Veterinary Wellness Services

Wellness Examinations

The staff at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital is committed to providing quality veterinary wellness services, medicine and surgery for your pet in a caring environment so that you can enjoy a long, happy life together. As medical professionals, we recognize preventive medicine is the best way to keep your pet healthy and limit the lifetime cost of care. It’s our goal to work closely with you in developing the best health care plan for your beloved companion.

The basis of such a plan begins with regular wellness examinations that include thorough screenings for common diseases that could affect your pet’s overall health. We strongly encourage annual wellness examinations and vaccinations to ensure your pet remains healthy and happy.

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 is also an opportunity for you to discuss any of your concerns or ask questions.

As your pet enters his senior years, these screenings become even more important, which is why we offer semi-annual geriatric exams and discounted geriatric blood work packages.

Our comprehensive examination covers the following 12 body systems:

Circulatory
Dental
Digestive
Ears
Eyes
Genito-urinary
Integumentary (skin)
Lymphatic
Mucous membranes (gums)
Musculoskeletal
Neural system
Respiratory

Puppy & Kitten Care

Whether purchasing a pet for the first time or introducing one into your multiple-pet home, a puppy or kitten quickly melts your heart. However, knowing how to properly care for your new pet will help eliminate the hassles and worries. At Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital, our dedicated team is always ready to support you with exceptional pet care and guidance, and we share your joy at welcoming this new family member into your life.

First on your agenda should be a trip to Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital for a comprehensive physical examination by one of our veterinarians. The initial visit provides an opportunity for you, your pet and one of our doctors to meet and get acquainted. This time is well spent and offers you a chance to ask questions.

It is important to all of us at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital that your puppy or kitten start off on the right paw and enjoy a healthy, happy life.

Senior Pet Care

Older pets make wonderful companions, and thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever. Your senior pet has medical needs that are very different from puppies and kittens, though. The veterinarians and the medical team at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital can work with you to develop a health care plan that ensures your pet is in good health throughout his or her golden years.

Pets age faster than people and are considered seniors around age 7. Prevention is the key to keeping older pets healthy. Symptoms of disease or a chronic condition may not be readily apparent. In some cases, conditions that look like the usual signs of old age could be signs of a more serious problem, such as arthritis, periodontal disease, kidney failure or cancer. We recommend all senior pets undergo at least one physical examination each year, though more frequent examinations are encouraged. During an examination, we also perform tests that 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 more years together.

Your Puppy or Kitten’s First Year

Physical Examinations: Your puppy or kitten’s lifetime of wellness starts with its first comprehensive physical exam. Puppies and kittens should have 3-4 exams between the ages of 8-16 weeks. These visits are important because they provide our veterinarians with an opportunity to assess your pet’s overall health and to administer vaccines.

Vaccinations: Due to their developing immune systems, puppies and kittens must receive a series of properly staged vaccines. Because every puppy and kitten is unique, we tailor our vaccination recommendations based on their lifestyle and/or breed and according to the suggested medical guidelines. In addition to core (distemper and Rabies) vaccines, we generally recommend non-core vaccinations against leukemia, Lyme, and Bordetella.

Additional Recommendations: Your veterinarian will also discuss and recommend other services, such as spaying, neutering and microchipping.

Socialization: The doctors and staff at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital recognize that well-socialized dogs live more peaceful, relaxed, and healthy lives. As they age, they are much less likely to behave fearfully or aggressively when faced with unfamiliar people, dogs, and new experiences. We highly recommend that new pet parents and their puppy attend our puppy socialization classes hosted by Dr. Ann Valenti and Veterinary Technician Sam Reckinger.

Additional Recommendations: Your veterinarian will also discuss and recommend other services, such as spaying, neutering and microchipping.

Heartworm Testing

Dangerous parasites are always present in the environment. We recommend regular fecal checks and annual testing for Heartworm as the best way to prevent parasitic disease and the transmission of intestinal parasites to your pet and your family.

Parasite Prevention

Parasites can be real pests. External (fleas, ticks) and internal (heartworm, hookworm, roundworm) parasites can cause problems for your pet and your family. Prevention is the best approach to eliminating these pests. Please ask a staff member at Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital for the best way to prevent parasite problems in your pet.

Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital carries a variety of topical, oral, or injectable flea/tick and heartworm preventatives.

Vaccinations

Due to the many recent discoveries and innovations in veterinary medicine, your pet can be protected against most major infectious diseases and bacteria. Many immunizations and preventative treatments are available that did not exist just a few decades ago.

Up-to-date vaccinations play a large part in keeping your pet healthy and free from disease. However, not every pet requires the same series or frequency of vaccines. Our veterinarians tailor a vaccine protocol to your pet based on his or her lifestyle and recommendations from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Vaccine schedules are balanced to provide needed protection while not over-vaccinating your companion. Please contact us for more information about your pet’s vaccinations.

Core vaccines for Adult dogs and cats include: Distemper and Rabies.

Non-core vaccines for Adult dogs include: Lyme and Bordetella.

Bordetella (B. bronchiseptica) is a bacteria commonly associated with respiratory infections in dogs. It is one of the more common bacterial causes of canine infectious tracheobronchitis – also known as canine cough. The vaccine is strongly recommended if your dog attends day care, visits dog parks, boarding kennels or any other location where he/she comes into contact with other dogs. Bordetella is highly contagious, easily transmitted through the air or direct contact, and fairly resistant to destruction in the environment.
Lyme disease is transmitted to pets through the bite of a tick and can cause lameness, swollen joints, and fever. Ticks are found in grassy, wooded, and sandy areas and prevention is important. Ask one of our veterinarians about vaccinating your pet and/or preventive products that we recommend.

Non-core vaccines for Adult cats include: 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.