Pet Wellness Services
As people who have dedicated our lives to the care of companion animals, All Friends Animal Hospital takes special pride in serving pet owners throughout Norwich and New London County, Connecticut.
We are dedicated to providing our clients’ pets with the best care possible, which is based on our knowledge that preventative medicine is the best means to keep your pet happy and healthy throughout his or her life. This includes thorough wellness exams, vaccines, microchip lost pet ID, nutritional and behavior counseling, as well as holistic approaches to health and wellness.
High quality preventative medicine also includes strong client/doctor communication. It is important that we respect your thoughts, opinions and concerns as well as share our veterinary knowledge with you. In fact, client education is something we emphasize and our entire health care team is committed to providing personal attention to the unique concerns of each of our clients.
Should your pet fall ill or be injured, All Friends Animal Hospital has a full range of diagnostic, medical and surgical services. In particular, we have computerized X-rays, full in-house lab, internal medicine expertise and resources, and a state-of-the-art surgical suite for soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries.
We are proud of the care we are able to offer our clients and their pets. Please take a look through our services to learn why we believe they are important and then give us a call to set up an appointment for your pet.
Wellness Exams for Your Cat or Dog
An ounce of prevention is most certainly worth a pound of cure when it comes to keeping our pets healthy and limiting the lifetime cost of care.
As medical professionals, All Friends Animal Hospital knows that the cornerstone of any preventative care program for your pet is a regular and thorough wellness exam. A nose-to-tail medical exam will allow your veterinarian to assess the health of your pet, notice potential signs of trouble at an early and easily treatable stage, and offer important information on the care of your specific type and breed of pet.
A wellness exam also provides you with an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the health and care of your pet.
In all, routine wellness exams are an important piece of your pet’s preventative health care plan.
When you bring your pet to All Friends Animal Hospital, your veterinarian will:
Examine your pet’s respiratory system – By listening to your pet’s lungs with a stethoscope we are able to assess respiratory health and detect a range of health issues at an early stage. These include respiratory infections, obstructive diseases and other pulmonary issues.
Assess your pet’s heart – A stethoscope is also a great tool for assessing the health of your companion’s heart health. Your veterinarian can listen for murmurs and other irregular heart beat patterns that could indicate poor or failing coronary health.
Examine the teeth and oral cavity – The systemic health of your pet can be affected by poor dental health because infections can enter the bloodstream and infect other parts of the body. Dental disease is also one of the most common and preventable health issues in pets.
Check your pet’s vision and eyes – This does not involve an eye chart, but your veterinarian will check for issues related to sight and ocular health. For example, conditions such as glaucoma are relatively common in older pets and can be well treated when discovered early.
Look in the ears – Infections, ear mites, low-grade allergies and other related health issues are relatively common in companion animals. Your veterinarian can use a couple of different tools to look inside the ears to see if there are any indications of ear disease.
Palpate lymph nodes, abdomen and skin – By using the hands to touch and feel for abnormalities such as bumps, lesions or hair loss, your veterinarian can detect dermatological and systemic illnesses.
Palpate joints and muscles – Arthritis and other orthopedic conditions are relatively common and if diagnosed at a later stage can be quite painful and limit your pet's activity. Early detection will lead to treatments that can relieve pain and provide your pet with many more active years.
Lab testing – Laboratory testing allows us to evaluate the function of internal organs, blood, and other systems. These tests are critical for uncovering underlying disease processes that otherwise would remain unnoticed until they cause serious symptoms in your pet.