Longer, Happier Lives

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Kitten & Puppy Wellness Exams

Congratulations on your new fur baby! Thank you for choosing us to help protect and care for your new addition to your family. Our puppy and kitten wellness program is designed to help get your new pet started on the right path to a long and healthy life.The first few months are a critical period in your new pet's development. We can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy pet, including information and advice on nutrition, training, behavior, and socialization.

Schedule your new pet for his or her first exam as soon as possible. Until your puppy or kitten has received a series of vaccines, he or she is susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. We will make sure they are protected against rabies and distemper, among other diseases. They will also need to be tested and treated for parasites, which are extremely common in young animals.

Most young pets have roundworms, which are intestinal worms. It is important your pet is treated for roundworms, not only to help rid them of the infection but also to prevent you and the rest of your family from becoming infected. Roundworms are a zoonotic parasite, which means they can be transmitted from pets to people. By ensuring that your pet is properly treated, you can keep your entire family safe.

We look forward to meeting your new family addition! Schedule your appointment today.
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Adult Wellness Exams

Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms.

Dogs and cats age far quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, kidney and liver problems all increase with age.

During your pet’s wellness exam, we will perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We may also recommend that your pet receive dental care. When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes.

Because you spend the most time with your pet, you are your pet’s expert, as well as his or her greatest advocate. Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have.

Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our adult wellness program in more detail.
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Senior Care

As dogs and cats get older, they need more attention and special care. Our senior wellness program can help your pet remain fit and healthy as he or she ages and help us catch any potential problems earlier, when they’re easier to treat or manage. Regular veterinary exams can actually help your pet live longer, too!

Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters his or her senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of even serious diseases until they are quite advanced.

Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine what life stage your pet is in.

Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog turns 7 years of age or your cat turns 8 years of age. Thereafter, your senior pet will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing.

We can treat many symptoms that are commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life in many ways: by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending an appropriate nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications to keep your pet comfortable.

We will tailor a senior wellness plan to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we would be happy to discuss our senior wellness program in more detail. Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam!
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Parasite Prevention

A simple way you can help keep your pet healthy is by protecting him or her against parasites. Heartworms, fleas, ticks, and other internal and external parasites are much more than just pests; they can cause life-threatening conditions in your pet, and cause severe, potentially fatal, health problems for you and your family. We will recommend the best preventive regimen for your pet, based on lifestyle and risk factors. We can also provide expert advice on keeping your whole household safe from parasitic infection. Set up an appointment with us to discuss parasite prevention, or call us to refill your pet’s medication. Protect your pet and your family today! Read More

Nutritional Counseling

If your adult dog or cat is healthy, you may have chosen a pet food based simply on whether or not your pet will eat it. Cost may also play a factor in your decision. However, not all pet foods are equal. And feeding the right amount is not as simple as following the directions on the package (they’re just guidelines). Choosing an appropriate diet can set your pet on a path of lifelong good nutrition and help prevent many problems, including allergies, nutritional deficiencies, skin and coat disorders, and obesity. Nutritional requirements for dogs and cats vary depending on a variety of factors, including age, breed, and health. For instance, senior pets have significantly different requirements than puppies or kittens, and animals with diabetes, kidney disease, and other health conditions can benefit from special diets. Our veterinarians can help you make informed decisions about your pet’s diet. We can counsel you on which foods are the best choices based on your pet’s needs and your financial considerations, how much to feed, and even how to decode pet food labels. We can create a nutrition plan specifically for your pet, and we’re also happy to work with owners to help their overweight pets get down to a healthy weight. Call us to set up a personalized nutrition consultation for you and your pet.Read More

Microchipping

Imagine if your dog or cat got lost. You’d want to give him or her the best chance of getting home. With microchipping, you can.

Microchipping is a safe, permanent way to identify your pet in case he or she becomes lost. A microchip, which is a tiny device about the size and shape of a grain of rice, is placed just under the loose skin at the back of the neck. When a lost dog or cat without an ID tag is found, Dr. Weiner or a member of a patient care team will use a handheld microchip scanner to check for a chip. If the pet has one, it will transmit its ID number to the scanner via a low-frequency radio wave. Pleasant Valley Veterinary Care then calls the chip manufacturer, retrieves the pet owner’s contact information, and calls the owner.

Even the most responsible pet owners can’t always guarantee their pet won’t get lost. A leash could break or slip out of your hand, a pet could push through a screen door or window, or a contractor or friend might accidentally leave a door or gate open.

We recommend that you use a microchip, along with a collar and ID tag, to identify your pet. An ID tag is still a reliable identification method. Pets that have tags with current contact information are more likely to not end up in shelters and tend to get home faster than those without tags. However, collars and ID tags aren’t permanent and can be removed (overnight or for grooming); pets can also lose them. With a microchip, your pet will have a much better chance of being identified and returned to you. Pets without microchips that end up in shelters may be adopted out to another family or even euthanized.

Please contact us to schedule an appointment to microchip your pet. Although we hope your pet never becomes lost, we want you to be prepared. We can also suggest a plan to have in place so if your pet does go missing, you’ll be able to act quickly.
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Pain Management

We know the issue of pain management is of great concern to pet owners today. As in human medicine, we have a variety of medications available to manage your pet’s pain both before and after surgery and in the event of trauma. We would be pleased to discuss the options available to you and your pet under any of the above circumstances. Read More

Behavioral Counseling

If you’re concerned about or bothered by an aspect of your pet’s behavior, we can help. Dr. Weiner can work with you and your pet to stop or change the behavior. Many aggressive, fearful, or inappropriate behaviors in dogs and cats can be modified through a combination of desensitization and counter-conditioning. These techniques can have dramatic results when applied properly. In some cases, medication can also help. Contact us for an appointment if you’d like to consult with our expert. Read More

Grief Counseling

Losing a pet can be extremely upsetting, sometimes even more so than you might expect. We have such a close bond with our pets, so letting go is never easy and is often filled with pain, sadness, depression — even anger. Our team understands these feelings, as many of us have also lost pets of our own. The emotions we go through are real and nothing to be ashamed of.

Whether your loss is recent or you’ve been grieving for weeks, we are here to help you through this sad transition. We can also help your children understand and cope with their feelings. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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