Keeping Your Cat Healthy with Green Valley Veterinary Care
What is preventative care for cats, and what does it entail?
Preventative care for cats can be viewed in two different directions. Preventative care here in the veterinary office involves doing physical exams, sometimes screening lab work, and making sure that your cat is appropriately vaccinated. Those are the types of things that we do here at the hospital as preventative care to ensure that your cat doesn't get sick. Things that you could be doing at home for your cat include using appropriate flea and tick control, monitoring your cat's weight, and also trying to keep their teeth clean.
Why is preventative care important for my cat?
Preventive care is all about prevention. We're trying to prevent diseases, and it’s important because if we prevent things that can make your cat sick, they can live a longer, healthier lifestyle. Additionally, prevention—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure—means that if we prevent things from happening by using preventative medicine, then we can keep more money in your pocket. It's a lot easier to keep your cat healthy than to treat them when they're sick. That's also why, in terms of preventative care, we offer wellness plans here at Green Valley Veterinary Care. These plans help you prevent your cat from developing problems.
How often should I take my cat to the vet for a checkup?
At least once a year. Sometimes, as a cat gets older, maybe past 10 years, we might even recommend twice-annual visits because things can change very fast for cats. Cats love to not show when they are sick, so when a cat is sick, it's really hard for people to pick up on it. But we, as a trained medical staff, can pick up on it faster. So, how often? Once to twice a year at minimum for a good physical exam.
How can I keep my cat's teeth healthy and ensure they maintain a healthy weight?
At any of our wellness visits or annual visits with your cat, we can definitely discuss and show you how to brush your cat's teeth. We also offer things like water additives, such as Oxyfresh, that help prevent bacteria and tartar from forming on your cat's teeth. That is one way to prevent dental disease in cats. Now, keeping your cat at a healthy weight involves ensuring they exercise and eat appropriate diets. During wellness visits, under one of our wellness care plans, where we discuss preventative medicine, we can talk about suitable diets to prevent obesity in cats.
If you have questions, we would love to answer them for you. Please give us a call at the office at (937) 358-8142, or you can email us at [email protected]. Our staff would love to talk with you!
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