General Pet Care in Fort Collins, CO

Instead of a medical examination of your pet who looks to be ill, a wellness examination is a regular medical checkup on a dog or cat that appears to be healthy. A wellness exam is often referred to as a "physical examination" or a "check-up." A wellness checkup's objective is to maintain your pet's health at its highest level.

Your veterinarian will inquire about your dog's nutrition, activity level, thirst, breathing, behaviour, habits, elimination patterns (i.e., bowel and urination), lifestyle, and general health during a routine wellness examination. Your veterinarian will also perform a physical examination on your dog.

Based on your pet's medical history and physical examination, your veterinarian will then suggest specific preventive medicine procedures, such as vaccination, parasite control (including preventive treatments for fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites, and heartworm), nutrition, skin and coat care, joint health, weight control, or dental care. Your dog's individual circumstances will also be discussed with your veterinarian, who will decide whether any additional life-stage or lifestyle suggestions are necessary.

Animal Hospital of Colorado exclusively stocks high-quality immunisations in modest quantities and with few additives (no thimerosal), in keeping with our mission to provide low-stress wellness care. A lesser volume results in less pain after an injection for your pet.

We offer cat rabies immunisations without adjuvants, which significantly lowers vaccine responses. We have intranasal FVRCP to entirely prevent an injection. Dogs are also given the Bordetella vaccine orally, eliminating the need for an injection. Vaccines are administered after a risk assessment and depending on the particular lifestyle of your pet.

Regular nail cutting can help to maintain a healthy foot structure and prevent infection-causing nail damage and curling.

The purpose of the anal glands is to produce a fluid that is specific to each dog and has a distinct smell (a strong, fishy odour). This liquid may be used to designate territory in modest amounts. Dogs may unintentionally express their anal sacs when they are scared or anxious.

Signs of Anal Gland Problems:

• Scooting your back across the ground or a grass
• Anal area licking or itching excessively
• Having difficulty urinating (pooping) or straining
• Near the rectum, or in the stool, is blood or pus.

Causes:
Affected, diseased, or abscessed anal glands in dogs are more likely to occur in certain situations:

• Chronic dermatitis of the skin
• Obesity.
• Not enough dietary fibre.
• Persistent soft stools.
• Allergies to foods and/or the environment.
• Genetics: While smaller breeds are more prone to experience anal gland issues, all breeds are susceptible.