Canine Wellness Care

At Van Meter Veterinary Clinic, we believe that your dog’s best health starts with wellness care.

Canine wellness care includes an annual or bi-annual comprehensive exam, vaccinations, nutritional counseling, behavioral counseling, and parasite prevention. The wellness exam allows our veterinarians to get an overall look for any outwardly visible signs of disease. This is the most important aspect of any wellness visit. Every wellness exam for your dog, from their curious puppy years to their relaxing senior years, will include a comprehensive evaluation of your dog’s current health. During your dog’s wellness exam, we will discuss all your at-home observations and answer any questions you may have about any issues that may be affecting your dog, including lifestyle or age-related changes.

if your dog is ill, we may recommend further testing for your dog. Our clinic has full diagnostic capabilities, including blood testing on site, microscopic evaluation of samples, specialized tests sent to a local lab with quick turnaround times and digital x-ray.

Canine Vaccinations

A vital part of maintaining your dog’s health is keeping your dog’s vaccinations current. We recommend vaccinating your dog according to the current guidelines for canine vaccines. Vaccinations prevent your dog from getting contagious diseases that are easily spread between dogs. We will take into consideration your dog’s risk factors into account, such age, overall health, and lifestyle. These factors may change over time, so we will review your dog’s vaccination plan with you at each wellness exam.

Canines and Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm is a parasite that, when infected, lives in your dog’s heart and lungs. Heartworm can be passed on from mosquitos (in form of Larva) or other dogs. Though small, heartworm can cause serious heart conditions and respiratory problems. We recommend every dog be on year around heartworm prevention, and your dog will need an annual heartworm test to keep your dog free from preventable heartworm disease.

Flea, Tick and Parasite Prevention and Control

Parasites can cause serious illness and even death in dogs. For example, ticks can transmit infections like Lyme disease, and fleas can transmit tapeworms. Intestinal parasites like roundworms can cause diarrhea and other problems, but many infected pets don’t show any signs of illness at all. Roundworms and hookworms are even transmissible to humans.

You may not always be able to tell if your pet has parasites. Fleas can hide under your pet’s fur, and some ticks are very tiny (only the size of a pinhead), so they are very difficult to find. During your pet’s wellness exam, we can recommend tests to tell if your pet has parasites. We will examine your pet for evidence of fleas, ticks, or other parasites. Our veterinary team can recommend medications to help control fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites. Preventing parasites in your pets also helps protect children and other family members.