Preventative Care

Examinations

Just like a physician recommends regular wellness exams to his patients, veterinarians recommend regular wellness exams to their patients - your pets. It is advantageous to recognize a potential health concern during early stages to increase the likelihood of treatment success, while minimizing expense and difficulty. The act of curing an existing condition can be financially burdensome, however, prevention methods are much more affordable! We will recommend a wellness plan based on several factors such as your pet’s breed, age, lifestyle, and overall health.

Wellness exams typically include:

• A complete nose-to-tail physical exam – This helps us evaluate major bodily systems and create a health profile
• Discuss your pet’s behavior, diet, exercise habits, and regular activity
• Recommend vaccinations and necessary diagnostics
• Note changes in health and indications of illness such as weight gain or loss, which helps us address health concerns before they progress
• Address any questions of concerns you may have

Vaccinations

With over 50 million pets residing in the United States, your companion is bound to come in contact with an infectious condition. We evaluate your pet’s lifestyle and unique risk factors to only administer the most relevant vaccines. We strive to reduce over-vaccination, which is why our veterinarians use personalized, up-to-date vaccine protocols and, whenever possible, administer multi-year vaccines.

At Levittown Animal Hospital, we vaccinate our patients using recombinant DNA vaccines, which are the safest and most effective vaccines available for pets today.

Parasite Control

We now know that parasites – fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal worms – are more than a nuisance and can actually threaten your pet with grave illness and even death. Protect your pet and prevent parasite infestation before it happens by routinely testing for parasites and using safe and effective preventative medications.

Fleas and Ticks

We can discuss the best treatment options based on your environmental situation and review ways to control fleas in your home, yard and on your pet.

• Fleas and ticks are external parasites that irritate the skin.
• Fleas cause skin allergies that are common in cats and dogs.
• Ticks latch on to the skin and feed on blood.
• Ticks can transmit many diseases, including Lyme disease
• Fleas can transmit many diseases, including tapeworms and Bartonella
• Once-a-month products are available to prevent fleas and ticks.
• It is important to visually examine your pet for signs of fleas during daily grooming and check for ticks after being in a risky area, such as a wooded camping site.

Intestinal Parasites

Depending on your pet’s lifestyle, fecal testing is recommended annually or semi-annually. Dogs and cats are commonly infected with internal parasites that can also be passed to humans. Not only does this pose a threat to your pet, but also the general public. Parasites are present in virtually all areas of the U.S. This results in a fairly high infection rate in puppies and kittens. Roundworms are a significant cause of blindness in children.

Heartworm

Heartworms are harmful but also preventable! We recommend annual testing as well as once-a-month preventives which are accessible through our online pharmacy.

• Adult heartworms reside in the right side of the heart.
• Heartworms are 6-14 inches long and hundreds may be present in one dog!
• Heartworms impair blood circulation, which results in damage to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys.
• Significant damage may occur prior to outward symptoms.
• Advanced symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing, tiring easily, low energy, loss of weight, fainting, and death.
• Mosquitos spread heartworms!
• We recommend heartworm prevention for cats as well, since they can also be affected – in fact, 5% of heartworm-positive cases are indoor-only cats.
• Heartworms are found in the United States and Canada.

Microchipping

Microchipping is essentially painless and provides lifelong protection and identification for your pet. The procedure is similar to a routine vaccination and is injected between the shoulder blades. Unlike a collar, a microchip can never fall off, be lost, altered, or intentionally removed.

Nutrition & Weight Management

An estimated 52.7% of dogs and 57.9% of cats in the United States are overweight or obese.

More food does not mean more love! It may be difficult to deny your dog or cat human food – however, it is important to remember that your pet’s nutritional needs differ from your own! Factors such as age, health condition, gender, weight, and breed effect overall recommended nutrition, whether that is a specialized diet or simply a balanced diet.

If your pet is experiencing nutritional challenges such as liver disease, renal failure, bladder and kidney stones, food allergies, or obesity, we are able to offer you advice and solutions.

Behavior Counseling

Health concerns can begin with or be influenced by behavioral problems. Healthy pets may also need behavioral training to prevent disruption at home and with family life. We are trained and experienced in understanding pet’s behavior, preventing behavioral problems, and resolving various unwanted behaviors. We are happy to provide you with training tips and recommendations to help with the behavioral modification process.