- Dental CareBest Vet is a full service animal hospital and welcomes both emergency treatment cases as well as pet wellness care, surgical, and dental care. Dr. Bob has over 20 years of experience treating serious conditions and offering regular pet wellness care. Beyond first rate pet care, we make our clinic comfortable, kid-friendly, and calm, so your pet can relax in the waiting room and look forward to meeting our doctor.
- VaccinationAll cats need yearly vaccines to boost their immune systems against potentially deadly disease and to protect the public against a rabies outbreak. Rabies is present in the Texas wildlife and there is a potential risk of exposure to your pet. Because of the risk of rabies being spread to the public, it is law that all cats receive rabies vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control also recommends that all pets be dewormed on a regular basis to prevent the spread of parasites to people, especially children and immune compromised individuals. All cats should receive a yearly “Distemper shot” to protect from diseases they will commonly come in contact with. These include rhinotracheitis, calici, and panleukopenia – all may cause serious respiratory diseases. Cats that spend time outdoors, or come in contact with outdoor cats, should also receive a feline leukemia vaccine – a fatal disease of the immune system. All cats should be screened for leukemia and FIV before receiving a leukemia vaccine. All cats, which spend time outdoors, should be tested for leukemia and FIV.
- Nutritional CounselingArthritis will affect most dogs and many cats sooner or later. Dogs generally get up slowly in the morning, are reluctant to go up and downstairs, can become exercise intolerant, and have a hard time lying down comfortably. Cats generally “feel bad.” Many times they can become irritable, not move about as much, and have a decrease in their food consumption. These signs usually become more exaggerated when the weather changes abruptly, becoming cold and wet. During weather changes, many dogs and cats also exhibit GI upsets: decreased appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea (many times with blood). There are many safe/affordable medications that can be given to decrease your pet's suffering and allow a more comfortable existence.
- Comprehensive ExaminationOnce a year, you should take your pet in for a check-up. This will include a full physical exam, and may include teeth and gum cleaning if needed. Dr. Robert Hardy III will check the health of your pet from head to tail, and you will be very happy you came to Best Vet for service.
- Parasites Treatment and ControlAll dogs should be tested for heartworm disease on an annual basis. Just like birth control, nothing is 100% effective. Once the dog has been tested and is negative for this parasite, heartworm prevention should be given year-round. Heartworm preventative does not kill adult heartworms. If your dog is heartworm positive, the preventative will do nothing to slow or prevent this disease. Heartworm prevention will also keep your dog free of most intestinal parasites. Topical parasites (fleas, mites, and ticks) cause stress, irritation, anemia, tapeworms, and skin infections. There are numerous veterinary products that are excellent in preventing heartworm, flea, and tick infestations. At Best Vet we carry Heartgard and Advantage.
- Pain Management
- Vomiting Treatment
- Diarrhea Treatment
- Skin Condition and Allergy Treatment
- Upper Respiratory Illness TreatmentAll dogs need yearly vaccines to boost their immune systems against potentially deadly diseases and to protect the public against a rabies outbreak. Rabies is present in the Texas wildlife and there is a potential risk of exposure to your pet. Because of the risk of rabies being spread to the public, it is the law that all dogs receive rabies vaccinations. The Centers for Disease Control also recommends that all pets be dewormed on a regular basis to prevent the spread of parasites to people, especially children, and immune-compromised individuals. All dogs should receive a yearly “Distemper shot” to protect them from diseases they will commonly come in contact with. These include distemper – a potentially fatal neurological disease, parvo – a potentially fatal gastrointestinal disease, leptospira – a potentially fatal kidney and liver disease, corona – a serious gastrointestinal disease, as well as adenovirus and parainfluenza – a serious respiratory disease.
- Ear Infection TreatmentJust like their human guardians, most dogs and cats living in Austin also suffer from inhaled allergies. Does your dog lick its paws, rub its face and ears, perform the “wiggle-worm” on the floor, get ear infections, itch, bite, self-mutilate, develop hot spots and skin infections? Does your dog eat grass, vomit saliva with yellow bile, or get diarrhea when the weather changes? If these conditions sound familiar, your dog probably has allergies. Cat allergies are usually more subtle: vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, coughing up hairballs, excessive grooming, pulling out hair, or just feeling “under the weather.”
- Diabetes Treatment
- Heart Disease TreatmentAll pets should receive a thorough physical exam yearly. This will help in the early diagnosis of heart disease (coughing, bloated abdomen), dental health (a source of infection to the heart, kidneys, and bloodstream), weight changes (metabolic problems, diabetes, oral disease, intestinal tumors), growths (potential cancerous tumors), and to establish the general condition of your pet.
- Veterinary Surgery
- Microchipping
- Grooming