Regular preventive care is the single most effective way to keep your pet healthy, detect disease early, and extend their quality of life. At Tenafly Veterinary Center in Tenafly, NJ, we go far beyond routine vaccinations — our comprehensive wellness exams are designed to evaluate every aspect of your pet's health and create a proactive plan tailored to their individual needs.

Comprehensive Wellness Exams

Even when pets appear healthy, they often mask signs of illness or discomfort. Our veterinarians recommend wellness exams once or twice yearly depending on your pet's age and health status. Because pets age faster than humans, these visits are critical for catching issues before they become serious and expensive to treat.

During a wellness exam, our team performs a thorough head-to-tail physical assessment and may include:

  • Immunizations and vaccine schedule review
  • Parasite, heartworm, and tick screening
  • Dental health evaluation
  • Complete blood work and blood chemistry panel
  • Thyroid function testing
  • Blood pressure assessment
  • Eye and vision checks
  • Urinalysis
  • Weight and body condition scoring

Vaccinations: Core and Non-Core

Keeping your pet current on vaccinations is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect them from serious, preventable diseases. At Tenafly Veterinary Center, we create individualized vaccination schedules based on your pet's species, age, breed, lifestyle, and health history. We do not over-vaccinate — we vaccinate strategically.

Core Vaccines We Recommend

  • Dogs: Rabies (required by NJ state law), DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
  • Cats: Rabies (required by NJ state law), FVRCP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia)

Non-Core Vaccines Based on Lifestyle

  • Dogs: Lyme, Canine Influenza, Bordetella, Leptospirosis
  • Cats: Feline Leukemia, Chlamydia

Parasite Prevention and Control

Parasites including fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal worms pose serious year-round threats to your pet's health and can even transfer to humans. Prevention is far safer, easier, and more affordable than treatment.
  • Fleas cause dermatitis, itching, bacterial infections, and hair loss. A single female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day — year-round prevention is essential.
  • Ticks transmit Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. We recommend regular preventative regimens and thorough grooming checks.
  • Heartworm disease is caused by parasitic worms spread via mosquito bites and can lead to heart failure, lung disease, and death. Monthly preventatives are the only reliable protection.
  • Intestinal parasites (tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms) are easily transmitted and can cause serious nutrient deficiencies. Annual fecal screenings are recommended.

Microchipping

Approximately 10 million pets go missing in the US each year. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats are returned to their owners without a microchip. A microchip is a tiny, permanent device injected just beneath the skin between the shoulder blades in a quick, nearly painless procedure. When scanned by any vet or shelter, it transmits a unique ID number linked to your contact information. Combined with an ID tag and collar, microchipping dramatically increases the chance of being reunited with a lost pet.

Nutrition and Weight Management

Obesity affects over 85% of US pets by age 3 and is linked to diabetes, arthritis, liver disease, and shortened lifespan. Our approach at Tenafly Veterinary Center is to use food as medicine — identifying a diet that prevents disease, maintains ideal weight, and supports long-term health based on your pet's life stage, breed, and health needs.

Our nutrition recommendations include:

  • Purina Rx diet rotation (OM, EN, DH, DRM, JM, NC) making up 60–75% of total diet
  • Complete and balanced raw frozen diet — 20–30% of total diet
  • Choose from the Big Three: Purina, Hills, Royal Canin — the most scientifically validated pet food brands
  • Avoid grain-free diets (linked to cardiac issues in dogs)
  • Look for "complete and balanced" and "AAFCO approved" labels

Frequently Asked Questions

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