Pet Wellness Exams

Securing Your Pet's Health With Regular Wellness Exams

At Wellsboro Small Animal Hospital P.C., we believe in the power of preventative care. Our comprehensive wellness exams are designed to safeguard your pet's health, ensuring they live a long, vibrant life by your side. With over 35 years of experience, we provide client-centered services tailored to your pet's unique needs. Our thorough wellness checks are a testament to our commitment to your pet's well-being. Call today to schedule a check-up for your furry friend.

Yearly Pet Wellness Exams

A yearly Wellness examination is recommended in order to help prevent diseases or detect any illness/disease at an early stage, which often improves overall prognosis. It is important to remember that dogs and cats age at an accelerated rate compared to humans, and therefore their body can experience several changes over the course of a year.

• Preventative treatment is performed to ensure your pet does not acquire a disease. Preventative measures include administering vaccines in order to prevent otherwise deadly or harmful infections, recommending certain foods/diets or supplements based on your pets breed, lineage/family history and lifestyle, and recommending certain parasite preventatives based on your pet's lifestyle and environment. Additionally, some disease processes are reversible if detected early. Sometimes, our veterinarians can detect problems by performing a thorough physical exam. Other times, changes can be physically undetectable and may not even result in clinical signs or abnormal behaviors. However, we can detect these "silent" diseases early with bloodwork and/or urine. Therefore, yearly Wellness bloodwork is recommended as another form of preventative medicine. More information regarding Wellness bloodwork is outlined below.
• Early illness/disease detection allows us to initiate treatment sooner in the disease process and thereby slow progression, reduce the incidence of comorbidities (other illnesses) that may develop secondary to a primary issue, reduce or prevent irreversible organ damage, prolong life-expectancy, possibly reduce the amount of medication(s) needed, and reduce overall hospitalization time. These goals of early disease detection will not only improve the quality of life for your pet, but will also reduce overall cost because prolonged disease is often associated with secondary problems, additional medications, and increased frequency and duration of hospitalization.

Contact us today to schedule your dog or cat's annual wellness exam at WSAH.

Wellness Blood work & Urine Testing

The following tests are an essential part of an overall health check in cats and dogs and are used to
screen for many common conditions, some of which occur with a higher frequency in certain breeds. Some of these conditions arise early in life (< 3 years of age), in mid-to-late life, or can occur at any life-stage.

• Complete Blood Count (CBC): Provides information regarding red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to detect anemia (low red blood cell count), infections, blood parasites, certain mineral deficiencies or toxicities, some cancers, and some auto-immune diseases.
• Chemistry and Electrolytes: Used to evaluate liver and kidney function, screen for metabolic diseases including Diabetes/ Cushing's, and Addison's, and screen for congenital or acquired diseases.
• Thyroid: Used to screen for under active (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism) thyroid disease. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs, while hyperthyroidism is common in cats.
• Infectious Disease Screening: Screens for common acquired infectious diseases. In dogs, this includes Heartworm disease, Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasrnosis. Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes, while the other three diseases are transmitted by ticks. In cats, testing screens for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (Fly).
• Urinalysis: Evaluates for evidence of several diseases or conditions including: urinary tract infection (UTI), urinary crystals suggestive of urinary stones, certain metabolic conditions such as diabetes or Cushing's, kidney disease, infectious diseases, and certain cancers.

Yearly Parasite Testing (Heartworm and Intestinal Parasites)

Dogs and cats are at risk of acquiring numerous parasitic infections, some of which can occur prior to or soon after birth. Some parasites are external, such as fleas, ticks, mites, and lice. These parasites and the harmful diseases they carry are zoonotic, and therefore can feed and transmit disease to both people and animals. Click here for more information regarding fleas or here for more information regarding ticks, and the diseases each carry.

• Other parasites are internal, such as heartworms and gastrointestinal worms or protozoa. Many of these parasites are zoonotic: therefore capable of infecting people. It is important to note that GI parasites may not be visible to the naked eye, but are detectable under a microscope. Heartworms (which are transmitted by mosquitoes) can only be detected using a blood sample.

We recommend testing for gastrointestinal parasites (conducted on a stool sample), heartworms (blood sample), and tick-borne diseases (blood sample) yearly, although additional or more frequent testing may be recommended based on your pet's lifestyle and/or travel history. Please visit the websites listed below for more information regarding GI parasites, heartworms, and tick-borne diseases.

Heartworms:

https://www.heartworrnsociety.org/
https://www.cdo.gov/parasitesidirofilariasisi

Tick-borne diseases:
https://www.cdc.gov/ticksidiseases/index.html

External & Internal Parasites and Parasitic Transmitted Diseases:
https://www.capcvet.org

https://www.cidc.gov/parasites/transrnission/index.html

Don't leave your pet's health to chance. Trust the experts at Wellsboro Small Animal Hospital to provide the best care possible. Call us at (570) 376-2800 for a same-day FREE estimate on any of our wellness services for your pet.

Microchips

We recommend that all pets receive a microchip for permanent identification. A microchip is approximately the size of a grain of rice and is implanted beneath the skin. Each microchip is given a unique ID number which is linked to your contact information. If your pet ever goes missing, any shelter or veterinary clinic with a microchip scanner can detect the unique ID number and reunite you with your pet. In addition, a microchip is required to obtain a lifetime dog license. Please ask our staff if you have any further questions regarding microchipping. 

By law, all dogs in Pennsylvania must be licensed. Failure to license your dog can be subject to a fine. Licensing must be done yearly, unless a lifetime license has been purchased. Click here for more information regarding yearly and lifetime licensing. 

Click here to obtain a copy of the annual or lifetime dog license form for Tioga County. You may visit the Tioga County Courthouse located at:

 118 Main Street

Wellsboro, PA 16901

Please call the courthouse at (570) 723-8191 for more information. 

Advantages of Our Professional Veterinary Care

Choosing professional veterinary care for your pet has numerous benefits:

• Access to the latest medical technology
• Assurance that preventative treatments are administered correctly
• Early detection of potential health issues
• Professional guidance on diet and lifestyle choices for your pet

Contact family-owned Wellsboro Small Animal Hospital today. Same-day emergency services are also available seven days a week for major animal emergencies.

Why Choose Wellsboro Small Animal Hospital?

Our hospital stands out for several reasons. We work with clients of all budgets, ensuring that every pet gets the care they deserve. Our large facility is equipped to provide services that other wellness centers cannot. We also offer an in-house pharmacy for your pet's medicinal needs. At Wellsboro Small Animal Hospital, we guide you every step of the way, ensuring your pet's health is always our top priority.

Call our family-owned vet clinic at (570) 376-2800 and get the best care for your beloved pet.