Pet Wellness Services
Prevention Is the Best Cure
At PineHills Veterinary Hospital, the medical staff recommends examinations for the same reason that your physician recommends them—if a health issue can be detected in its early stages, there is a greater likelihood that it can be resolved and treated with less expense and greater success.
We believe wellness exams are essential in keeping your pet healthy throughout all stages of their life. Annual wellness exams give us an opportunity to conduct a thorough physical examination and develop a health profile for your pet. This information helps your veterinarian identify any potential medical problems that can affect your pet's quality of life. More frequent visits are suggested for senior pets or those who have more significant medical conditions.
Keeping Your Pet Healthy With Regular Wellness Exams
The hospital's commitment to you and your pet's health begins with an annual examination, which includes:
- Examining your pet's teeth, throat and oral cavity
- Checking your pet's vision and eyes
- Examining ears for infection, ear mites, allergic reaction and other related health issues
- Assessing your pet's heart and cardiac function
- Examining the skin
- Palpating lymph nodes and abdomen
- Examining the respiratory system
- Evaluating internal organ function and other systems
- Monitoring your pet's blood count and serum chemistry
- Performing laboratory tests to determine the presence of specific diseases
- Assessing changes in your pet's health since the last wellness visit
- Fecal check for the presence of intestinal parasites
- Annual vaccinations
During each examination, we want you to feel confident your pet is receiving the best care possible. Ask us anything you want to know. We are pet owners ourselves and understand how important your pet is to your family. We also understand how important it is to you that your pet receives veterinary care from professionals within a friendly, welcoming environment where your questions and opinions are respected.
Your Pet's Vaccinations
Vaccines are the best way to protect your pet against serious diseases and bacteria. While some vaccines prevent common infectious diseases, others protect against dangers present in a pet's lifestyle. PineHills Veterinary Hospital follows the vaccination protocols recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), thus ensuring that your pet receives the very best protection.
- Core puppy: DHPP, Bordetella, Rabies, Lyme Disease
- Core kitten: FVRCP, Rabies, FeLV
- Core adult dog: DHLPP/DHPP, Rabies, Bordetella, Lyme Disease
- Core adult cat: FVRCP, FeLV, Rabies
Bringing your pet to PineHills Veterinary Hospital for regular wellness visits and vaccinations is an important part of your pet's overall health care program. To better ensure the long-term health of your pet, the staff wants to provide your companion with the maximum protection vaccines can provide.
If you would like to schedule an appointment to get your pet current with their vaccinations, please give us a call at (910) 975-2405.
Parasite Prevention and Control
Parasites can be real pests. Both external (fleas, ticks) and internal (heartworm, hookworm and roundworm) parasites can cause problems for both your pet and family. Prevention is the best approach to eliminating these pests. Please ask a staff member at PineHills Veterinary Hospital for the best way to prevent parasite problems in your pet.
Dr. Garza stocks PineHills Veterinary Hospital with the following flea, tick and heartworm preventive products:
- Heartguard
- NexGard
- Bravecto
- Feline Revolution
Heartworm Disease Dangers
Spread by mosquitoes, heartworm disease has a serious impact on your pet's health. Fortunately, preventive medications exist to avoid heartworm disease in your beloved companion. Dr. Garza recommends administering preventive medication once-a-month, all year long.
When Should I Test My Dog for Heartworm?
Symptoms of heartworm disease are not always immediately apparent or easy to detect. Some dogs may not show signs of the disease while others may exhibit clinical signs, such as:
- A mild, persistent cough
- Reluctance to move or exercise (lethargy)
- Fatigue after moderate exercise
- Reduced appetite and/or weight loss.
Cats may exhibit clinical signs that are non-specific, such as vomiting, gagging, difficulty or rapid breathing, lethargy and weight loss. If your pet is experiencing these symptoms, please call (910) 975-2405 to schedule an appointment.
The timing and frequency of heartworm tests depend on several factors:
- The pet's age when heartworm prevention was started
- If preventive heartworm medication was forgotten
- If the pet was switched from one type of heartworm prevention to another
- If the pet was not on preventive medication and traveled to an endemic area
- The length of the heartworm season in the region where the pet lives.
Heartworm Prevention
Only ProHeart® 6 can prevent heartworm disease for a full 6 months in just 1 shot given by your veterinarian.
ProHeart® 6 Benefits
- 100% effective when given every 6 months
- Year-round protection provided in 2 shots
- Proven safety with more than 9 million does distributed
Flea and Tick Prevention
Fleas and ticks are more than a nuisance — they pose a serious health risk to you and your pet because of the dangerous diseases they may carry.
Prevalent tick-borne diseases in West End, Seven Lakes, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and nearby communities in Moore County include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis. They are a significant threat you and your dog, especially during the warmer months of the year. Ticks and tick eggs live in the grass and weeds that your dog may run through during regular daily activities. Check and brush your dog after being outside, especially in grassy or brushy areas. If a tick is attached to your dog's skin, remove it carefully with tweezers and wash the affected bite area and your hands afterward.
Fleas are most abundant during the warm weather, but are still a threat year-round. In fact, flea infestation is one of the most common medical problems veterinarians see. Your pet can be allergic to fleas, and just one bite can result in a severely painful skin infection. Fleas can also transmit serious diseases such as bartonellosis (the bacteria that causes “cat scratch disease” in people) and parasites like tapeworms.
The best course of action to protect both your pet and yourself from fleas, ticks and the potential of tick-borne disease is prevention. There are many safe and effective flea and tick control products available at PineHills Veterinary Hospital, and the veterinary team will help you choose the correct preventive regimen based on your pet's risk factors and health status. We also offer a Lyme disease vaccination. During your next visit, speak with Dr. Garza to find out if the Lyme vacccination is right for your pet.
