Pet Wellness & Vaccination Programs

We make sure we allow ample time to spend with you and your puppy during your first visit. We like to discuss nutrition, behavior, vaccinations, parasite control, breed related diseases, pet insurance etc. at this time. We will give your puppy a complete physical examination to make sure that it is healthy and has no congenital abnormalities.

Because puppies do not have fully developed immune systems they need a series of vaccinations to get good protection. We generally vaccinate at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. Puppies are vaccinated for a variety of viral diseases including distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza, hepatitis and coronavirus. They are also given a rabies vaccination at 16 weeks of age. Puppies that are going to a kennel should also be vaccinated for the bacteria causing "Kennel Cough".

Puppies can acquire worms from their mother before they are born. Puppies are never too young to be carrying worms and are dewormed during their first two visits.

Puppies can be spayed or neutered at 6 months of age. Studies have shown that spaying/neutering your pets before this age can affect their bone growth, so we prefer to wait until this time.

We make sure we allow ample time to spend with you and your kitten during your first visit. We like to discuss nutrition, vaccinations, parasite control, pet insurance etc. at this time. We will give your kitten a complete physical examination to make sure that it is healthy and has no congenital abnormalities.

Because kittens do not have fully developed immune systems they need a series of vaccinations to get good protection. We generally vaccinate at 8,12, and 16 weeks of age. Kittens are vaccinated for a variety of viral diseases including calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, and panleukopenia (distemper). They are also given a rabies vaccination at 12-16 weeks of age. Some kittens are at risk of contracting feline leukemia and should also be vaccinated for this.

Kittens can acquire worms from their mother before they are born. Kittens are never to young to be carrying worms and are dewormed during their first two visits.

Kittens are spayed or neutered at 6 months of age as doing before this age has been shown to affect bone growth.

We are advocates of preventative medicine and believe in annual examinations of your pet. It aids in the early detection of health problems such as dental disease and obesity. A lot can happen to your pet over a year. Remember, they age 5-7 years for every year we age.

Vaccinations

After the puppy series, a dog is due for rabies and distemper vaccine one year after their last puppy shot and every three years after that. Kennel cough vaccine is required yearly if you are boarding your dog.

After the kitten series, a cat is due for rabies and herpes vaccine one year after their last kitten shot. After that, the rabies shot is due annually, and the herpes shot is due every three years.

Don't worry! We keep all this on file and know when your pet is due for their vaccines!

Deworming

Depending on exposure, most pets must be dewormed 1-2 times yearly. Outside pets that like to hunt should be done twice a year.

Ask us about our Dental wellness plans! Payment options are available.

Depending on the breed, a dog is usually considered to be a senior between the ages of 7-9 while a cat reaches this point at 10 years. Medical problems including the incidence of liver, kidney, endocrine, & dental disease, cancer, and obesity greatly increase around this time.

Annual check-ups are extremely important in trying to catch these diseases early, so you can spend the longest time possible with your pet. Annual blood panels can be very helpful in assisting in early disease processes that can not be appreciated by physical exam alone.

It is also important to keep track of your pet's eating/drinking habits and their urination/defecation habits at home. Changes in these behaviors can help you see when something is wrong.

Feel free to ask your veterinarian any questions about the care of your senior pets.