Preventive Care
Providing The Quality Care Your Pet Deserves

There are many things we can do to help keep our pets healthy. Preventing disease is much easier than trying to treat disease later.

Vaccinations

Vaccinations remain important, even though our recommended schedule has been modified. The initial series of vaccinations for puppies & kittens are very important, since young animals do not have a good level of protective immunity. By giving a series of carefully selected vaccinations, your young pet can develop the immunity necessary to protect against some dangerous diseases. These vaccinations then need to be “boostered” (renewed) on a regular schedule, which varies depending on the vaccine and the individual. Please refer to vaccines for more information.

Heartworm disease

Heartworm disease remains a threat, even though the preventive medications have been available for many years now. Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes. The preventive medications work by preventing the heartworm life cycle from developing once the pet is bitten by an infected mosquito. The biggest issue with heartworm preventive medication is compliance! The medication will only work if given properly. We all live very busy lives, and it is easy to forget that Fido is due for his monthly heartworm pill; or summer rolls around and now it’s August and Fifi has not been on any heartworm prevention at all!

To address the issue of compliance, we now recommend using the preventatives year-round. This lessens the likelihood of breaks in protection, especially from starting too late or stopping too early. Also, recent studies show that giving some types of heartworm prevention year-round on a monthly basis provides added protection even if a dose is given late or forgotten (or thrown-up in the backyard when you weren't looking!). We continue to advise yearly testing for the presence of heartworm disease, as recommended by the American Heartworm Society (www.heartwormsociety.org/heart.htm ).

You may be surprised to learn that cats can also get heartworm disease. Heartworm disease in cats is different than in dogs. Cats are less susceptible to getting the disease, but fewer numbers of adult worms in the heart can cause a severe illness. We recom- mend heartworm preventatives for cats that are exposed to mosquitoes. Testing is generally only done when we suspect that a cat may have heartworm disease.

Parasites

Heartworms are just one type of parasite that can affect your pet. Fleas, ticks, mites, and intestinal worms are some of the other parasites that can cause problems. In fact, some of these could possibly infect people! In order to avoid this and to keep your family and pet safe & healthy, we advise regular exams, including stool sample checks. There are also many safe & effective treatments and preventives available in order to avoid these pests. You can visit http://www.petsandparasites.org for much more information.

Dental care

Dental disease is the most common disease in adult dogs and cats! 80% of dogs and 70% of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS). “Doggie Breath” is not normal! There are many products that can help to reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar on your pet’s teeth. These include special foods and chews, pet toothpaste, sprays, and wipes. These can help keep the teeth cleaner, but it is still important to have your pet’s mouth examined on a regular basis. Most pets will need annual dental cleanings (scaling and polishing under general anesthesia). Some pets will need more frequent cleanings! These cleanings can reduce the non-reversible changes that occur with worsening periodontal disease. Periodontal disease leads to infection and tooth loss. Bacterial infections in the mouth can spread to other areas, including heart valves and the kidneys. Untreated dental disease is one of the reasons that many older dogs have heart murmurs and develop heart disease and failure. By providing regular dental care, we have the potential to prevent heart disease!