Annual Wellness Examinations

We believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Those old words still ring true! Bringing your pet in for an annual wellness exam (semi-annual for senior pets) can help identify abnormalities and potential problems before they become major issues.

Your pet will receive a hands-on thorough examination from head to toe.  We will update any vaccinations that may be due and check your pet for intestinal parasites.  We recommend a blood profile to check organ function and blood count, especially for the senior pets.  We will also check your dog for heartworms.  We recommend year-round flea prevention for your pet as well as year-round heartworm prevention for your dog.

Sick Visits

The best way to help discover illnesses as early as possible is to have a close relationship with your pets so that you know how they act when they are well.  Our pets are creatures of habit, and you will quickly come to recognize normal behavior patterns, such as appetite, activity level, and elimination habits.  Any change in those patterns could indicate that something is wrong.  The challenge in veterinary medicine is interpreting those changes and discovering the underlying cause of the problems.

That’s where our team steps in.  You know your pet and know when something’s not right, while we help understand what those symptoms mean.  We start the diagnostic process by taking a history from you about what’s going on, and then completing a thorough physical examination. Based on the results of that exam, we may have enough information to make assessments of the health problem, or we may need to perform more thorough diagnostic procedures such as lab work or radiographs.  We have a state of the art in-house diagnostic laboratory that can provide results in a matter of minutes.  

Once a diagnosis of the problem is made we can recommend the appropriate treatment.

Much of that treatment can often be done at home.  There are many options for home administration of medicines, and our extensive pharmacy enables us to prescribe just what your pet needs.  Sometimes just simple management of diet or rest can provide what your pet needs to get through the health issue.

Occasionally the necessary therapy requires initial in-hospital care or surgery, and then follow up care at home.  Or conditions may require more intensive therapy, and we can provide that care also.  When a pet needs IV fluids, injectable medications, temporary oxygen therapy, or intensive monitoring, in-hospital care is the best way to help them.

It is fortunately uncommon for a pet to need 24/7 monitoring, but when a critical illness requires that level of care we do coordinate with the emergency service at REACH in Asheville, where critical care specialists provide intensive therapies and continuous monitoring