Pet Wellness

Modern veterinary medicine is proving that preventative care is the surest way to keep pets healthy for a lifetime. At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we deliver a complete list of preventative wellness services that prepares your pet for a long, happy, and healthy life. These services include:

Wellness Exams
Vaccines
Parasite Control
Microchip Implantation
Nutritional Counseling
Behavior Counseling
Puppy & Kitten Care
Senior Care

Keeping up with routine wellness visits, vaccines, and parasite control are just a few ways to protect your pet from preventable, life-threatening conditions. This is especially important for pets because they can't tell us how they feel! Fortunately, our patients benefit from the advanced skills of a Board Certified Practitioner in Canine and Feline Practice on staff. This means that your pets will receive evidence-based medicine and thorough medical care to keep them healthy longer and spot potential issues earlier.

Wellness Exams

Regular wellness exams are key in providing your pet with the preventative care he or she needs. At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we recommend annual or semi-annual wellness exams depending on your pet's age and overall health status.

A comprehensive physical exam can tell many things, like if your pet is healthy enough to receive necessary vaccines, as well as diagnose any potential health concerns. Many health problems, if caught early, can be prevented or treated with the least discomfort to your pet. Just think, each year of a dog or cat's life is equal to four human years. If your pet misses just one annual physical exam it would be as if you waited eight years to see your physician!

Vaccines

Vaccines are an important preventative measure you can take for the health of your pet. Health threats vary from town to town, and lifestyles vary for each pet. That's why the veterinarians at South Putnam Animal Hospital will tailor an immunization program for your pet based on our local conditions and his or her lifestyle. We recommend that your pet visit us every year for a comprehensive exam. At that time, any necessary vaccines will be administered.

Generally, your pet can be vaccinated for the following diseases:

Dogs

Rabies Vaccine*
Distemper Virus
Heptatitis Virus
Leptospirosis Virus
Parainfluenza Virus
Parvovirus
Bordetella Virus
Lyme Disease
Canine Influenza Virus

Cats

Rabies Vaccine*
Distemper Virus
Feline Rhinotracheitis Virus
Calicivirus
Feline Leukemia Virus

*In the state of New York, pets are required by law to be vaccinated for Rabies. If you are unsure if your pet is current on their rabies vaccine, please give us a call at 845-628-1834.

Parasite Control

Heartworm Preventative

We recommend giving your pet year round preventative medication to protect against heartworm disease. Heartworm disease is a serious, and oftentimes fatal, disease transmitted by mosquitos. When a mosquito feeds on a dog who has this disease, the immature worms called microfilariae are taken in with the blood. After living in the mosquito for 10-14 days, the microfilariae can then be injected into another dog when the mosquito feeds again. Once injected into the dog's blood, the microfilariae travel to the heart and become adult worms.

All of this can be prevented! At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we carry chewable treats that should be given on a monthly basis. How can you start your dog on this preventative product? First, your pet must have had an exam within the past year. In addition, a heartworm test needs to be performed to ensure your pet is negative for heartworms prior to starting medication. Monthly preventives cannot treat pre-existing heartworm disease.

Flea & Tick Control

There are a variety of products available to help control fleas and ticks from invading your pet and your home. We will work with you to develop a plan specific to your pet's needs and your particular environmental situation.

Intestinal Parasites

Early detection and continuous prevention are critical in protecting your pet against intestinal parasites. Present in virtually all areas of the United States, dogs and cats are commonly infected, and puppies and kittens face the highest infection rates. Symptoms are often minimal or non-existent. Common signs of intestinal parasite infestation include diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, change in appetite, and skin irritation, itching, or scooting.

At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we recommend yearly fecal testing and monthly preventative products for all pets. Intestinal parasites are found in dirt, grass, and sand. Pets become infected by ingesting larvae from a contaminated environment, consuming infected prey or fleas, and larval penetration of the skin. Eggs can survive in your pet's feces for months! Infection is as simple as the debris we track into our homes on our shoes. This means even indoor pets need annual testing and monthly preventives!

Cats that are hunters will have a much higher risk for intestinal parasite infection. For this reason, we also recommend regular deworming throughout the year.

Microchip Implantation

We recommend all pets wear proper identification tags. Still, collars can easily fall off and tags can become unreadable. Help your pet find their way back home with a lifetime of protection! Microchipping is permanent, and easily performed at South Putnam Animal Hospital.

Microchips are a pet retrieval system which involves injecting a tiny microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the skin beneath the shoulder blades, much in the same way a vaccine is administered. Each chip has a unique 10-digit code that is registered with a recovery program.

When a lost pet arrives at a shelter or animal hospital, a special, harmless, hand-held scanner is passed over the pet's shoulder blades and reads the identification code of the microchip below the skin. The shelter can then contact the recovery program who in turn contacts you!

Nutritional Counseling

From pediatric to geriatric, each pet has specific nutritional needs, and we can help you determine what is best for your pet! Nutritional needs are based on your pet's health history and the findings of his or her latest physical examination. Some pets require a special prescription diet to help with illness and/or disease. These diets are prescribed and specially ordered by the veterinarian. Food orders are placed weekly and are delivered within 2-3 days for your convenience.

Behavior Counseling

We understand how frustrating behavioral issues can be, and we want you and your pet to be happy together! From deciding on which breed of dog is right for your family to all aspects of puppy training, we can help. At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we have a collection of videos on training techniques available to clients for loan. Our team is knowledgeable on puppy socialization, obedience training, and proper canine manners to help you and your puppy have a positive puppyhood experience.

At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we have a collection of videos on training techniques available to clients for loan. Our team is knowledgeable on puppy socialization, obedience training, and proper canine manners to help you and your puppy have a positive puppyhood experience.

We can advise you on your older dog as well. We believe that the old adage is true! You can teach an old dog new tricks, and we can advise you how to do so. We also have a selection of dog behavior topics that may be the perfect solution for your dog's behavioral issue, and we can supply you with a list of local obedience trainers who offer group classes and in-home training.

Puppy & Kitten Care

At South Putnam Animal Hospital, we want to help our clients give their new pets a healthy start to life. Within the first day or so of bringing your pet home, be sure to give us a call and schedule your first puppy or kitten visit! This is especially important for puppies and kittens because they have greater vulnerability to diseases and illnesses. Our veterinarians are highly trained to offer services and care that keep pets protected during the first year.

Please bring any medical records you have with you to your pet's first visit.

At your pet's first visit, plan to discuss the following important health topics:

Vaccination schedules
Parasite testing and prevention
Spay/Neuter procedure
Nutritional & diet recommendations
Conditions puppies and kittens are susceptible to
House training
Socialization and training

Senior Care

Some pets are considered geriatric as early as seven years old! However, advancements in veterinary medicine are allowing pets to live longer than ever before. We are here to make sure your pet receives the services he or she needs to remain healthy and happy into old age.

You'd be amazed how much can happen in one year. Our first recommendation is to schedule wellness visits at least twice a year. This allows us to catch any health changes sooner. Still, many age-related conditions show no symptoms until stages are severe. That's why we run diagnostic tests along with physical exams.

Senior pets benefit from the following diagnostic services:

Blood work is critical to senior health screenings. It checks for any abnormalities and conditions such as diabetes, anemia, infection, kidney disease, liver disease, and more.

X-rays assess a senior pet's heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Radiographs also help diagnose and assess arthritis and cancer.

Urinalysis checks kidney functioning, and screens for urinary tract infections, diabetes, and liver disease.