From the first visit and throughout their entire life, we’ll be there to provide the absolute best care for your pet. Our wellness care measures can maximize the fullness of that life both in terms of what your pet can do and for how long. Annual physical exams are important! Many of our younger patients have annual exams, but for aging pets or those who have medical conditions, we recommend exams every six months.

Wellness visits include:

• Annual physical exams are important! Many of our younger patients have annual exams, but for aging pets or those who have medical conditions, we recommend exams every six months.
• Vaccinations protect your pet. While dogs and cats have some of the same vaccinations like rabies and distemper, they also have different vaccination needs based on the diseases that can affect their species. Our veterinarians will work with you to set up a comprehensive vaccination schedule to protect your pet.
• Pet dental care is important for your pet’s overall health. Just like humans, pets need to have regular dental care both at home and at the veterinary office. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, 70% of adult cats and 80% of adult dogs show symptoms of oral disease.
• We help protect your pet from nasty parasites. Ridding a pet and home from fleas can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and can be nearly impossible to get rid of as flea eggs can survive for a very long time. We will work with you to set up the best flea and tick preventive plan for your pets.

It is difficult to see your pet in pain or suffering and not know what’s wrong. Our team provides state of the art in house diagnostics to help us learn what’s wrong and provide an accurate diagnosis. A quicker diagnosis leads to quicker treatment! We do diagnostic testing both in-house and with an outside lab so we can provide results quickly and accurately.

Newport Mesa Animal Hospital is able to process a wide array of diagnostic laboratory tests with our in-house laboratory.

Our tests include things like:

• Blood Tests
• Urine Tests
• Fecal Tests
• Parasite Tests
• Digital X-rays
• Ultrasonography
• …and more!

We utilize these tests to assess your pet’s overall well-being. This helps us detect the trouble brewing in the internal organs by providing important clues to disease.

Did you know that poor oral health can lead to infections that can spread through the bloodstream to affect major organs such as your pet’s liver, kidneys, and heart?
Just as it’s important for you to see a dentist regularly, it’s important for dogs and cats as well. Your pet’s oral health is directly connected to their overall health. Signs of dental disease include bad breath, loose, broken or missing teeth, yellow or brown teeth, red, inflamed or bleeding gums, difficulty or pain when chewing, pawing at the mouth, and excessive drooling. If you notice any of these symptoms, please contact our team and we’ll be happy to help.

We are proud that we have the most up to date equipment to treat dental disease, including digital dental x-rays. This allows us to detect if there is any disease beneath the gum line that we would not be able to see otherwise. We are often able to see undetected abscesses, broken teeth, resorbed roots, retained roots, and more thanks to dental radiographs.

Common Dental Problems

• Gum disease is very common in dogs and cats.  Gingivitis, or gum disease, is an inflammation of the gum tissue
• Peridontitis, or periodontal disease, is the most common dental problem for dogs
• Tooth fractures are the second biggest problem for dogs.  This can lead to infection inside the tooth (endodontic disease)

There have been many advancements in digital x-ray technology, and we can now manipulate the digital images that we take. This allows us to diagnose issues that may not be seen on a traditional x-ray. Because the x-rays are digital, we can also easily share the images with specialists or other veterinarians we may consult for more difficult cases.

An estimated 59% of cats and 54% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. Good nutrition and weight management are key to your pet’s overall health. These healthy habits are created at a young age for your pet and it’s up to you to help them maintain these habits. Through a good diet and proper exercise, you greatly increase your pet’s chance at a long, healthy life.

At Newport Mesa Animal Hospital, we can recommend diets specific to your pet’s needs. We also carry a full stock of prescription diets.

We know the issue of pain management is of great concern to pet owners today. As in human medicine, we have a variety of medications available to manage your pet’s pain both before and after surgery and in the event of trauma. We would be pleased to discuss the options available to you and your pet under any of the above circumstances.

Board-certified specialists, such as oncologists, ophthalmologists, and neurologists, have extensive experience and training in a particular area of veterinary medicine or surgery. Specialty clinics and university-affiliated referral centers have specialized equipment to perform procedures that are not routinely performed by general veterinary practitioners.

We make referral decisions because we want to ensure that our patients receive the highest standard of care and best possible outcome. Be assured that when we refer a patient to another hospital, we continue to stay involved with his or her care, consulting with the treating specialist and often providing any needed follow-up care and rehabilitation.