Care for Your Canine
The Wellsboro Pet Complex is here to help you give your pet a healthy and happy life. Routine preventative care, pet safety, and diet all play an important role in keeping your canine in tip top shape.
Preventive Care
We recommend regular wellness exams for the same reason your physician and dentist recommend them – if you can detect a problem in its early stages, it's more likely to be treated and resolved with less expense, less difficulty and better success.
Vaccinations, heartworm prevention and routine deworming are important components of wellness care and can prevent diseases that are not only life-threatening, but very expensive to treat.
Talk to us about establishing a wellness program based on your pet's breed (some breeds are predisposed to certain health problems), age, lifestyle and overall health.
Vaccinations
Vaccines help teach your pet’s immune system how to recognize and fight off certain disease-causing agents. Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system's production of antibodies that identify and destroy these agents—before they can cause disease. This helps prevent or lessen the severity of future disease.
Keeping Them Safe
First Aid
Do you know what you would do if your dog ate some chocolate? What if your dog had a seizure? What if your pet was overheating on a hot summer day, or fell down the stairs and started limping? Knowing some basic first aid information and being prepared for emergencies can help you avoid the feelings of panic that may accompany these situations.
Safe Handling of Pet Foods
Commercially prepared pet food and treats can provide nutritious diets and delicious rewards for pets, but it’s important to handle them with health and safety in mind. That’s because—just like people food—they sometimes may be contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella or Listeria, which can cause serious illness in both the pets that eat them and the people who handle the food and treats. Contamination is especially a concern when it comes to raw food products, but can happen with cooked/processed products as well. Fortunately, there are simple precautions pet owners can take to minimize the risk of illness from contaminated pet food and treats in both their pets and themselves. Wash hands for at least 20 seconds with clean running water and soap after handling pet food and treats. Use hand sanitizer when handwashing isn’t an option. Wash pet food and water bowls, scoops, feeding mats, and other items used in feeding your pet frequently. Use hot, soapy water. Use a dedicated spoon or scoop to place pet food in the bowl. To avoid contaminating the pet food do NOT use the unwashed bowl as a scoop. Promptly seal and refrigerate any unused or leftover wet or moist pet food or treats in a refrigerator set at 40°F or below, or discard it. Store dry pet food and treats in a cool, dry place at less than 80°F.
Safe Use of Flea & Tick Preventatives
Parasite protection is not “one-size-fits-all.” Certain factors affect the type and dose of the product that can be used, including the age, breed, life style and health status of your pet, as well as any medications your pet is receiving. Caution is advised when considering flea/tick treatment of very young and very old pets. Use a flea comb on puppies and kittens that are too young for flea/tick products. Some products should not be used on very old pets. Some breeds are sensitive to certain ingredients that can make them extremely ill. Flea and tick preventives and some medications can interfere with each other, resulting in unwanted side effects, toxicities, or even ineffective doses; it’s important that your veterinarian is aware of all of your pet’s medications when considering the optimal flea and tick preventive for your pet. Contact us for more information about flea & tick treatments.
Keeping Them Healthy
Maintaining A Healthy Weight
Keeping your pet at a healthy weight lowers their risk of certain health problems like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, back problems, kidney disease, and some forms of cancer. It also can reduce your pet’s risk of joint injuries associated with excess weight. And if your pet has arthritis, maintaining a healthy weight can make it easier to manage any associated pain or discomfort.
On the other hand, excess weight can increase your pet’s risk of issues during anesthesia, reduce their life expectancy, and impair their quality of life. For these and other reasons, keeping your pet trim gives them the best chance of a longer, healthier, and pain-free life.
Social Settings
Whether it's the dog park, doggie day care, boarding, competitions or training classes, mingling dogs with varied or unknown health histories can present health problems for dogs as well as their owners. The very reason you take your dog to a dog gathering – social mixing with other dogs – is the same thing that can put them at risk. Diseases can be spread through direct contact between dogs, shared bowls and equipment, contaminated water, stool, insects and other methods. Some common diseases include: canine distemper, canine influenza, canine parvovirus, fleas & ticks. Ask us about social safety measures and contact us if your pet shows symptoms of illness.