Peoria Pet Health Maintenance
Veterinary Internal Medicine
Despite the very best preventive care, animals can still get sick. A sick pet is stressful for both you and your companion, especially because you can't simply ask them what's wrong. You need a skilled veterinarian whom you can trust to accurately diagnose and effectively treat your pet.
While the hospital's focus is on disease prevention and wellness care, you can also rely on a skilled and compassionate medical team when your pet is sick. To that end, an important part of the veterinary practice is the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases. A team of experienced veterinarians, supported by All Pets Animal Hospital's advanced diagnostic technology, have expertise in diagnosing and treating complex internal medicine cases such as kidney, heart, respiratory, immune-mediated and endocrine diseases.
Your Pet's Nutrition
A balanced diet—along with fresh, clean water—are essential ingredients for your pet's overall good health. As your pet's caregiver, nutrition is the most significant health variable that you control.
Feeding your pet high-quality food is one of the best ways you can contribute your pet's overall wellness. Making the best nutritional choices for your dog or cat not only effects general health, but will improve the quality and length of their life.
To support your efforts, the doctors at All Pets Animal Hospital perform a thorough body condition evaluation during every physical examination and give diet recommendations based on what we see. The veterinarians can also provide important information on proper serving size, nutrient needs and feeding strategies. We will help you navigate pet food claims so you can make the best choices for your cat or dog.
Prescription Diets for Pets in Peoria
Some pets have serious nutritional challenges or chronic conditions that benefit from a special diet. When this is the case, we may recommend feeding a special prescription diet. Making this change can have a significant positive impact on your pet's overall health and well-being.
Prescription diets benefit medical conditions such as liver disease, bladder and kidney disease, digestive problems, renal failure, food allergies, diabetes and more. All Pets Animal Hospital carries a diverse inventory of prescription foods and high-quality nutritional products including Purina and Royal Canin.
Pet Allergies and Skin Problems
Allergies are quite common in dogs of all breeds and backgrounds and are typically the result of food or inhaled irritants like dust or pollen. Most allergies appear after the pet is 6 months of age with the majority of affected dogs over 2 years old. The most common symptom associated with allergies is itching of the skin, either localized or generalized. Other symptoms include respiratory distress (coughing, sneezing and wheezing) or digestive problems causing vomiting, flatulence or diarrhea.
Pet Skin Allergy Symptoms
It is important to be able to identify the first signs and symptoms of allergies and dermatological conditions. These include:
- Scratching, licking, chewing or biting the skin, feet and ears
- Red, raised, scaly areas on the skin
- Bumps, crusts or pus filled vesicles on the skin
- Increased skin pigmentation
- Thickened skin
- Loss of hair
- Salivary staining (brown color)
- Head shaking
If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, please make an appointment to have him or her seen by a veterinarian at All Pets Animal Hospital Peoria. We will evaluate your pet, determine the most effective method of treatment, and explain how you can prevent future problems. If left untreated, allergic reactions and skin conditions can become serious medical concerns.
Pet Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a common condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eye increases, resulting in damage to the optic nerve, followed by loss of vision and blindness. There are two types of glaucoma. Primary or chronic glaucoma is hereditary and develops as your pet ages. Secondary or acute glaucoma develops as the result of an injury or illness. Because secondary glaucoma can progress rapidly, it is considered an emergency situation.
Symptoms of glaucoma include:
- Redness in the eye
- Tearing or discharge
- Eye sensitivity to light
- Pain
- Cloudy-looking eye
- Bulging eyeball
The exam is not only an effective screening measure for chronic and acute glaucoma, it can also help set a baseline measurement of your pet's normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Establishing an IOP baseline is important because the normal measurement can vary between species, breeds and even individual pets.
This is a non-invasive, simple procedure that should not cause your pet any pain or discomfort.
Treating Your Pet's Cancer
At All Pets Animal Hospital Peoria, we consider many factors in advising the most appropriate course of treatment for your pet's particular case. The standard treatment for almost all pet cancers is the surgical removal of the lump. Benign (non-invasive, non-spreading) cancers in an accessible, well-defined area are almost always permanently cured by surgical removal. Surgery is also the best treatment for the majority of malignant cancers that have not yet spread. Complex procedures may require referral to a specialist. Recovery from most procedures is rapid and post-surgical pain is controllable using appropriate medications.
