AN ADVOCATE: You speak for your dog at every visit, providing a detailed history of diet, behaviors, well-being and/or signs of illness. We encourage you to become a good observer of your dog's appetite, drinking habits, elimination behaviors, mobility, and energy. Our team asks questions to expand on these elements to create a complete picture of what is happening in your pet's life. Because  dogs don't talk, the art of veterinary medicine is combining your history with our physical and test findings to interpret the state of your dog's health and how best to help.

WEIGH-IN: Weight is a simple method to follow health trends. Is your puppy growing appropriately? Does your dog weigh too much? Is your dog's weight jumping upward several pounds each visit? Half of adult dogs are overweight. This is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, and heart disease. A terrific lifetime study of Labrador retrievers showed that dogs who maintained a lean weight lived an average of 2-3 years longer than those that were overweight. Only you can give this gift of life with your control of feeding; however, we can help you and your dog stay on the best path. Or ... Has your dog lost weight? Unexplained weight loss  may be our earliest clue of illness.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: The physical examination is the single most important element of you veterinary visit. A thorough physical examination lets us evaluate all the major body systems to validate health or detect abnormalities --- minor or major. Puppies receive an exam every 3 weeks through their vaccination series. Young and middle-aged pets receive an annual exam. Senior pets, 7 years or older, receive an examination every 6 months to stay on top of the changes that come with aging.

VACCINATION: Protection against infectious disease is an essential part of all wellness programs. Rabies vaccination is required by law in Franklin County. We give core vaccinations for rabies and the combination of canine distemper, parvo, adeno and parainfluenza viruses, with consideration of the vaccination guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.  Need for leptospirosis, bordetella, and Lyme (Borrelia) disease vaccination is based on life-style and travel. We reassess this on a regular basis. We test for vaccination titers (level of protection) when this is a better alternative.

PARASITE CHECK: Intestinal parasites (worms or protozoans) are common in dogs and need to be eliminated, both for your dog's health and as a protection against those that can be shared with people. We recommend yearly stool checks, as a minimum, for adult dogs. Looking for external parasites --- fleas, ticks, and less commonly mites or lice --- is part of every visit. We collect a blood sample yearly to test for heartworms in dogs.

LABORATORY TESTS: Laboratory tests afford a wealth of information on how body systems are working. We recommend a senior profile yearly for our older pets to look for the earliest indicators of dysfunction and for ways that we can extend both the quality and length of life. Laboratory tests on blood, urine, stool, and aspirates from growths are critical to helping sick pets.

PREVENTIVE MEDICATIONS: We recommend year-round heartworm prevention and seasonal protection for fleas and ticks. More on heartworms, fleas, and ticks can be found by checking the dog web links.