Comprehensive Exam (Young Animal)

Our pets are our friends. When young, we strive to maintain their health by performing a yearly physical exam, do parasite checks and update their vaccines as needed. We only treat problems as they develop.

A crucial fact that is frequently overlooked is that they are aging 7 times faster than we are (one dog or cat year is equivalent to seven human years). As puppies, they reach adulthood between one to two years of age. As adults, they become senior "petizens" at eight years of age (equivalent to a 60 year old person).

If there are hidden problems in our young animal patients, these problems can escalate very rapidly (7 times faster than our human counterparts). Abnormalities from birth (congenital), juvenile problems (childhood diseases) and middle age problems which may not be detected on a physical exam may frequently be overlooked until they are advanced or clinical symptoms develop.

For these reasons, we at General Booth Veterinary Hospital try to be more conscious of the health of our young patients. To help us do this, various tests can be performed to give us furthur insight into the health of your pet. These may allow us to determine situations before they become problems. If the results are normal, then we can all sleep easier and have a baseline of values for years to come. In addition to a yearly physical exam, fecal analysis and combination heartworm, Lyme disease (tick borne) and Ehrlichia (tick borne) tests, these other tests include:

General health blood profile which includes:
   CBC (complete blood count) tests for anemia, infection and ability to stop
       bleeding
   Liver function
   Kidney function
   Thyroid function
   Blood electrolytes
   Diabetes test
   Pancreas function
Urinalysis: Determines bladder health or infection and kidney health
EKG (electrocardiogram): Determines whether the heart is beating normally
Tear test: Determines whether enough tears are produced to help prevent eye
       problems.