Your dog may benefit from a combination of preventive and specialty care services to support their long-term health and longevity. In this post, our specialty vets in Lexington, KY offer 6 tips about how specialty care can help you keep your dog healthy.
Your Dog's Health
For even the most diligent and doting dog parent, maintaining their pet's health is a big responsibility that spans the entire length of your dog's life. That said, our specialist vets are here to work with you and your primary vet to support your dog's long-term health, longevity and well-being. If you can focus on giving your best friend lots of love, we can focus on providing the specialty care and diagnostics that go hand in hand with preventive care. Here are 6 tips on how specialty care can help.
1. Plan for Your Dog's Dietary & Nutritional Needs
The quality of the food your dog eats has an important role to play in their health and wellbeing. Fulfill these needs correctly and you'll be well on your way to building a solid foundation for continued health.
Discuss what the best foods for your dog will be with your vet, who can assess their age, lifestyle and breed to provide insights that will help you find the right food to meet your pooch's nutritional needs.
Our Lexington, KY veterinarians and specialists focus on caring for many internal health issues in pets. Feeding your four-legged friend the right food can either help to prevent many internal health conditions as they age or be an integral piece in managing existing health issues such as diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders.
2. Help Your Dog Maintain a Healthy Weight
Several serious health conditions in dogs - such as diabetes and joint pain - can be caused or exacerbated by obesity. This is why helping your dog maintain a healthy weight will be critical to their general health.
The veterinary specialists at our animal care clinic in Lexington, KY can work with you and your vet to determine which specialty care they need and help make choices that will benefit your pet's long-term health.
3. Take Steps to Prevent & Treat Chronic Pain
As a pet owner, it can be heartbreaking to watch your dog experiencing concerning symptoms or chronic pain and just want to help them feel better. Our Lexington, KY specialty vets are experienced in diagnosing and treating chronic pain and other neurological issues in dogs.
While prevention is a large piece of your dog's healthcare, so is treating developing health issues and problems that may crop up at any age - and especially as your pooch gets older - chronic pain doesn't have to reduce your dog's quality of life and isn't necessarily a normal part of aging.
During an appointment for neurological care, our specialty vets will perform a thorough neurological exam to learn whether and which parts of your pet's nervous system are affected. The vet will then order diagnostic imaging if necessary to gain insight on the likely causes of your pet's issues. Treatment options may include medical therapy, surgery or intensive care.
4. Explore Surgical Treatment Options With Your Vet
Veterinary surgery is sometimes necessary to treat serious health conditions in dogs. Depending on your dog's health condition, they may benefit from a referral to our specialty vets in Lexington, KY, who use advanced technology to perform veterinary surgeries in our cutting-edge facility.
Our veterinary surgical experts offer comprehensive surgeries ranging from gastrointestinal soft tissue to urogenital and cardiovascular procedures.
5. Seek Advanced Cancer Care
If your pet has been diagnosed with cancer, the right veterinary care and diagnostic testing can make all the difference in your pet's prognosis and continued health. That's why the specialty vets at our animal hospital in Lexington, KY are committed to working with your primary care veterinarian to provide the best care possible, from offering additional diagnostics to help better predict prognosis and exploring different combinations of treatment options including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies and more.
6. Consider Therapeutic Treatment Options
Therapeutic treatment options such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can help support healing and improve your pet's health. HBOT has been used in human medicine for decades to treat conditions ranging from wounds to radiation injury. Its benefits include decreased swelling and edema, reduced inflammation, and decreased brain swelling. It can help control infection and increases oxygen delivery throughout the body.
Learn More About Jyperbaric O2 Therapy
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.