Preventive Care for Dogs
Commit to a lifetime of health.
At Northeast Animal Hospital and Downtown St. Pete Vet Clinic, we offer both routine wellness care and emergency care services for dogs. Our veterinarians and staff place an emphasis on the importance of preventive care, adequate exercise, and proper nutrition for all phases of your dog’s life.
Video: "What is Prevention?" (0:44)—Dr. Sanin explains what prevention means to her, in the scope of pet health care.
Video Transcript
The most important thing to me that pet owners should know about pet health is prevention. Prevention is the best medicine in my opinion.
So that goes from vaccinations to preventative medications-such as flea and tick prevention and heart worm prevention-as well as even brushing your dog and cat's teeth. It might seem silly to some, but it's really the best way to keep dental disease at bay.
So really, all the little things you could do-like even yearly blood work to see where your pet is at-at this point in their life, and to monitor for things before they get to the point that it's serious disease process.
Related Dog Health Services and Treatments
- Intestinal Parasites: Various parasites can infect your dog's digestive tract and cause illness. We can help stop them.
- Flea and Tick Prevention: We employ various safe and effective preventive or flea & tick treatment methods for your dog's health and comfort.
- Heartworm Prevention: We can offer options to help your dog avoid heartworm infection.
- Heartworm Disease: We specialize in heartworm education and diagnosis, as well as treatment for your dog.
Why is preventive care for my dog so important?
There are two general approaches to your dog's health care: prevention and treatment. The cost of preventive medicine, compared to the cost of corrective treatment, is typically very low. Advanced treatments often include expensive specialized procedures and medications. They can involve multiple visits to the vet during a short time. That is not to mention the lower quality of life that a beloved dog can suffer because a serious health condition was not diagnosed in time by routine, preventive care.
The key to successful preventive care is timing. The time to prevent your dog's health problem is before the onset of the condition. This is so your vet can find and treat any issue before it becomes a serious and expensive problem. The only way to achieve such timing is by regularly checking your dog for the initial signs of poor health.
Not only are our veterinarians highly skilled specialists in overall pet care, including corrective health treatments, they also provide routine preventive care for pets in St. Petersburg. We want to ensure that your pet always remains healthy, so we practice early detection and prevention of disease for long-term health and well-being. Our trained staff will examine your pet's potential health-related problems and offer solutions to prevent complicated conditions in the future.
What does routine preventive care include?
There are many factors that we consider when examining your dog during a regular wellness visit. These include your dog's activity level, how much time your dog spends alone, how much time your dog associates with other animals, your dog's feeding habits and diet, and more. By looking at these different factors, we can identify risk factors for certain breeds and life stages to help minimize or prevent the risks.
We will evaluate and address these different factors through:
- Routine wellness examinations, including dental exams, performed biannually
- Individualized vaccination protocols based on your dog's needs
- Parasite management to keep both your pet and your family healthy and free from pests and worms
- Blood chemistry screening to detect changes in your dog's health before clinical signs appear
- Dietary considerations to help prevent obesity and keep your dog active and happy
Based on your dog's dental and intestinal health, vaccination schedule, and overall fitness, we can recommend specific dietary changes, exercise regimes, and medications that will give your dog a longer, higher quality life. Our veterinary staff will take the time to listen to your concerns as well and provide you with the best information and care possible.