At Torquay Animal House Veterinary Hospital, we know that your pet is more than just a pet, they’re a much-loved member of your family.
No matter if they’re a puppy, kitten, an adult dog or cat or an elderly citizen enjoying their senior years, regular health checks, vaccinations and preventative care check ups can make a big difference to the health, comfort and overall quality of life of your pet.
Routine visits aren’t like these aren’t simply about ticking a box. They give our veterinary team the opportunity to build a complete picture of your pet’s health, identify changes early, and provide proactive care to help your animals to stay happy and healthy for hopefully many years to come.
Why regular vet check ups matter:
Pets can’t tell us when something doesn’t feel right, and they’re often very good at hiding subtle signs of illness. Regular veterinary examinations are therefore an important part of maintaining their health and wellbeing.
During a typical health check, our vets will:
- Examine your pet’s eyes, ears, teeth, gums, skin and coat
- Check their weight and overall body condition
- Listen to their heart and lungs
- Assess their joints, muscles and movement
- Discuss their diet, toileting, behaviour and lifestyle
- Talk through any changes or concerns you’ve noticed
- Review their vaccination and parasite prevention requirements
Regular examinations can help us identify early changes, such as dental disease, weight gain or loss, skin problems or developing arthritis, before they become more significant health concerns.
What is the purpose of vaccinations?
Vaccinations are one of the simplest and most effective ways to help protect your pet from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.
Depending on your pet’s species, age and lifestyle, vaccinations can help protect against some of the following diseases:
- Parvovirus – a serious and potentially fatal contagious disease that can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea
- Distemper – a viral disease that can affect the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems
- Canine hepatitis – a disease that can affect the liver, kidneys and eyes
- Kennel cough – a highly contagious respiratory infection, particularly common among social dogs
- Feline infectious enteritis (FIE) and feline parvovirus (FPE) – serious and potentially fatal diseases, particularly in kittens and unvaccinated cats (official death rates in Australia range from 50-90% of infected cats)
- Feline respiratory disease (commonly known as cat flu) – commonly caused by feline herpesvirus and calicivirus, and capable of causing recurring respiratory symptoms for the cats lifetime
- Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) – an infectious disease that attacks a cats immune system. FIV is non curable, but there is a non-core vaccine available in Australia that can significantly reduce the risk of infection.
Even pets who spend most of their time indoors can still be exposed to infectious diseases. Viruses and other pathogens can make their way into the home on shoes, clothing, people or other animals.
Keeping your pet’s vaccinations up to date helps provide:
- Peace of mind that your pet has appropriate protection
- Reduced risk of serious infectious disease
- Protection for the wider pet community
- An opportunity for a thorough health check with your veterinary team
At Torquay Animal House Vets, we aim to make every visit as calm and positive for you and your pets as possible. We take the time to handle pets gently and respectfully, helping create a more comfortable experience for both pets and their owners. We also recognise that some pets can be a little anxious visiting the vet and we are always happy to make accommodations to suit their particular needs to try and ensure the experience is a happy one.
Why are blood, urine and other health screens recommended?
Some health problems can develop without obvious symptoms. One of the more challenging aspects of veterinary medicine is that our patients can’t always tell us what, or if, something feels wrong to them. As well as this, blood and urine testing can help provide us with extremely valuable information about what’s happening inside your pet’s body, sometimes before physical signs even become apparent.
Urine and blood testing are useful diagnostic tools to help:
- Identify issues such as kidney or liver disease (which can affect what medications your pet is safe to be prescribed), as well as diabetes, infection or inflammation
- Monitor changes in your pet’s health over time
- Establish a healthy baseline for future comparison (having a baseline when your pet is healthy can be particularly valuable as they age, as it gives us something to compare future results against)
- Monitor existing health conditions
- Check how your pet is responding to certain medications or treatments and monitor for any side effects
What vaccines or tests does my pet need and when?
Every pet is different, which is why preventative care should be tailored to their individual needs.
- Puppies and kittens – benefit from a series of veterinary visits, vaccination boosters and developmental checks as they grow.
- Adult pets – generally benefit from regular health checks, appropriate vaccinations and preventative healthcare (as outlined above).
- Senior pets – may benefit from more frequent check-ups and regular blood and urine screening to help detect age-related health changes early. The earlier a problem is identified, the early treatment can be started.
Your pet’s lifestyle also matters. Their vaccination, parasite prevention, dental care and screening needs can vary depending on factors such as their age, breed, environment and the activities they enjoy as well as travel plans both in Victoria, interstate and overseas.
We’re here for your pet every step of the way!
At Torquay Animal House Vets, we believe great veterinary care is about more than treating illness. It’s about building a relationship with you and your pet and providing trusted care throughout every stage of their life. From their first puppy or kitten visit through to their senior years, we’re here to help you make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
Our goal is simple: to help your pet stay healthy, comfortable and happy for as long as possible. We have many patients and families here at TAH that have been trusting our vets with multiple generations of their animals. There is something incredibly special and also very humbling to be afforded the privilege of seeing puppies and kittens for their first vet visits and then getting the honour (hopefully many years later) of caring for them through their senior years. We love watching them grow and experience life as you do.
Book your pets health check today at Torquay Animal House Veterinary Hospital!
If it’s been a while since your pet’s last check-up, or you’d like to discuss vaccinations, preventative care, blood and urine screening, or anything else concerning your most loved fur family members, our team at Torquay Animal House Vets is always here to help.
You can make appointment bookings via our website, email or by calling one of our lovely team on 5261 6486. We’d love to see you and your four-legged family member.