Pet Wellness

Wellness Care for Every Age and Stage

The veterinarians and medical staff at Sequoyah Animal Hospital care for pets of all ages and stages. Whether you’re a new pet parent to a cuddly kitten or puppy or you’ve shared your life with a senior pet for more than a decade, your veterinarian will want to know about your pet’s lifestyle and routine as part of his or her annual wellness examination. We want to know about your pet’s regular daily behavior, including his diet, water intake, and exercise routine.

If your pet is seven years of age or older, common questions may include:

• Is your pet maintaining normal eating, drinking, and bathroom habits?
• Does your pet have trouble getting up in the morning?
• Does your pet show signs of weakness or unbalance?
• Does your pet show an unwillingness to exercise?

Your veterinarian may also ask about your pet’s risk of exposure to fleas, ticks, heartworms and intestinal parasites depending on the area where you live, your pet’s lifestyle, age, and other factors. After taking everything into consideration, you and your veterinarians will develop an individualized treatment and/or preventative plan to address these issues.

Nose-to-Tail Wellness Examinations

Wellness examinations are the same for your pet as the yearly physical you receive from your doctor. It’s a chance for us to assess your pet’s overall health, discuss any changes we see, educate and update you on advancements in veterinary care, and also address any of your questions or concerns.

During our comprehensive examination, we will check your pet’s ears, eyes, teeth, gums and skin, as well as the functioning of his or her bodily systems, such as the digestive, circulatory, muscular/skeletal, respiratory, neural, genito-urinary, and lymphatic systems.

At Sequoyah Animal Hospital, appointments are never rushed. We take the time to get to know your pet and you. Wellness examinations are an opportunity for us to listen to you and your concerns, answer your questions, and thoroughly examine your cherished friend.

Preventive Medicine is the Best Medicine

The best way to ensure that your pet is well and lives a long life is to promote a healthy lifestyle and be proactive in his or her preventive care.

The veterinary team at Sequoyah Animal Hospital believes prevention is a positive contribution to your pet’s long term health and also minimizes the lifetime cost of veterinary care. To keep your pet in optimum health, we strongly encourage your pet receive annual wellness examinations, vaccinations, and heartworm testing/intestinal parasite testing, combined with regular laboratory work and year-round medications to prevent heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks.

Puppy and Kitten Care

Bringing home a new little ball of fluff is an exciting time for pet owners, whether it’s your first or tenth new pet! By purchasing, adopting, or rescuing a puppy or kitten, you’ve taken on the responsibility of providing it with the care it needs to live a long, happy and healthy life. Puppy and kitten-hood is often a time when you will have many questions about your new pet and we’re here to support you with exceptional pet care and guidance. All of us at Sequoyah Animal Hospital share your joy at welcoming this new family member into your life.

Just like infant children, your puppy or kitten will need specialized care during his or her first months of life. A visit to your veterinarian at Sequoyah Animal Hospital for a comprehensive physical examination will get your new pet on the right track toward receiving all the fundamental health care he or she will need during the early life stages.

During your first visit, you, your pet and one of our doctors will have the opportunity to meet and get acquainted. This time is well spent and offers you, the pet owner, a chance to ask questions. Our veterinarians will help resolve any concerns or anxieties you may have about owning a puppy or kitten. This is a special time for you and your pet and we want your memories to be cherished and worry-free.

Just like health care for humans, veterinary medical care for pets is constantly evolving and advancing. To help you navigate your way through the various stages of care necessary to keep your beloved companion healthy, Sequoyah Animal Hospital doctors and staff provide comprehensive veterinary care at an affordable price.

Care for a new puppy or kitten will include:

• Comprehensive wellness examinations
• A series of needed vaccines
• Discussion on options for parasite prevention, spaying/neutering and microchipping
• Guidance with behavior counseling or training, and nutrition and diet counseling

Needed and recommended vaccines include:

It is important to all of us at Sequoyah Animal Hospital that your puppy or kitten start off on the right paw and enjoy a healthy and happy life. As part of your first visit, your puppy or kitten will receive a complimentary dose of flea/heartworm medication and you’ll leave with an informational packet on puppy/kitten care.

Senior Pet Care

New pets aren’t always youngsters. Whether new to your home or a longtime family member, older pets make wonderful companions. Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever; however, your senior pet has different medical needs than puppies and kittens. The veterinarians and medical team at Sequoyah Animal Hospital work with you to develop a health care plan that ensures your pet is safe and happy throughout his or her golden years (which begin around age 7).

Prevention is the key to keeping older pets healthy. Symptoms of arthritis, periodontal disease, kidney failure or cancer are often mistaken for signs of aging. We recommend all senior pets undergo at least one physical examination each year, though more frequent examinations are encouraged. Our geriatric workup consists of a nose-to-tail examination, blood work, urinalysis, EKG, chest and abdominal X-rays, ERD (early renal disease) screening, and test for glaucoma. Through these tests, we can detect the signs of heart disease, infection, diabetes and other health problems.

You are an important ally in keeping your senior pet healthy! If your pet is experiencing any changes in behavior, we urge you to bring him or her in for a check-up. We can make sure you and your faithful companion enjoy many years together.

Vaccinations

With a variety of infectious diseases and parasites present in Tennessee, such as Rabies, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, Heartworm, and other intestinal parasites, vaccinations are the number one way you can protect your beloved pet from serious health threats. Your veterinarian can create an individual immunization program for your pet based on his or her lifestyle and your local conditions.

Essential Vaccines for Your Dog

• Distemper Vaccine (DHPP+L): This combination vaccine protects against five diseases: Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis.
• Rabies: Rabies virus is fatal and all warm-blooded animals (including humans) are susceptible to infection. Most states, including our own, require Rabies vaccinations by law.

Other Vaccines for Dogs

• Bordetella (“Kennel Cough”): The Bordetella bacteria causes an extremely contagious upper respiratory infection. Your veterinarian may recommend this vaccine before your dog attends a doggy daycare program, boarding facility or dog show.

Essential Vaccines for Your Cat

• Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia (FVRCP): Commonly referred to as a “Distemper vaccine”, this combination vaccine protects against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.
• Rabies: Rabies virus is fatal and all warm-blooded animals (including humans) are susceptible to infection.

Other Vaccines for Cats

• Feline Leukemia (FeLV): FeLV is a viral infection transmitted from one cat to another through close contact. This vaccine is highly recommended for cats that go outdoors or live in multi-cat households.

Flea and Tick Prevention

In Tennessee, fleas are a year-round problem for pets and their owners. They are not just a nuisance; they carry diseases that can be dangerous to you and your pet. In addition to causing an intense allergic reaction in pet’s with flea allergies, fleas can also transmit tapeworms.

Although ticks are less of a problem in our area, they can carry a variety of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in certain parts of the country. If you plan to travel to an area where these diseases are a problem, please talk to one of our veterinarians about the precautions you can take to protect your pet.

The good news is these problems can be avoided by using one of the safe, effective parasite prevention products available at Sequoyah Animal Hospital. We carry a large selection of high-quality preventatives in our in-house pharmacy. Ask a member of our medical team to recommend a product that is right for your pet.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm disease is a serious, life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It affects dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats. Heartworm disease is prevalent in the Soddy Daisy area, and has been reported in dogs in all 50 states.

Clinical symptoms of Heartworm disease develop very slowly. Early symptoms include lack of energy, exercise intolerance, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Because Heartworm disease is increasing in frequency and is a serious and deadly disease, we recommend your dog be tested annually.

Heartworm disease prevention is simple and effective. For dogs, a once-a-month Heartworm preventive can be given as a chewable treat. At Sequoyah Animal Hospital, we carry Heartgard, Trifexis, Sentinel Spectrum, and Advantage Multi products for Heartworm prevention. This same chewable medicine prevents not only Heartworms from developing, but also kills and prevents most other types of worms that can infect your dog. Cats are protected by applying a dose of Heartworm prevention liquid to the skin once a month. We use Advantage Multi as our Heartworm preventative for cats. We recommend this to prevent Heartworm disease as well as fleas, ear mites, and other types of worms that can infect your cat.

If you would like to have your pet tested for Heartworm disease, or if you would like additional information on how best to protect your pet from this dangerous parasite, please contact Sequoyah Animal Hospital today for an appointment.

Exotic Animal Care

We offer wellness care for rabbits and other pocket pets. Since it is often difficult to determine when these pets are ill, we strongly recommend physical examinations twice a year to check for health problems.

To survive attacks from their predators, these animals normally conceal their illnesses in the wild. As a result, their medical problems often go unnoticed for long periods. By the time you recognize there is a problem with your exotic pet, the condition is often extremely serious. With bi-annual medical examinations by a veterinarian at Sequoyah Animal Hospital, problems are often diagnosed before they become more serious.

After acquiring your new rabbit, hamster, gerbil, mouse, or guinea pig, a complete wellness appointment is strongly recommended. This exam includes a thorough physical examination, nutritional consultation, and disease screening and laboratory testing if necessary. Before bringing your pet into your home, make sure he or she is healthy.