Thompson Animal Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin

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Wellness exams – much more than vaccinations

You may not be aware of just how much goes into an exam when you bring your dog or cat in for rabies, distemper or another vaccine.

“They are not just about giving vaccines,” said Dr. Gary Weigel. “We give a head to foot exam, looking for hints of health problems.”

What is part of a wellness exam?
Dr. Gary and the other Thompson Animal Medical Center veterinarians look at the:

• Mouth, looking at gums, teeth, tongue and roof of the mouth for dental problems, tumors or other conditions.

• Skin, looking for fleas, ticks and other parasites, as well as tumors and sounds or signs of allergies or infection.

• Ears looking for signs of parasites or foreign objects.

• Eyes, looking for signs of eye conditions and hints of serious problems like anemia, kidney problems allergies, jaundice and much more.

• Heart and lungs, listening for signs of heart or respiratory disease.

• Weight – is it up or down and is it healthy for your dog, cat or other animal?

• Chest, abdomen and bottom, feeling for enlarged organs, masses or painful areas, or to find problems with the stomach and other organs. This head-to-paw exam checks for problems with joints, muscles, lymph nodes and more.

• Reproductive organs, checking for swellings, discharges and breast lumps in animals who have not been spayed or neutered.

“I also ask how things are going on at home both health and behavior,” he said. “We want to know if your pet has been coughing, has diarrhea, eats more or less than usual, is vomiting, gaining or losing weight. Also a concern is excessive drinking of water or is panting or scratching often and frequent urination.”

Laboratory tests or x-rays may be performed as well either routinely or as needed.

These visits are important because a dog or cat’s health can change quickly. If you catch a problem early on before it becomes serious, it is easier to treat.

“We also look at weight because we know being overweight can affect a pet’s health, even leading to diabetes and heart disease,” Dr. Gary said. “Is your dog or cat hard to get going in the morning? Does he or she seem unbalanced or weak? How about exercise? We worry about dogs and cats who are inactive, couch potatoes.”

Ticks... Ticks... Ticks —
It used to be that pet owners had just one disease carried by a tick to worry about in their animals – Lyme disease. Now, there are more emerging tick-borne illnesses, including Ehrlichia and Anaplasma, each carried by a different tick.

“Lyme is the most common in this area, but we are seeing more instances of the other two diseases,” said Dr. Tom Thompson. “Ticks are more prevalent in the city as a result of birds and mice." The tiny tick, which increasingly is found in the city and not just the woods, prey on dogs, horses, deer, birds, rodents and people. They detect carbon dioxide given off by warm-blooded animals and will travel to them for a “meal.” Once they bite and hold on, they transmit infections they have inside their bodies. If left untreated, Lyme can lead to problems in the joints, heart, and nervous system.

Lyme shows up most often in dogs with lameness, which can be very severe. Less common in dogs and cats than humans and horses is damage to the heart.

The other diseases, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma, are less common but can cause serious severe kidney disease if left untreated along with lameness.
Frontline
Treatment is highly successful if caught early. Lyme is treated with oral antibiotics for three weeks, while the therapy is 30 days Anaplasma or Ehrlichia.

What’s most important is another reason for preventing a tick bite is the tick can bring diseases to your family members through your companion animal.

Prevention is most important, including the Lyme vaccine annually and use of Frontline Plus monthly.

One piece of good news in all this is that annual test for heartworm disease (which is carried by mosquitoes and not ticks) also detect Lyme, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. “It’s a four-in-one test, an important tool to identify these serious tick-borne illnesses,” Dr. Tom said.