Services
Wellness Care for Every Age and Stage
The staff at Stone Veterinary Hospital is committed to providing you and your pet with the best traditional and alternative veterinary care available. We're a welcoming, skilled, and cost-conscious partner in the care of your beloved companions.
Our Watertown CT veterinary team believes that prevention contributes to your pet's long-term health and minimizes the lifetime cost of care. We strongly recommend regular wellness exams, laboratory tests, deworming and fecal checks, as well as medications to prevent heartworm, fleas, and ticks to keep your pet in optimum health.
Please take a look at the services offered at Stone Veterinary Hospital and why we believe they are important for the care of your pet. Then feel free to give us a call at (860) 945-9339 to make an appointment or for more information.
Your Pet's Wellness Exams: The Standard of Lifetime Care
You go to the doctor regularly, but does your pet? Regular wellness exams are an integral part of your pet's preventive health care plan.
A routine examination provides you and your veterinarian with the opportunity to develop a picture of your pet's overall health as well as to spot potential medical issues before they become serious health concerns. It's also an opportunity for you to ask your veterinarian important questions about your pet's health, habits and daily care. We also use this time to inform you about home healthcare for your pet and offer important advice and new information on the care of your particular type and breed of animal.
The veterinarians at Stone Veterinary Hospital recommend a complete nose-to-tail physical examination at least once a year, though more frequent exams are encouraged.
During your pet's wellness checkup, your veterinarian will:
- Listen to Your Pet's Heart – Early signs of cardiac disease such as heart murmurs and abnormal heart beat patterns known as arrhythmias can be heard through a stethoscope. Discovering these initial indicators of an underlying condition will lead to treatment before it becomes a more serious health threat.
- Listen to Your Pet's Lungs – Health issues such as infections, obstructive diseases and other problems can be detected by listening to your pet’s lungs through a stethoscope. The doctor can also assess the overall pulmonary health of your pet.
- Check Your Pet's Teeth and Oral Cavity – Infections and other forms of dental disease can lead to very serious systemic health issues. We also take the time to discuss proper home dental care with you.
- Evaluate Your Pet's Vision – Ocular conditions—such as glaucoma, corneal ulcers and dry eye—can be prevented or better treated through regular care and screenings.
- Look Into Your Pet's Ears – Ear disease is relatively common in many types of pets. Regular examinations can prevent most forms of ear disease from developing or stop its progression.
- Palpate the Lymph Nodes, Abdomen and Skin – By feeling these areas, we are looking for unusual lumps or swellings. The skin is also evaluated for discolorations, lesions or patterns of hair loss or thinning, which could be signs of more complicated health issues.
- Palpate Joints and Muscles – By examining the joints, legs and other areas of the body, we are able to evaluate for swelling, decreased muscle tone and variations in muscle size that may indicate developing orthopedic issues. In older pets, we look for signs of arthritis, which can be treated if found early.
At home, watch for subtle changes in your pet's body weight, appetite, water intake, urination and bowel habits, as well as general attitude and activity level. These changes may be signs of medical problems. Lumps and bumps under the skin may seem harmless, but can be cancerous. Ear infections, abscessed teeth and gum disease are common, painful conditions that may not become obvious until seriously advanced. A comprehensive physical exam is the tool to evaluate your dog's, cat's or other pet's health status and to help you make informed decisions about the care of your special companion.
Deworming and Fecal Check
Dangerous parasites are always present in the environment. We recommend regular fecal checks and deworming as the best way to prevent parasitic disease and the transmission of intestinal parasites to your pet and your family members.
Regular Blood Testing
A complete physical should include a full blood workup, especially for our "senior" patients. Not only can a chemistry panel and blood count identify the presence of underlying disease processes, but these tests help create a baseline should your pet become ill between regular examinations.
Flea and Tick Borne Disease
Fleas and ticks are virtually everywhere in our CT community and they carry diseases dangerous to both you and your pet. Although they're a bigger problem in certain parts of the country and at specific times during the year, no cat or dog is completely safe from them.
Beyond causing serious discomfort and infesting your home, fleas and ticks carry diseases dangerous to both you and your pet. Fleas can transmit tapeworms to your pet, and often you can see segments of the tapeworm in your pet's stool. Your pet can also be allergic to fleas, and even just one flea bite can cause an intense allergic reaction, resulting in a severely painful skin infection. In our region, ticks can carry a variety of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These same ticks can bite people and transmit disease as well. We recommend all dogs be vaccinated against Lyme Disease.
The good news is that these problems can be avoided by using parasite prevention products that are available at our hospital. When used properly and according to our directions, these products are very safe and effective. They are what we use on our own pets.
Ask a staff member at Stone Animal Hospital to recommend the flea and tick prevention product which is best suited for your pet.
Heartworm Disease
Heartworm disease is a serious, life-threatening disease affecting dogs and cats. Mosquitoes spread the disease by injecting the parasite into your pet at the time of the bite.
Clinical symptoms of heartworm disease develop very slowly. Lack of energy, exercise intolerance, coughing, and difficulty breathing are early symptoms. Because heartworm disease is increasing in frequency and is a serious and deadly disease, we recommend that your dog be tested annually.
Heartworm disease prevention is simple and effective. For dogs, a once-a-month heartworm preventative can be given as a tasty, chewable treat. This same chewable medicine prevents not only heartworms from developing, but also kills and prevents most other types of worms that can infect your dog.
If you would like to have your pet tested for heartworm disease, or if you would like additional information on how best to protect your pet and your family from these dangerous parasites, please call Stone Veterinary Hospital at (860) 945-9339 today for an appointment.
Vaccines
Vaccination of dogs and cats has led to a dramatic decrease in infectious diseases over the years. However, there is mounting evidence that yearly vaccination of dogs and cats, which has been standard veterinary practice for decades, can result in serious adverse effects related to an over-stimulated immune system. The introduction of better vaccines, combined with recent studies suggesting that many vaccines provide lasting immunity, means there is less need for most pets to be revaccinated annually.
As a result of this new information, Stone Veterinary Hospital has revised our routine immunization recommendations. We still recommend puppy and kitten vaccinations; however, after dogs and cats receive booster shots one year later, most vaccinations are recommended every three years.
We customize vaccine protocols to your individual pet, taking into account benefits and risks as well as environment and health status. Some pets may be better protected with a continuation of annual vaccines depending on the risk of exposure to various infectious agents. Rabies vaccinations are given in accordance with current state and federal law.
Because we are committed to the long-term health care for your pet, we request that you return with your pet for annual physical examinations and disease risk assessments.