Veterinary Wellness & Vaccination Programs

What is preventive care for pets?

Did you get a new pet this year? Preventive care means staying on top of your new pet's health with routine visits to your veterinarian. The goal is to prevent problems before they start or detect and treat them before they become serious. Younger pets should get annual checkups and seniors are usually better off going twice a year. It's the best way to ensure your pet's long-term health and happiness. New pets require a lot of care, so let us make it easy for you. Book an annual checkup with us today!

Preventive Care

The best way to keep your pet healthy is to give them regular exams and keep up with their vaccinations. Dogs, cats, and other pets age faster than people, so significant changes in your pet’s health can happen quickly. Wellness visits allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early when they’re easier to treat or manage. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives.

Following AAHA guidelines, we recommend that healthy adult dogs and cats visit us at least once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets with health issues or illnesses may need more frequent checkups. At Animal Health Clinic of Baton Rouge, your pet will receive preventative care tailored to their needs.

Golden Puppy Vet

What does preventive care include?

Preventive care includes everything you and your veterinarian do to maintain your pet's overall well-being: 

  • Spay/neuter

  • Routine wellness checks

  • Proper nutrition

  • Good oral hygiene (including yearly dental cleanings)

  • Heartworm preventatives

  • Age-related conditions

  • Flea and tick control

  • Mental and physical stimulation

Cat Cone Vet
Black Puppy Sitting on Vet Table

What does a wellness check include?

A wellness check or annual checkup is like a physical for your pet:

  • A complete physical exam

  • Body temperature

  • Heartbeat

  • Skin and coat

  • Eyes, ears, and nose

  • Weight

  • Teeth and gums

  • Necessary vaccinations

  • Bloodwork

  • Urine and fecal testing

Is preventative care important?

Preventive care isn't just important - it's essential to your pet's complete well-being and to your peace of mind. It can help avoid health issues and can catch early signs of serious conditions. Catching health problems early, or even better - preventing them entirely - is the best way to keep your pet happy. 

Puppy Wellness

Our puppy wellness schedule is designed to help get your puppy started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your puppy’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help them grow into a well-mannered, healthy dog, including information and advice on nutrition, training, behavior, and socialization.

Schedule your puppy for his or her first exam as soon as possible. 

Until your puppy has received a series of vaccines, he or she is susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases including rabies, distemper, and parvovirus. Preventive care also includes testing and treatment for parasites, which are extremely common in young dogs. Together, we can ensure this joyful but overwhelming time is a seamless transition for everyone in your family. We are available anytime if you have questions or concerns about your puppy’s development.

Golden Dog Laying

Kitten Wellness

Our kitten wellness program is designed to help get your kitten started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your kitten’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help them grow into a happy, healthy cat. Schedule your kitten for their first exam, including information and advice on nutrition, litter box training, and behavior. 

Until your kitten has received a series of vaccines, they are susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases including rabies, FVR-CP, and leukemia. We recommend testing for certain parasites and diseases around 12 weeks of age. We are available at any time if you have questions or concerns about your kitten’s development.

Cat Sleeping Staff Holding

Adult Pet Wellness

Bringing your pet in for an annual wellness checkup ensures that your dog or cat is healthy and helps us detect underlying conditions. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, which keeps medical costs down and helps your pet live a longer, happier life. 

Dogs and cats age faster than humans, so it’s crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. You spend the most time with your pet and are their 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. 

Wellness exams include:

  • A physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail

  • Appropriate vaccinations and preventives

  • A diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases

  • Dental care, if recommended

  • When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we 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.

Smiling Dog Tongue Vet

Senior Pet Wellness

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 they age and help us catch any potential problems early when they’re easier to treat or manage. Regular veterinary exams can 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 their senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of 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 to give us a record of what’s normal for your pet and keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog or cat turns 6 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 by identifying, preventing, and reducing pain; recommending an appropriate nutrition and exercise plan; and suggesting environmental modifications to keep your pet comfortable.

Senior dog