Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms.

Dogs and cats age quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age.

During your pet’s wellness exam, we will perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We may also recommend that your pet receive dental care.

When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.

Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have.

Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions about our adult wellness program, please let us know.

Senior Wellness Care

Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters his or her senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of even serious diseases until they are advanced.

Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine what life stage your pet is in.

Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog turns 7 years of age or your cat turns 8 years of age. Thereafter, your senior pet will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing.

We can treat many symptoms that are commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life in many ways: by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending a nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications.

We will tailor a senior wellness plan to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we can discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam!

Congratulations! You’ve just adopted a new puppy or kitten; how exciting! A new puppy or kitten can bring so much energy and joy to a family.

Puppies and kittens must receive proper vaccinations to protect and strengthen their immune system. Our Puppy/Kitten Wellness Plans make getting everything your new family member needs a breeze. These packages combine everything your puppy or kitten will need to start life on the right foot–and save you money! The plan’s cost is due at the initial exam, and each additional booster vaccination visit is covered under the wellness plan. Ideally, vaccines should start at eight weeks, with boosters every 3-4 weeks, until your puppy or kitten is at least sixteen weeks old.

In Amador County, Rabies must be given no earlier than sixteen weeks of age. By law, all dogs and cats must receive a Rabies vaccine unless they receive a medical exemption.

Wellness Puppy Plan – Savings of $150!*

Includes:

• Comprehensive Exam
• DHPP or DHLPP series vaccines (Distemper-Parvo combination)
• Bordetella, or “Kennel Cough” vaccine (The plan includes the oral vaccine; if injectable Bordetella is needed, the necessary booster in 3-4 weeks is not included.)
• Rabies vaccine
• Fecal test (If the test is positive, a recheck fecal test within 30 days is also included.)
• Three doses of dewormer
• First dose each of HeartGard Plus and NexGard, our vets’ heartworm, internal parasite, and flea/tick preventatives of choice

Wellness Kitten Plan – Savings of $250!*

Includes:

• Comprehensive Exam
• FeLV/FIV/Heartworm test (checks for Feline Leukemia, Feline AIDS, and heartworm disease)
• FVRCP series vaccines (Feline Distemper-Panleukopenia combination)
• FeLV series vaccines (Feline Leukemia)
• Rabies vaccine
• Fecal test (If the test is positive, a recheck fecal test within 30 days is also included.)
• Three doses of dewormer
• First dose of feline NexGard Combo, our vets’ flea/tick and internal parasite preventative of choice

*Plan savings are based on the cost of the Wellness Puppy or Wellness Kitten Plan compared to the cost of included services done without purchasing the plan.

At our clinic, we perform many types of soft tissue surgeries. These surgeries are not associated with bone and can provide many benefits to pets.

Probably the most common soft tissue surgery performed on pets is the removal of masses or lumps. Most of these masses, once removed and tested, are found to be benign (nonharmful); however, occasionally, they are more serious. Early removal and accurate diagnosis of a lump are necessary to improve the outcome in your pet if the mass is cancerous.

Please contact us if you’d like to discuss how soft tissue surgery might benefit your pet.

We can give rough estimates over the phone for spays and neuters. However, for more complex surgeries and dental procedures, it is best to provide you with a health plan estimate after an exam and discussion with a veterinarian.

Spay

Spaying your pet has many benefits. The procedure prevents female animals from becoming pregnant and reproducing and can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Spaying will not change your pet’s personality.

By spaying your female pet, you protect her against potentially deadly diseases, including bacterial infections, reproductive tract diseases, and several types of cancer. You also won’t have to worry about her going into heat. This means avoiding the mess that often accompanies the heat cycle in female dogs and the pacing and crying that happens with female cats. In addition, spaying your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Spaying, which involves removing the ovaries and uterus, is a surgical procedure and needs to be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure her safety.

Neuter

Neutering your pet has many benefits. The procedure prevents male animals from reproducing and can help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life. Neutering will not change your pet’s personality.

By neutering your pet, you reduce or eliminate his risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Neutering will also reduce or eliminate undesirable and embarrassing behavior, including roaming, fighting, mounting, and spraying. In addition, neutering your pet will help control the dog and cat overpopulation problem, keeping more animals out of shelters.

Neutering, which involves removing the testicles, is a surgical procedure that must be performed with the pet under anesthesia. We follow strict protocols and continually monitor your pet’s vital signs to help ensure his safety.

We offer basic and comprehensive spay and neuter packages.

Our comprehensive spay and neuter packages include everything associated with the spay/neuter surgery that our veterinarians recommend:

• Pre-anesthetic bloodwork
• Intravenous catheter placement and IV fluids during surgery
• Advanced anesthetic monitoring
• E-collar to prevent licking incision site
• 4 days of post-operative pain medication

This package is for any families wanting to follow all recommended pre-anesthetic precautions. It is required for any dogs and cats of the following age or heat status which prevents the use of our basic spay/neuter package:

• animals over 2 years old
• animals currently in heat or who have been in heat within the past 30 days (additional fees apply)
• animals who have been pregnant in the past
• animals who are pregnant now (additional fees apply)

If none of the above is true for your pet, and you do not want to opt for the comprehensive spay/neuter package, you can opt for the basic spay/neuter package. This includes only post-operative pain management; additional services can be added (pre-operative bloodwork, intravenous fluids, etc.) if you elect to do so on the day of surgery.

We offer full digital X-ray (or radiographs) services, including Barium swallow studies. If we are worried about possible fractures, obstructions, bloating, congestion, or constipation (among many other possible concerns), an X-ray can give much insight into what is happening internally. After an X-ray is taken, our doctors will consult with you to go over each X-ray thoroughly. We can also email X-rays to our clients, other hospitals, or a specialty radiologist if need be.

An ultrasound scan (or sonogram) can give us a lot of useful information about the internal structures and functions of your pet. We can even check on little ones in a pregnant pet! Our ultrasound machine aids in the collection of sterile urine or cell samples for testing.

We offer full dental services, including comprehensive dental cleaning, dental radiographs, and extractions. If you think your pet needs dental work, call us to schedule an exam with one of our doctors. We can provide you with an estimate tailored to your pet’s individual needs and schedule their procedure from there.