Proactive Preventive Pet Medicine

Mosquitoes (which transmit fatal heartworms) can easily slip indoors through open doors or window screens. Additionally, fleas and ticks can hitch a ride into your house on your clothing, shoes, or other visiting pets. In Houston, TX, these pests are active 365 days a year, making continuous preventative medication essential for all pets.

Investing in preventative medicine actually saves you significant money and heartache in the long run! For example, the cost of a monthly heartworm preventative is drastically lower—and infinitely safer for your pet—than the incredibly expensive, grueling, and dangerous hospital treatments required once a pet actually contracts heartworm disease.

Every preventative visit starts with a comprehensive nose-to-tail physical exam where we evaluate your pet's eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lungs, and joints. From there, we tailor our recommendations to your pet's specific age, breed, and lifestyle. We will discuss their diet, weight, and behavior, and may recommend routine diagnostics like a heartworm test or baseline bloodwork, but we will always collaborate with you first to create a preventative plan that fits your pet's exact needs.

Most dogs and cats are considered "seniors" around age 7, though this can happen sooner for larger dog breeds. Because older pets are more prone to conditions like arthritis, kidney disease, and diabetes, their preventative needs change. We generally recommend increasing their visits to twice a year and performing specialized senior blood panels to catch age-related changes early, keeping them comfortable and active in their golden years.