Just like humans, pets also need to have regular check-ups. We strongly feel that all pets should receive regular wellness exams. For younger pets, this means at least once yearly and for older pets at least twice yearly. Wellness exams allow us to identify problems such as weight changes, skin masses, and dental disease. We also recommend running annual blood work at these visits for middle-aged and older pets. When we check your pet’s blood on a regular basis, we can catch any potential health changes early, such as decreased organ function or diabetes. Addressing these conditions in their early stages allows us to improve your pet’s longevity and quality of life.

Regular vaccinations are one of the cornerstones of good preventive health care for dogs and cats. Vaccines provide cost-effective protection against many contagious illnesses, including ones that can be fatal, that pets may encounter if they are outdoors at all, socialize with other animals in public places, or travel with you. We feel that deciding what and when to vaccinate should be an informed decision based on individual risk assessment. All clients are given a handout explaining each of the vaccines and the criteria for using each one. As alternatives to traditional annual vaccines, we also offer three-year vaccines and vaccine titers.

Parasites are more than just a nuisance; they can cause serious illness to your pet and affect your family and pet’s quality of life. Fleas not only make your pet itchy. Infestation may also cause anemia in your pet. Ticks can transmit many different diseases, such as Lyme disease, that can cause lameness and kidney issues if left untreated. Heartworm is a potentially deadly parasite that can be 100% prevented by providing a monthly chew to your pet. We recommend annual fecal screenings and a blood test to check for internal parasites and diseases transmitted by parasites. We also discuss and make individualized recommendations for parasite prevention for each pet.

Not only do we want our patients to live long lives, but we want them to have a good quality of life. We recommend biannual exams and blood work for our older pets. With these regular check-ups, we are able to keep tabs on your pet’s health and potentially detect and treat any health changes before they become serious. Some of the more common conditions that we treat in seniors are arthritis, urinary incontinence, dental disease, gastrointestinal disease (including dietary sensitivities), kidney disease, hormonal diseases, and behavioral disorders, including anxiety and cognitive dysfunction. We want to ensure your pet gets the most out of their golden years.

• Spays
• Neuters
• Mass removals
• Gastrointestinal surgery
• Bladder surgery
• Laceration and wound repair

Patients that undergo surgery are anesthetized with gas anesthesia, which is the safest anesthetic available. Anesthesia monitoring is done by a veterinary technician throughout the entire procedure and includes EKG, heart rate, and oxygen monitoring. Once the procedure is done, our team gives special attention to post-operative care and pain management, so your pet recovers as smoothly and comfortably as possible. Your pet is in good hands with Countryside Animal Clinic PC for all of their surgical procedures from start to finish.

Proper dental health is just as integral to the health and well-being of your pet as good nutrition and exercise. Untreated dental disease is not only incredibly uncomfortable for your pet, but it can contribute to other health problems such as heart disease. Unfortunately, the dental health of a pet is often overlooked. Signs of dental disease include red or bleeding gums, excessive or abnormal drooling, and difficulty eating. At Countryside Animal Clinic, we perform prophylactic dental cleanings and extractions when indicated. But the dental care doesn’t end when the pet leaves our hospital! For pets that have their teeth cleaned, the importance of home dental care is discussed with their owners, and they are given at-home dental care demonstrations and supplies to continue caring for their pet’s teeth.

We have in-house laboratory capabilities for same-day surgeries and sick patients, including complete blood counts, serum chemistries, and urinalysis. These tests allow us to check your pet for potential issues such as decreased organ function, infection, anemia, or electrolyte imbalance. The results of these tests are returned to us in minutes, allowing us to quickly start treating your sick pet or clear your pet for surgery. For regular annual blood work or specialized testing, we use a trusted reference laboratory. We can send out samples to this laboratory for blood testing, urine testing, microbiology, parasite testing, serology, and pathology. Results are usually returned within 24 – 48 hours.

Radiology (X-rays) is routinely used to provide valuable information about a pet’s bones, gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, colon), respiratory tract (lungs), heart, and genitourinary system (bladder, prostate). It can be used alone or in conjunction with other diagnostic tools to provide a list of possible causes for a pet’s condition, identify the exact cause of a problem or rule out possible problems. Digital radiography is utilized here. This allows us to manipulate the X-rays we take to spot potential issues such as hairline fractures that we previously could not detect. Digital X-rays also take less than half the time to capture and develop than traditional X-rays. Best of all, they can easily be put on a disc or emailed if necessary to specialists who consult on difficult cases.