Archive for November, 2008

As pets age their needs change. When their faces start to gray and their steps start to slow, there are ways to ensure your pet’s senior years are comfortable and healthy.

Supplements:
At Stockton Hill Animal Hospital we carry Resources™ products. These all natural supplements help animals of all ages to feel their best the natural way. One product we carry called Canine Join Support Plus was developed specifically to nutritionally support dogs suffering from a variety of joint problems. We also carry a Resources™ product called Feline Pain Plus. This can help senior cats who have developed pain in their joints as well.

Senior Blood Work:
It is important to perform annual screening tests on all pets to ensure that there are no undetected medical conditions that may endanger their health. Senior pets are at a higher risk then younger pets for abnormalities in their organs or blood. We offer discounted senior blood work packages that will test your pet for any of these abnormalities. If we find any abnormalities in your pet’s blood work we can start a treatment plan to correct them and make your pet feel better.

Senior Pet Food:
A quality pet food is critical in keeping your pet healthy and active in their senior years. Help your older pets stay healthy on the inside and looking great on the outside with Science Diet® senior food. It has everything a senior pet needs to stay fit, strong and full of vitality. Plus, Hill’s super antioxidant blend promotes overall health and natural immunity, too, so your pet remains healthy throughout their senior years.

Vitamins:
Vitamin Supplements can be a great way to ensure your older pet is receiving the appropriate levels of vitamins and minerals. Resources™ has an antioxidant formula for both dogs and cats that is full of antioxidants. This will help get rid of free radicals which can initiate many diseases. We also carry Daily Health Vitamins and Minerals Plus™ for dogs which has maximized nutrition for your pet.

Senior Dental Care:
Dental disease is very common in older dogs and cats. This painful disease can be easily avoided by setting up a regular brushing routine and professional dental cleaning. We carry many other products that will help keep your pet’s teeth clean after their dental is done. We offer FREE dental exams at Stockton Hill Animal Hospital to check your pet’s teeth and gums. We are also having a 10% off dental special in the month of December 2008. Call today to set up an appointment with our Veterinarian.

While this is not a complete list of products to help your senior pet, it gives you some good ideas to help make your senior pet more comfortable. With care and attention, your senior pet will continue to live a full and fruitful life as a member of your family.

We all have heard about it, it’s on the news, in the papers and everyone is talking about it. Hard economic times are upon us.  We are all looking for ways to cut back and not spend money.  Sadly, some people will cut back on veterinary care, special diets, and medications for their pets.  Unfortunately, while this may help in the short term, in the long term these pets will develop more problems, will suffer from preventable problems, and will wind up costing their owners more money and may even wind up paying with their own lives!

So, how can you afford to take care of your pet during these times?  There are a number of different things that you can do.  First off, make sure to bring your pet in for it’s biannual exams, routine vaccinations, parasite checks, heartworm testing.  By preventing disease, your pet will stay healthier, costing you less money than it would be if your pet got something like Parvo.  Did you know that Parvo treatment can cost $1500 or more to treat in the hospital and your pet could possibly die?

Second, feed your pet a high quality diet.  We recommend and use Science Diet for our own pets.  While it is a little more per bag, you will find that you feed less of Science Diet, therefore you will go through the bag more slowly than you will of your supermarket brands.  There are less fillers in Science Diet, so your pet will go to the bathroom less.  Science Diet is also calorically dense (there are more calories in a smaller amount of food) so your pet will not need to eat as much food to get the same amount of calories as they would a supermarket brand.  There are no excesses of nutrients, vitamins, or minerals in Science Diet, which many supermarket brands do have that can be harmful to your pet.  Also, the quality of ingredients is far superior, keeping your pet healthier.  You are what you eat!

Budgeting each month for your pet’s routine care and for emergencies is a great way to be able to have money ready when needed.  Even just $10 a month (that is a couple bags of chips, or a trip to Starbucks) can help ensure your pet gets it’s yearly exam and preventive care!

Care Credit is another great option to pay for veterinary care for your beloved pets.  They feature no interest plans if paid within 3,6, and 12 months.  And if you need longer to pay, they offer low interest rates starting at 11.9% if paid within 24, 36, 48, or 60 months! You can use Care Credit for any of our services, including food and prescriptions. Many human doctors also accept care credit. Visit carecredit.com for more information.

Veterinary pet insurance is better than ever!  There are several companies that offer flexable plans with low monthly payments to meet the needs of any pet owner.  VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) at petinsurance.com, Pets Best Insurance at petsbest.com and ASPCA Pet Insurance at aspcapetinsurance.com are just a few of the companies that provide quality pet insurance for your pets.

Times are tough, so it is even more important to keep your pets healthy.  Hopefully we’ve given you several ways to help you take care of your furry friends!