1300 Don Mills Road, Suite 100, North York, ON M3B 2W6 | Call for an appointment: 647-748-9060
1300 Don Mills Road, Suite 100, North York, ON M3B 2W6 | Call for an appointment: 647-748-9060
Wellness Care For The Life of Your Pet
It is important to introduce your new fur-baby to YVH at a young age. We are excited to welcome your new puppy or kitten and help you to give them their best life. Our first visit will include discussion about vaccinations, nutrition, behavioural training, socialization and a plan of care as well as a full tail-to-nose exam.
Your pet’s health and happiness are our priority so we recommend annual wellness exams to keep your pet in good health. Senior dogs and cats will benefit from twice-yearly visits. These more frequent exams will include bloodwork and may include an ultrasound. Since pets age more rapidly than we do, issues can also develop faster as well. We want to be on top of any issues.
Wellness exams typically include:
It is hard to see signs of old age in our pets but most dogs over seven and cats over nine are considered seniors. To ensure that your pet has the longest, healthiest, happiest and most comfortable life, we encourage twice yearly visits for exams, bloodwork and an ultrasound. This way we can see how your pet is aging and deal with any developing issues before they are big problems.
Blood tests are important screenings to monitor the kidney, liver, pancreas and thyroid. Ultrasound is included for seniors since palpation alone will not catch any issues. We may also recommend x-rays if an issue is suspected after the other standard tests.
Senior care also includes a dental exam as periodontal disease is tougher on older pets.
Our chats are key to your senior pet’s care. You may notice behavioural changes in your pet such as accidents in the house, getting lost, wandering aimlessly, changes to eating or sleeping habits, vision or hearing changes, or general mood changes. Your clues help us to determine typical aging versus geriatric issues.
A nutrition-rich diet is key to your pet’s health and preventive care. Proper nutrition keeps your pet healthy, their immune system strong and their development normal.
Nutrition is different based on age, breed, current health condition, lifestyle and environment. We can take the guesswork out of regular feeding, snacks and rewards.
Vaccinations are a relatively inexpensive way to protect your pet’s health. They prevent many life-threatening illnesses and can prevent diseases passed to your pet from wildlife or passed to you as well. Puppies and kittens need to be vaccinated when they are young as their immune systems are just developing and they need protection to stay healthy. Any reactions to vaccinations are very rare and usually mild and short-term if they do occur.
Core vaccinations:
Other non-core, but highly recommended vaccinations for cats include FIV for feline immunodeficiency virus and FeLV to protect against feline leukemia. For dogs, bordetella, Leptospirosis and canine influenza shots are highly recommended especially if they frequent dog parks, boarding kennels, or any place where they’re socializing with other dogs.
It’s also important to note that even pets who live primarily indoors should be vaccinated, as they can still be exposed to a disease. We will advise which vaccinations are required or recommended for your pet based on age, health, and lifestyle.
Our warming temperatures mean that parasites are a problem earlier and earlier in the year which means year-round prevention is key to keeping your pet free from these pests and the diseases they can carry. Fleas can trigger dermatitis, tapeworms and hot spots; heartworms are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito; Lyme disease is spread through the bite of infected ticks – these diseases can be fatal or very hard on your pet and can also be expensive.
Prevention is the best treatment. We will recommend the best type of flea, tick and heartworm preventative and explain the schedule for maintaining the preventative treatment.
In addition to preventative medications, you should also thoroughly check your pet for fleas and ticks after every romp outdoors. While they can be anywhere on your pet’s body, their favourite spots are near the head, neck, ears and paws. Fleas will also leave evidence with little black specks that resemble bits of dirt or pepper.
One of the worst experiences of pet ownership is if they go missing. We encourage microchipping to permanently identify your pet. Microchipping is simple, relatively painless and very affordable. Once implanted, the microchip can last for 25 years and provide your contact information if your pet is found and the chip is scanned. It is imperative that you keep your contact information up to date.
Pain is terrible. When our pets are in pain, so are we. It’s an awful feeling to know that your pet is hurting, especially when you think that there isn’t anything you can do to help them. We strive to alleviate as much pain and discomfort in our patients as possible. We provide pain management and pain prevention. When procedures have the potential for future pain, we plan for and around this from a pain management perspective. We also work with pet owners to educate them on how to recognize signs of pain so that we can deal with it as soon as possible.
YVH has a fully stocked in-house pharmacy so that you can purchase what is needed for your pet and begin treatment as soon as possible. This includes medications, flea, tick and heartworm preventatives and prescription dietary food. Your purchases are recorded in your pet’s medical file so that we can remind you when it is time for a refill and we can ensure your pet is getting the correct medication.
This is the hardest part of having a pet. We get that. It is never easy to say goodbye. We want to make that terrible time more manageable. We provide compassionate, private care. We will work with you to ensure that your pet’s pain is managed and they are as comfortable as possible until it is time to say goodbye. When you are ready to make the difficult decision, we will be with you every step of the way.
