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Wellness Care

One of the best things you can do for your pet is to keep them healthy. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to do that is by bringing in your pet for annual exams and vaccinations. Dogs and cats age far faster than people, so significant changes in your pet’s health can happen in a short time. 

Annual wellness visits allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early when they’re easier to treat or manage. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives. 

We recommend that healthy adult dogs and cats visit us once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets with health issues or illnesses need more frequent checkups.

Kitten Wellness

Our kitten wellness program is designed to help get your kitten started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your kitten’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy cat, including information and advice on nutrition, litterbox training, and behavior. Schedule your kitten for their first exam as soon as possible. Until your kitten has received a series of vaccines, they are susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. Depending on your cat’s risk, we may also advise vaccinating them against other diseases, such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV). In addition, your kitten will need to be tested and treated for parasites, which are common in young cats. 

Adult Wellness

Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that your dog or cat is healthy or help us detect hidden diseases or conditions early. Early detection can improve the prognosis of many diseases, keep medical costs down, and help your pet live longer. Many dogs and cats are good at hiding signs that something is wrong, so subtle changes in their health or behavior might be easy to overlook. And, depending on the disease, some pets don’t show any symptoms. Dogs and cats age quicker than humans, so it is even more crucial for our companion animals to receive regular exams. In addition, the risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. 

During your pet’s wellness exam, we will perform a physical assessment, checking your dog or cat from nose to tail. We will also make sure your pet receives appropriate vaccinations and preventives. We will perform a diagnostic workup, which may include blood, fecal, and urine tests to check for parasites and underlying diseases. We may also recommend that your pet receive dental care. 

When your pet is nearing his or her senior years, we will recommend a baseline exam and diagnostic workup so we’ll know what’s normal for your pet. This will enable us to keep track of any changes. Please let us know if you’ve noticed any physical or behavioral changes in your pet, as well as any other concerns you might have. 

Call us today to schedule your pet’s exam! If you have any questions about our adult wellness program, please let us know. 

Puppy Wellness

Our puppy wellness program is designed to help get your puppy started on the right path to a long and healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your puppy’s development, and we can give you the support and tools necessary to help him or her grow into a well-mannered, healthy dog, including information and advice on nutrition, training, behavior, and socialization. 

Until your puppy has received a series of vaccines, they are susceptible to many serious but preventable diseases. Your puppy will also need to be tested and treated for parasites, which are common in young dogs. 

Most puppies are prone to intestinal parasites which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal signs (although dogs can have worms without showing any symptoms). Puppies need to be treated for intestinal parasites, not only to rid them of the infection but also to prevent you and the rest of your family from becoming infected. Intestinal parasites can be zoonotic parasites, which means they can be transmitted from pets to people. By ensuring that your puppy is treated, you can keep your entire family safe from these and other parasites. 

We look forward to meeting your new puppy!  

Senior Wellness

As dogs and cats get older, they need more attention and special care. Our senior wellness program can help your pet remain fit and healthy as he or she ages and help us catch any potential problems earlier when they’re easier to treat or manage. Regular veterinary exams can actually help your pet live longer, too! 

Diagnosing diseases and certain conditions early is important throughout a pet’s life, but it becomes even more critical when your dog or cat enters his or her senior years. The risks of arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems all increase with age. In addition, dogs and cats may not show any signs of even serious diseases until they are advanced. 

Senior status varies depending on your pet’s breed and size. Smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger dogs, and cats generally live longer than dogs. We can help you determine what life stage your pet is in. Before your dog or cat reaches senior status, we recommend that you bring your pet in for a baseline exam and diagnostic workup. This will give us a record of what’s normal for your pet so we can keep track of any changes. In most cases, we suggest this checkup for when your dog turns 7 years of age or your cat turns 8 years of age. Thereafter, your senior pet will benefit from more frequent veterinary exams and diagnostic testing. 

We can treat many symptoms that are commonly attributed to age, including those associated with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (similar to Alzheimer’s in humans). We can also improve your pet’s quality of life in many ways: by identifying and preventing or reducing pain, recommending a nutrition and exercise plan, and suggesting environmental modifications. We will tailor a senior wellness plan to your pet’s individual needs. If you have any questions, we can discuss our senior wellness program in more detail.

Vaccinations

While nursing, pets receive antibodies and nutrients from their mother’s milk. When nursing stops, pets become more susceptible to illnesses because their immune systems do not have the same support they once did. As part of a preventative care routine, pet vaccinations can help protect your pet from life-threatening diseases. 

For most pets, routine vaccinations start around the age of 6 to 8 weeks old and continue regularly throughout adulthood. Some vaccinations are even combined into a single syringe so a pet experiences fewer injections.

After being vaccinated, most young pets take about 5 days to build protective antibodies with complete protection taking place after 14 days. Some vaccines require multiple dosages given over a short period, and most require booster shots every 6 months to 3 years.

Pets who have been vaccinated have an advantage over those who have not. When a disease is detected, your vaccinated pet’s immune system quickly responds, decreasing severity of the illness or preventing it altogether. While it is rare, some pets do not develop immunity from their vaccinations and still become ill. If your pet has been vaccinated, is current on all of their booster shots, and has never shown signs of illness or disease, it has likely been successfully vaccinated. 

There are several pet vaccinations that are necessary for all pets and others that are recommended only under special circumstances. Core vaccinations are those that are commonly recommended for all pets, and non-core vaccinations include those that are only administered to pets considered to be “at-risk.” Necessary vaccines depend on local regulations, geographic location, and your pet’s lifestyle. Your pet will be vaccinated according to their risk of exposure and your veterinarian will discuss the best options for your pet.  

Pet owners should note that vaccinations are preventative, not curative. A vaccination will prevent an illness, but if your pet is already suffering from a disease, a vaccine will not cure them.

Cat Vaccines

Feline Herpesvirus, Calici Virus, Feline Distemper – These vaccines are considered core vaccines. Your kitten will receive their first vaccinations between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks, and they will need to be repeated once every 3 weeks until your kitten reaches 15 to 17 weeks old (depending on when vaccinations were started). A booster vaccination is administered annually every 1 to 3 years depending on lifestyle. 

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) – Feline Leukemia is a non-core vaccine given to cats that spend time outdoors. The first vaccine is given when a kitten is 12 weeks old and the first booster is administered when the cat reaches 15 to 16 weeks old. Booster shots are recommended to be updated annually at pet wellness exams. 

Rabies – This vaccine is also a core vaccination for kittens. The initial vaccine is first administered between 12 and 16 weeks of age. A booster shot is necessary after 1 year, then typically every 3 years following that. 

Dog Vaccines

Bordetella (Kennel Cough) – This is a non-core vaccine, and your veterinarian might not consider your pet to be at risk. The vaccine is first given to puppies when they are 8 weeks old and is repeated every 6 to 12 months depending on the dog’s exposure. 

Influenza -This is a non-core vaccine. We offer the bivalent h3n2 h3n8 influenza vaccine.

Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus (DHPP) – These vaccines are considered core vaccines. Your puppy will receive their first vaccination between 6 and 8 weeks old, and booster shots will be given once every 3 weeks until your puppy is 15 to 18 weeks old (depending on when vaccinations were started). A booster vaccination is administered after the first year and every third year following that. 

Heartworm – Heartworm prevention is considered a core treatment and is given to a puppy/dog monthly for the extent of their life. Usually a routine Heartworm test is performed at 6 months or older and then annually. If heartworm is detected, treatment is implemented. 

Leptospirosis – This core vaccine can be given to a puppy at 8 weeks of age or older and a booster vaccine in 3 weeks. The vaccine is given annually thereafter. The vaccine is intended to prevent bacterial infections in the kidneys, liver, and other major organs. 

Lyme – The Lyme vaccination is a non-core vaccine that is first administered when the puppy reaches 12 weeks old. The first booster is given to the puppy at 15 weeks old, and annual boosters are recommended for dogs that reside in areas with increased exposure to ticks carrying Lyme disease. 

Rabies – The rabies vaccine is considered a core vaccine, and many states require pets to have it by law, but there are a few exceptions. The initial vaccine is first given when the puppy reaches 16 weeks old. A booster shot is necessary after 1 year, then typically every 3rd year following that.