FELINE PREVENTIVE CARE

Wellness Exams Keep Your Cat as Healthy as Possible!
If you have asked yourself the question: “Am I doing everything possible to protect the health and happiness of my furry friend?”, wellness care is the answer to that question. A regular wellness exam by one of our veterinarians, combined with a thorough history, can often detect potential health problems before they become apparent to a cat’s family. Identifying conditions early enables us to minimize suffering and prolong a healthy life for your furry friend. To protect your cat you need to be proactive and take specific actions to prevent disease and to detect it early.

The Value of Regular Wellness Exams
Wellness exams once a year [or more often, depending upon your pet’s medical needs] are the best step to keeping your cat as healthy as possible – along with your vigilant observations at home. Bringing your cat in for regular wellness exams is the very best you can do to assure longer life and the highest quality of life for your cat.
The wellness exam is an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns you have about your cat’s health with one of our veterinary professionals. Topics ranging from nutrition, allergies, bad breath, mobility issues, risk of infections and any lifestyle and age related changes, are all important for your cat’s health, and our veterinarians’ expertise is at your disposal.
At home, watch carefully for any unusual behaviors. Take note when you observe behaviors that are different from what you expect. Call us for advice if you have any questions regarding what you have noticed.

Our Wellness Exams are Comprehensive
During your cat’s wellness exam, our veterinarians will:   

• Obtain a medical history.
• Check vitals and record your cat’s weight
• Perform a complete physical examination, discuss any findings and make recommendations.
• Perform a dental evaluation. Dental care is very important for your cat’s overall health, especially as he gets older. We visually examine your cat’s teeth and gums for plaque and tartar, tooth weakness and decay. This screening often detects mouth pain and infections that can affect your pet's heart, kidneys and liver.
• Discuss Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Blood Test, depending on cat’s history and lifestyle.
• Discuss heartworm, flea, tick & other parasite prevention.

• Offer screening blood work for common diseases such as diabetes, kidney, liver and thyroid disease.
• Discuss your cat's nutritional needs with you.

In addition, your cat will receive:

• Protection from infectious diseases through judicious use of vaccines.
• Protection from internal and external parasites and the diseases they transmit.
• Heartworm Prevention for travel. Heartworm disease is a serious disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes and if left untreated can be fatal. It is virtually preventable through prescription medication. We recommend your cat be on heartworm prevention if he or she is traveling outside of Alberta. 

We Tailor Vaccines to the Needs of Your Cat
Vaccinating your pet keeps your cat healthy by preventing dangerous infectious diseases. Cats have different lifestyles and deserve to be given individual attention and consideration at vaccination time. At Best Friend's Animal Hospital, vaccines are tailored individually for each cat. Cats have different lifestyles and needs and each cat is given individual attention and consideration at vaccination time. We will take into consideration your cat’s age and lifestyle, such as exposure to the outdoors, travel plans, boarding plans, breed, health status and immune competence. These factors may change over time, so we will review your cat’s vaccination plan with you at each wellness exam. Discuss with us what you have planned for your cat’s life in the months ahead and what has happened in the past. Information about vaccination reactions in the past is of critical importance for your cat’s safety during future vaccinations, so be sure to discuss your cat’s vaccination history with us.

Common diseases we recommend vaccination against include:

• Feline rhinotracheitis virus (feline herpes virus) affects mainly the upper respiratory tract and causes a variety of symptoms including sneezing, nasal discharge and conjunctivitis. Appetite loss is the most dangerous effect. Transmission is through direct contact with the mouth, nose or eye discharge of infected cats, many of which show no symptoms. Once infected, a carrier state often results with periodic flare ups.
• Feline calicivirus is an extremely contagious viral disease that commonly affects the upper respiratory system, eyes and mouth but sometimes involves the gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal systems. Symptoms usually include fever, runny nose and oral lesions. Lameness and intestinal problems may also develop. Resistant to many disinfectants, the virus spreads through contact with the eye, nasal or mouth discharges of infected or carrier animals.
• Feline panleukopenia is especially deadly for kittens. Symptoms include vomiting, high fever and weight loss. The virus is easily transmitted, most commonly through direct or indirect contact with infected feces or urine, and can also be passed to the kittens in utero.
• Rabies is a disease affecting mammals that’s caused by the rabies virus. Rabies poses a particularly serious threat to public health because it is zoonotic (can be transferred between humans and animals). The virus is usually spread by a bite or scratch from an infected animal. It ultimately infects the brain causing death. For more information about Rabies click here.

 
Please call us today to schedule a visit with one of our veterinarians so that together we may assess and discuss your cat’s health in detail.