Do you recommend therapeutic diets for chronic conditions?

For conditions like kidney disease, urinary disease, and allergic skin disease, a therapeutic diet is often as effective as medication.

Medical Services for Pets in Vancouver

When a dog or cat develops a problem that needs more than preventive care, it sits under what Veterinarians call internal medicine. Skin conditions, gastrointestinal issues, chronic pain, allergies, heart and respiratory disease, weight problems, the behaviour changes that show up in older pets, all of this falls under our medical services. The dog and cat families we work with across Dunbar and Vancouver's West Side bring in pets at every life stage, and our team provides the assessments, ongoing management, and dietary guidance that get pets back to comfortable, healthy lives.

Veterinary medical services cover the assessment, management, and ongoing care of medical conditions in dogs and cats that go beyond routine preventive work. Common areas include dermatology, gastrointestinal care, cardiology and respiratory care, pain management, senior pet medicine, and nutrition counselling for pets needing weight management or therapeutic diets.

Dermatology and Allergies for Dogs and Cats in Vancouver

Skin and ear problems are the single most common medical complaint in dogs and cats. The cause might be a food sensitivity, environmental allergies, parasites, a bacterial or yeast infection, or some combination of all four. Our team works through the assessment systematically: skin scrapings, cytology, ear cytology, and sometimes hair plucks and culture to identify the underlying cause before recommending a care plan. For chronic allergic patients, we build a long-term management plan that balances symptom control with the lowest sustainable medication burden.

Gastrointestinal and Digestive Care

Vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss, and changes in appetite can have causes ranging from a passing dietary upset to chronic inflammatory disease. We assess gastrointestinal symptoms with a careful history first, then add bloodwork, faecal testing, abdominal imaging, or further workup as the case warrants. For pets diagnosed with chronic gastrointestinal disease, ongoing dietary management and supportive care often become as important as medication. The Vancouver West Side sees its share of dietary indiscretion cases too, especially in dogs who scavenge on walks.

Cardiology and Respiratory Care

Heart and lung conditions are common in older pets and in some predisposed breeds at any age. We assess the heart and respiratory system at every wellness visit with auscultation, and if anything sounds different we follow up with bloodwork, blood pressure, chest radiographs, and an electrocardiogram. When ongoing cardiology support is needed beyond what we provide in clinic, we coordinate with our trusted specialist referral partners for diagnostic imaging or ongoing cardiology management.

Pain Management and Senior Pet Medicine

Pain in dogs and cats often shows up as behaviour change rather than obvious limping or vocalising. A cat who stops jumping on the couch, a dog who hesitates on stairs, a senior pet who sleeps more or seems grumpier, all can be early signs of chronic pain. Our pain assessment looks at the whole pet, identifies likely sources, and builds a multimodal care plan that may include medication, weight management, joint supplements, environmental modifications, and regular re-evaluation. Senior pets benefit from twice-yearly wellness visits so we catch changes early.

Nutrition Counselling: Weight Management, Life-Stage Diets, and Therapeutic Diets

Diet is one of the most powerful tools in veterinary medical care, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Weight management for overweight pets is the single biggest predictor of joint health and longevity in dogs and cats. Life-stage feeding plans match the diet to your pet's age, activity level, and reproductive status. Therapeutic diets formulated for conditions like kidney disease, urinary issues, allergic skin disease, or gastrointestinal disease give us a non-medication tool to manage chronic conditions. Our team builds the right plan for each patient and re-evaluates as the pet ages or the condition shifts.

Veterinary Products and On-Site Dispensing

Most of the veterinary products your dog or cat needs are dispensed directly from our clinic at the time of the visit. That includes parasite prevention, therapeutic diets, supplements, and any product the Veterinarian sends home as part of a care plan. Dispensing on-site removes the wait of an outside fill and lets us confirm dose, packaging, and instructions face-to-face before you leave.

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FAQs

How do I know when my pet needs to see a vet for a medical problem?

Any noticeable change in eating, drinking, energy, behaviour, weight, coat condition, or bathroom habits is worth a phone call. Our team triages over the phone first and can often tell whether the situation needs a same-day appointment, a scheduled visit, or home monitoring with a follow-up if symptoms continue.

My dog has been itching nonstop. Could it be allergies?

Persistent itching can be a sign of environmental allergies, food allergies, parasites, or skin infection, often more than one at the same time. Treating the surface symptoms without identifying the underlying cause usually means the problem returns. We work through the assessment in stages so we can match the care plan to the actual cause.

Is my older pet just slowing down or is something wrong?

Some slowing with age is normal, but most behaviour changes that owners attribute to “just getting older” turn out to be chronic pain, dental disease, or an emerging medical issue that responds well to care. A senior wellness exam with bloodwork and a thorough physical helps us tell the difference.

For conditions like kidney disease, urinary disease, allergic skin disease, gastrointestinal disease, and weight-related joint issues, a therapeutic diet is often as effective as medication and avoids the side effects of long-term drug use. We discuss diet at every medical follow-up and adjust as the pet’s condition or life stage changes.

Schedule a medical consultation for your pet. Call (604) 221-5858 or book online to bring your dog or cat in for an assessment, ongoing condition management, or a nutrition consult at Alta Vista Animal Hospital in Dunbar.