Recommended Standards of Care Monthly use of heartworm and flea preventions Although heartworm-carrying mosquitoes disappear in the winter, intestinal parasites that infect pets and humans are active year-round. Fleas often retreat indoors to warmer weather during the winter. Labwork every year after age seven 20% animals that seem normal actually have abnormal lab values. Routine labwork can establish important baselines and help diagnose disease earlier-when it is easiest and most successfully treated. High quality food: Science Diet Diet may be the single-most important influence on wellness. What your pet eats every day contributes to weight, disease prevention, aging progress, and coat quality. Spending money to feed the highest quality food will save money long-term, and research has shown that pets of a healthy weight live an average of two years longer. Dental Care Keeping pets' teeth clean adds an average of two years to their lifespan. Tartar that accumulates on teeth is actually a build-up of bacteria that leads to pain, tooth loss, and organ damage. It's best to brush but we realize very few people have the time or inclination to do this every day. Science Diet T/D treats can be fed as a regular diet or as treats to help keep teeth cleaner longer. Twice daily feedings Meal feeding dogs and cats is an easy way to maintain a healthy weight. Further, by meal feeding, you are able to more quickly notice if your pet is not eating, which may be an indication of a serious medical condition. Healthy Weight Maintenance Too much food and too little exercise results in obesity in animals just as it does in people. The associated medical problems are also the same: diabetes, increased joint pain, and increased heart and lung strain. We will evaluate your pets' body condition each visit in order to help your pet live the most comfortable healthy life. Remember, just two extra pounds in a normally ten pound dog or cat means a 20% increase in body weight; that would be like a 150 pound person gaining 30 pounds! Crating Dogs We recommend crate training all dogs starting from the first day you bring them home. Crate training is an excellent way to quickly house break dogs. Further, it establishes a safe place for the dog to call her own. Finally, keeping your dog in a crate keeps her safe and out of trouble when you are not around. Dogs kept safely in a crate cannot destroy furniture, eat trash, or chew rugs. Revolution for Cats It's easy to assume that cats that live completely indoors are protected from parasites. However, we know that 28% of cats diagnosed with heartworm associated disease were inside-only cats. Damage from heartworms causes irreversible damage to lungs and the rate of heartworm infection is higher than either FIV or Feline leukemia. Also, fleas retreat to more hospitable indoor environments by riding in on dogs or people's clothes. We recommend all cats be administered Revolution every month for life. Purchase preventions from the veterinarian's office Although mail-order pharmacies seen on television make sense on the surface, we have many reservations about using them indiscriminately. Many of these "pharmacies" do not disclose the source of their supply, often calling into question storage, expiration dates, and possibly even ingredients. For our clients that prefer the convenience of shipped medications, we offer an on-line distributor. It is with the pet's health in mind, however, that we encourage you to invest the small difference of price into someone you have a relationship with-your local, dependable veterinarian. Wellness care/visits Many pets don't visit the veterinarian until they are sick. We believe that all pets deserve not only longevity, but also to have a high quality of life. Because of their speedier aging, annual trips to the veterinarian would be like you getting a check-up every seven years! Health can change quickly, and the earlier we catch disease, treatment becomes less expensive and more likely to succeed. We promote preventative medicine and wellness care over sickness management. Protecting Humans Many of our practices and recommendations are focused on keeping humans healthy through pet health. Twice yearly fecal tests are recommended by the CDC to protect humans from very dangerous parasites that people catch from their companion animals. Rabies and leptospirosis vaccines protect people from deadly disease contracted from infected animals.