Preventive & Wellness Care
Like you, we want your pet to live the longest, healthiest life possible. That starts with the basics: quality food, enough exercise, good grooming, and regular check-ups.
Annual exams are your pet’s first line of defense. PGA Animal Clinic’s comprehensive annual exams involve checking their overall health by taking their temperature, examining their skin and coat, lung and cardiac function, internal health, oral hygiene, eyes, ears, and demeanor. And since we know how important regular exams are, we’ll make sure that your pet’s visit is as calm, positive, and stress-free as possible—we want them to like coming to the vet!
Vaccinations: Keeping your pet up to date on immunizations and booster shots is a highly effective way to prevent many common diseases like distemper and rabies. Beyond those core vaccines, your pet’s age, lifestyle, and likely exposure to certain diseases will be evaluated before we recommend additional vaccinations.
Dental Care: Imagine what your teeth would be like if you never cleaned them. The same thing happens to your pet’s teeth without good oral care. We recommend annual dental cleanings and can show you tips for brushing your pet’s teeth, which can reduce the need for expensive extractions and more serious dental work down the line.
Parasite Control: Fleas, ticks, worms – preventing them in the first place is easier, much safer, and ultimately less expensive than getting rid of them after they’ve infested your pet. We recommend monitoring your pet and having them screened for internal parasites regularly, and we offer a variety of alternatives for flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.
Proper Nutrition: There’s so much confusion about what to feed dogs. Grain-free kibble? Home-cooked meals? Raw food diet? While many boutique brands and pet food stores may have good intentions (and enticing marketing campaigns), we have the experience, education, and science-backed data you need to choose the best food for your pet. Proper nutrition is so important to your pet’s good health, and we can help you figure out what is best for your pet and your lifestyle.
Behavioral Evaluation: Changes in mood or behavior can often be a symptom of an underlying medical condition, and swiftly addressing these shifts can help to identify and treat the root cause. It’s common for behavioral issues to stem from several sources, so sometimes, a multi-modal approach is needed. We actively partner with dog trainers and local board-certified veterinarians to fully address and manage all aspects of behavioral care.
Skin and Coat Care: Grooming and washing are fundamental aspects of proper pet hygiene. Proper skin and hair care can prevent things like mange, matting, bacterial infections, and more. Like us, many pets in Florida suffer from allergies—but unlike us, their allergy symptoms usually take the form of skin issues like itching, redness, and scabs. We can tailor an allergy and skin care plan that will keep your pet’s coat in great shape from nose to tail.
Exercise: Regular workouts support musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in dogs and cats of all ages! And like humans, regular exercise and enrichment activities improve their overall mental well-being. Florida springs and summers get very hot and humid, so we can discuss a custom exercise and enrichment plan for your pet to reduce their risk of a heat stroke during the hottest parts of the year.
Senior Animals: At PGA Animal Clinic, we love frosty faces! We also know that preventative care is even more important for them. Our pets age much more rapidly than humans, so diseases and illnesses progress faster as well. We recommend twice-yearly exams and screenings for seniors to help improve the quality of their lives and give them the healthiest years possible.
Dental Care
Imagine if you never brushed your teeth or had them cleaned. As you can imagine, things would eventually start to get very bad inside your mouth: teeth would rot and decay, and gums would become inflamed and infected. Dangerous bacteria would eventually travel into your bloodstream and could cause other serious health problems.
It’s the same scenario for your dog or cat. While some people might laugh at the idea of brushing their pet’s teeth or taking them for a dental cleaning, the fact is that by age three, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some evidence of periodontal disease. Periodic dental exams help maintain proper oral hygiene and prevent future problems.
PGA Animal Clinic offers complete pet oral health services, including:
● Dental exams
● Annual dental cleanings
● Dental X-rays
● Extractions and dental surgery
Let us help make sure your pet is all smiles!
PREVENTIVE DENTAL CARE
Brushing your pet’s teeth several times per week is the best way to prevent plaque and tartar build-up. Interested in learning how to brush your pet’s teeth? Just ask, and our veterinarians will be happy to help you get started. If you have a pet that won’t tolerate brushing, our veterinarians can also recommend products that will help keep your pet’s mouth healthy in between cleanings.
THE TOOTH ABOUT ANESTHESIA-FREE DENTALS
You may see other pet care facilities advertise non-anesthetic dental cleanings. In general, we do not recommend “anesthesia-free dentals” for our canine or feline patients. Why? The risks can outweigh the benefits, and the benefits are ultimately purely cosmetic! This procedure only removes the tartar on the surface, even though 90% of dental disease is under the gumline. Furthermore, “anesthesia-free dentals” can be fairly stressful for most pets. We understand that you may have worries about putting your pet under general anesthesia for their dental cleaning—we’re pet parents, too! PGA Animal Clinic creates custom anesthesia plans specifically tailored for each individual pet, and we utilize cutting-edge anesthesia monitoring equipment to ensure that every procedure is as safe as possible.
To make an appointment for a dental exam or cleaning, call us at (561) 626-5020.
Exotic & Pocket Pets
Snakes, lizards, rats, gerbils, hamsters—bring us your reptiles and pocket pets!
PGA Animal Clinic welcomes small mammals (non-primates) and non-venomous reptiles. Our veterinarians can advise you about proper care, feeding, and maintenance of your pet, as well as treat illnesses and conditions specific to their species.
Many of these pets require a very particular environment to thrive, and it’s important you have a veterinarian experienced in their care to help. We see a wide variety of pets, so if your companion is something smaller—or a little more exotic—than a cat or dog, don’t hesitate to give us a call! Please note that not all our veterinarians provide care for exotic pets, so please call ahead to determine availability.
Surgery
PGA Animal Clinic is proud to offer state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Our hospital provides a full range of surgical services ranging from standard spaying and neutering to advanced, highly specialized procedures.
Surgical services we provide include:
- Soft-tissue surgery
- Mass removals
- Orthopedic surgery
- Dental procedures
- Wound repair
- Foreign body removal
- And more!
Patient safety and comfort are our main priorities. PGA Animal Clinic’s experienced veterinary anesthesiologists provide skilled pain management during and after all surgical procedures, ensuring your pet recovers quickly and with minimum discomfort.
Our veterinary team will walk you through the entire process, giving you the tools to make informed decisions regarding your pet’s treatment options. We understand that surgery is a stressful time for any owner, and we’re available every step of the way to answer questions and put your mind at ease.
If you are considering veterinary surgery for your pet, please contact us at (561) 626-5020 to schedule a consultation with your PGA Animal Clinic veterinarian.
Emergency Care
Some situations require immediate care, and we are available to provide some urgent care services during our normal hours. For critical cases, we will often recommend transfer to a trusted 24/7 facility after our team is able to stabilize your pet. If possible, please call in advance, as it will help our staff be prepared for your pet’s arrival.
Signs your pet may need emergency care:
- Pale gums
- Rapid breathing
- Weak or rapid pulse
- Change in body temperature
- Difficulty standing
- Apparent paralysis
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Excessive bleeding
Safety tips:
Pets who are severely ill or injured may try to bite, claw, or act in an aggressive manner toward those trying to help them. Approach any injured or sick pet slowly and calmly. Say their name and see how they respond before attempting to touch them. Call for help if the pet reacts aggressively.
For dogs, fashion a makeshift stretcher if the animal is unable to move. Make sure the neck is supported.
For cats, slowly place a blanket or towel over the head to prevent biting. Slowly lift them into an open-topped carrier or box.
Elevate and apply pressure to any bleeding wound.
If you think your pet has eaten something poisonous, call us at (561) 626-5020 immediately. After hours, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435. Trained toxicologists will assess your pet and what they ingested over the phone and then recommend what action should be taken.