​One of the most important things you can do for your pets is regular veterinary visits. Early detection is crucial in treating our pets for disease. We recommend a full nose-to-tail exam at least once a year. This also becomes important for prescription flea, worm and tick treatments as your pet needs to be examined at least once a year for you to be able to purchase these. Your doctor may also recommend a prescription or lifestyle diet based on the results of your pet’s exam. We carry a variety of diets from Royal Canin, Prescription Diet and Rayne. 

The Physical Exam:

This is the most important part of your pet's annual vet visit. Since our pets age much more quickly than us, it is crucial to have them checked out regularly so any problems can be caught early. Our pets aren't able to tell us when something is wrong so we need to take responsibility for their health. 

​During your pet's examination, the veterinarian will check them over completely. They will also get a thorough history from you because after all, you know your pet best. Your veterinarian is like a detective, using the "clues" from the physical exam to ascertain your pet's health

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By listening to the chest with a stethoscope, changes to the heart and lungs can be heard. It can sometimes looks like they are just patting your furbaby, but the vet is actually feeling for lumps, palpating the abdomen, or checking for pain. They are also checking the skin for signs of parasites or lesions.
​Veterinarians are trained to check all of these systems in a way that limits the stress on the animal. 
The physical exam is a huge piece of the puzzle when determining your pet's overall health, but there are some things that can't be seen on the physical. If the veterinarian needs more information than they can get with the physical exam, they may recommend some additional diagnostics. Check out our DIAGNOSTICS page to see what we have to offer!

Vaccines and Titer Testing

​Your doctor may recommend vaccines or titer testing for your pet, depending on their risk factors. We offer several vaccines for dogs and cats:

Cats: 

• ​RCCP (Rhinotracheitis/Calici/Chlamydia/Panleukopenia) – These are diseases that your kitty can contract without ever coming into contact with another cat! They are often called “Indoor Cat Vaccines” and are primarily respiratory diseases.
• Feline Leukemia – An important vaccine for outdoor cats as it is very contagious and terminal. We vaccinate all kittens under 1 year of age against Feline Leukemia as they are more likely to explore/escape outside.
• Rabies – This vaccine is important for outdoor cats as there is no cure. You can contract Rabies from your pets through bite wounds. We vaccinate all kittens under 1 year of age against Rabies.

Click here for more information on cat vaccines

Dogs:

• Distemper/Parvo/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza – These are the “core” vaccines for dogs, usually given in combination. We at Elmsdale Animal Hospital use an extended protocol and titer-testing for these vaccines to avoid over-vaccinating. This diseases are particularly devastating to young or geriatric pets. 
• Lyme Disease – This vaccine is becoming more popular due to the number of ticks and confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in our area. It does not prevent ticks from biting your dog but protects them from the disease.
• Leptospirosis – Dogs contract this disease from water or soil that has been contaminated by the urine of infected animals (wildlife or pets). If untreated, it can lead to kidney and liver damage. Sadly, we have seen a rise in this disease in our area over the past few years. This disease is zoonotic, meaning you can contract it from your pet.
• Bordetella (kennel cough)- We use both injectable and oral forms of this vaccine. This vaccine is necessary for most kennels and groomers. You should consider this vaccine if your pet comes into contact with other dogs.

• Rabies – This vaccine is important because if Rabies is contracted, there is no cure. You can contract Rabies from an infected pet. This vaccine is required for dogs who travel internationally.

Click here for more information on dog vaccines

Titer Testing

Here at Elmsdale Animal Hospital, we strive to practice the highest quality medicine available. No one ever wants to do anything to harm their pet and over the last few years we have seen research to support longer times between vaccinations. Titer testing is a way to measure the antibodies produced by your pet’s immune system for a particular virus or bacteria. This information is used to determine if a particular vaccine needs a booster. We are able to send blood samples to an external laboratory to test titers for Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza and Rabies. 
As we cannot effectively test for Leptospirosis, Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), and Bordetella (Kennel Cough), we will continue to vaccinate for these annually. For any patient that doesn’t undergo titer testing, we will continue our 3-year rotating schedule for our core vaccines.