Preventive care is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your pet’s health. Starting from a young age, it is important to develop a relationship with our veterinary health care team. This allows us to know your pet’s history and identify potential health concerns before they become serious. At the early detection stage, treatments are often easier and less expensive.

Wellness visits are recommended every 3-4 weeks beginning at 6 weeks of age for puppies and kittens and annually thereafter. At each physical exam, your pet will receive far more than just health-protecting vaccinations and medications. We will take a full history of your pet’s activity and habits while performing a complete, comprehensive physical exam looking for any abnormalities and potential issues. This is a critical component to your pet living a long and happy life.

Parasites

Parasites can be a year-round problem for both dogs and cats. At Indy Paws Veterinary Hospital, we recommend keeping your pet on heartworm, flea and tick preventatives throughout the year. This should occur even for strictly indoor pets as fleas, ticks and even mosquitoes (which transmit heartworm disease) are all capable of getting indoors. We recommend regular testing for invisible intestinal parasites and heartworms, as some of these parasites are zoonotic (can be transferred to people). We carry a wide variety of options for preventative medications. Please discuss your family’s lifestyle with our staff and we can help you find the best product for your pet.

Dental Cleaning

Periodontal disease, caused by the build-up of bacteria and plaque on your pet’s teeth and gums, often results in painful outcomes: bleeding and severe inflammation of the gums, gum and bone loss and tooth mobility. Periodontal disease can be very painful and as the disease progresses, the bacteria can travel through the blood and damage the heart, liver and kidneys. At Indy Paws Veterinary Hospital, we will assess your pet’s oral health with an awake exam during their wellness examinations. However, as much as 70% of dental disease lives under the gums. This is why dental oral examinations require general anesthesia. Some owners worry about anesthetics in their pets, however, we take every precaution to ensure their safety. Therefore, we recommend yearly dental complete oral assessment and treatment (COHAT) for your pet family. This part of your pet’s wellness care can prevent the spread of periodontal disease and keep your pet healthy.

Components of a Dental COHAT:

• Oral exam: Every individual tooth (42 in dogs, 30 in cats) is probed and examined to evaluate for problem areas.
• Ultrasonic scaling: One of our veterinary technicians will scale each tooth to remove plaque and tartar.
• Polishing: This allows a smoothing of the teeth to discourage plaque and tartar from adhering to the tooth surface.
• Digital Dental X-Rays: Full mouth Intraoral Radiographs are included in the dental procedures. This allows us to evaluate the tooth roots and bone to determine what treatments are necessary.
• Extractions if indicated

Preventive Health Care for Seniors

Preventive health care for senior pets is extremely important. At Indy Paws, we recommend annual blood work for early detection of geriatric health problems, digital radiographs to check for internal diseases, and semi-annual visits to help make our preventive measures as valuable as possible for your pet. There are a variety of medical therapies to help alleviate pain and suffering for your geriatric pets. Overall health can be discussed with the veterinary team at each visit to ensure we are keeping your pets happy and healthy for as long as possible.

End of Life Care

It is our top priority at Indy Paws to prevent pain and suffering. Part of that requires us to consider quality of life. If it is time for humane euthanasia for your pet, we work to make it as comfortable as possible for your family. We give pain medications to your pet to ensure they are comfortable and relaxed prior to the euthanasia procedure. We also offer private and group cremation services.

Blood Work

Our in-house laboratory allows most screening tests to be completed within a very short period of time. Routine heartworm testing, feline leukemia and AIDs testing, urinalysis, complete blood counts, pre-surgical screenings and blood chemistry profiles are among the many tests where results are available very quickly and can help us keep your pet healthy. We also have access to a full outside laboratory when more advanced diagnostic testing is required.

Physical examination

Your pet’s annual wellness examination involves a thorough examination by the doctor. She will look at your pet’s eyes, ears, oral cavity and teeth, heart and lungs, abdomen, lymph nodes and skin examination. She may recommend additional testing depending on your pet’s age and lifestyle.

Nutrition and Behavior Counseling

Nutrition is an important aspect of preventative care for your pets. At each examination, our team will discuss your pet’s diet. Depending on your pet’s age, weight, health status and breed we may make recommendations to help you maximize your pet’s health. If you have questions regarding your pet food selection, there is a wealth of information here.

Behavioral issues are the most common cause for surrender of pets. At Indy Paws, we know behavioral problems can be stressful for your pet and your family. If you have behavior concerns, please discuss these with our health care team so that we can make a plan that may include positive reinforcement training, supplements or even medications.