is the safest place for them. Whether inside the vehicle or in the case of a truck. The best mode of transporting your dog is using a kennel, either within your vehicle or strapped down in the bed of your truck. If that is not a possibility then your pet should be secured using the seatbelts and a dog-specific harness that attaches to the seatbelt.
Is it important to keep my dog on a leash?
Dogs can be unpredictable, even the most well-behaved dogs can have their moments if they spot something that interests them. The easiest way to ensure the safety of your dog and other animals and humans is by keeping your dog on a leash at all times unless in a designated off-leash play area.
How can I keep my property safe?
The first and easiest thing you can do to help your dog stay safe in and around your home and property is by thinking about the size of your dog and what their requirements will be. If your dog is small then you may want to think about a way to keep them from going up or downstairs or how to make it easier for them to climb onto furniture if they are allowed. If you have a large dog then you may want to consider if there is anywhere that they can get stuck and ensure that you can avoid that situation.
You should ensure that all chemical supplies are well out of reach of the dog and that all outside areas are fenced and that your dog has no way of escaping if they dig or climb.
Are pesticides toxic to my dog?
Pesticides should be avoided at all costs if possible. Pesticides and similar chemicals can be fatal to your dog and cause irreversible damage to their organs and internal systems if ingested. If your dog may have ingested pesticides please contact your vet or local emergency vet clinic immediately.