- Hours:
- Mon: 9A - 9P
- Tue-Fri: 9A - 10P
- Sat: 9A - 2P
- Sun: Closed
Our goal at the Animal Hospital of Streamwood is to help your pet stay healthy, help heal your pet when it is sick or injured, and to ease your pet's pain when it is hurting.
We will do this with quality care, compassion and tenderness.
Importance of Annual Checkups
Sometimes, when your pet is sick, you can tell. Maybe he's not eating like normal, or isn't as active or playful. Maybe the litter box needs cleaning more often, or there's a more-frequent-than-usual scratching at the door to go out. These are the times your pet is telling you that something may be wrong, and perhaps the vet has a suitable treatment.
Other times, there may be no external signs of an illness or developing disability. Early diagnosis of health problems is your best defense against them. Sometimes, waiting until there's an obvious sign means waiting until the damage has begun.
Medical professionals recommend that people visit their doctors once a year, and their dentists twice a year, for routine checkups and preventative care. For much the same reasons, we recommend an annual wellness exam for your pet. As with humans, this annual checkup becomes even more important with age.
Maintining a regular schedule of visits will also help develop a complete medical history of your pet. A complete medical history is valuable in diagnosing problems as your pet ages, and in identifying trends - sometimes as simple as a steady weight gain in an adult animal - before a true problem develops. It will also develop a working relationship with your vet, and make it easier to communicate about your pet and to discuss any concerns of yours.
Wellness Exams
At a routine checkup, we will perform several diagnostic tests, and a complete physical examination. The physical exam will give us information about your pet's dental health, skeletal system, muscle tone and skin condition.
As with humans, poor oral health and tooth decay can lead to infection and a general decline in wellness. One sign of sickness in a human is a change in skin color. Pets sometimes show the same sign, but it's harder to see it through all of that fur. In dogs and cats, the color of the gums tells the same story.
The aging pet's bones and joints are subject to deterioration, and a young pet should be monitored for proper growth in these same areas. Some breeds are more susceptible than others to genetic defects in the skeletal system - the consequences can often be minimized if these defects if they are identified early. We can help make plans for preventative care.
Your pet's muscle tone and skin condition are also good indicators of the animal's general health. A strong, healthy animal is more likely to recover quickly from a skin irritation or injury than one whose general health is not so good.
Diagnostic Tests
At your pet's annual checkup, we may perform the following tests:
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- This test is done on a small blood sample. It counts the number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen, and the number of white blood cells, which fight infection. A high white blood cell count is an indication of infection or illness. A low red blood cell count, or the detection of malformed red blood cells can indicate anemia or other problems in distributing nutrients throughout your pet's body.
- Chemistry Tests
- There are several different chemistry tests, each generally focused on a particular organ of your pet's body. These tests are performed on blood from the same sample used for the CBC and can help uncover problems with the liver, kidneys and pancreas, as well as general muscle and bone issues.
- Urinalysis
- A urine sample can be collected either in a bowl held carefully under your pet, or directly from the bladder with a syringe. The chemicals and substances in the urine (often in combination with a chemistry test focused on the kidneys) can draw attention to infections or abnormal kidney function. Like people, dogs and cats can get urinary tract infections and kidney stones, too.
- Thyroid Function Tests
- There are several different thyroid tests, each focusing on a particular type of thyroid problem. An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroid) can sap your pet's energy or cause weight gain or circulatory problems, among other things. Some problems caused by an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroid) include skin problems, hair loss, eye problems and difficulty sleeping.
- Parasite Exams
- That same blood sample used for the CBC and chemistry tests can also be used to check for heartworm in all dogs, as well as for other parasites that thrive in an anemic animal.
- A fecal sample can be analyzed to detect the presence of various worms and other intestinal parasites. Puppies and dogs living in crowded conditions are most susceptible to these ailments.