Veterinarian: we rescue puppies from kennels, but we don’t take care of our pets’ health

Eyes, heart, kidneys, liver, comprehensive blood tests – little by little we get used to the fact that taking care of ourselves is necessary, and preventive health check-ups often help prevent dangerous and exhausting illnesses. In the same way, it is important to take care of our pets, say specialists, and they recommend bringing an animal to the veterinary clinic not when the disease is already progressing, but when the dog or cat is still healthy. By conducting preventive tests, many diseases can be avoided.

A small puppy grows extremely fast – in a month it will be twice as big as it was, and another month later, look, triple. During this time, its muscles, bones, and joints grow rapidly, and the heart works hard – it needs to supply the growing animal with all the necessary nutrients. “Preventive blood tests should be done regularly for such a small puppy, every 1-2 months, until it loses its milk teeth, because during this growth period there is a particularly high demand for minerals for bones, proteins for muscles, and iron for the blood. A lack of iron can cause anemia in a young animal, depriving the internal organs and muscles of sufficient oxygen, which can disrupt their development and function. By detecting iron deficiency in time, it can be corrected, preventing potential negative consequences in the future,” says Vytautas Siaurys, founder of the veterinary clinics “Siaurio Šnauceris” and a veterinarian.

Young animals get one kind of diseases, seniors get another

Regular preventative check-ups for the health of dogs and cats are very important for many reasons, as certain diseases affect young animals, while completely different ones can occur in older pets. Regular tests for cholesterol, electrolytes, and heart function can detect changes at an early stage, and timely treatment can ease symptoms and extend life. Similarly, regular internal organ examinations can help detect kidney or liver failure early, and sometimes simply adjusting the diet can stabilize their function. Male pets’ prostate health should not be overlooked either – canine-specific prostate antigen tests can reveal very early problems, and timely treatment can prevent serious diseases. Likewise, preventative check-ups of females’ mammary glands and uterus can help diagnose problems early. It would be desirable for people to visit veterinary clinics not only with an already sick animal, when the disease has progressed, but simply to come with a healthy animal for a preventive health check-up. This would create the opportunity to take measures that would allow many diseases to be foreseen and prevented, thereby ensuring a higher quality and happier life for the pet.

Not all opportunities are being utilized

When a person brings a pet in for vaccinations, they don’t even think that nowadays, comprehensive blood tests, endoscopic examinations, ultrasound diagnostics, or even complex brain surgeries, pacemaker implantation, joint replacement, and hemodialysis can be performed on animals as well. A simple, non-invasive, completely painless heart, abdominal, or kidney ultrasound can provide veterinarians with a lot of information about the animal’s condition and potential diseases. “Innovations and new possibilities are opening up everywhere, not just in treating humans,” says V. Siaurys. “In our clinics, we extensively apply everything that is newest and best for your pet. Even hemodialysis—a kidney replacement therapy—is used in cases of acute kidney injury or poisoning by toxic substances.” One of the most common reasons this treatment is needed is a complication from tick-borne diseases (babesiosis, etc.). Kidneys damaged by the disease are unable to function normally, and toxic substances build up in the body, so medication may be ineffective. The only way to save the pet is hemodialysis. Performing eye examinations or even cataract surgeries, prosthetic joint operations, or even brain surgeries is no longer new to us.

V. Siaurys says that he must keep pace with modern medicine and ensure a long and happy life for pets. “The fact that the range of services we offer surprises many owners only makes us happy – they know that if a problem arises, there will be someone to take care of their beloved pets,” smiles the veterinarian, adding that he doesn’t count how much the latest equipment costs, because the most important thing is to prevent illness in time, and if an animal is already sick, to make sure it recovers without any lasting effects.