Dogs & Puppies

Keeping your pet healthy is our primary goal. It starts with the first exam of your puppy. Our doctors will look for any sign of illness or genetic problems that could affect your pet’s life. We will give you our recommendations for vaccinations and worming, as well as preventatives for heartworms and fleas. After your initial visit, we will send you cards in the mail whenever your pet is due for a vaccination or heartworm test. Below are our recommendations for keeping your dog healthy.

Puppies:

  • 1st puppy vaccination @ 6 weeks old (DHPP-CVK – a combination vaccine for Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Parainfuenza, and Coronavirus). Begin heartworm preventative (oral pill given monthly). We will provide the first sample of heartworm and flea medications for your at your first visit.
  • 2nd puppy vaccination 3 weeks later @ 9 weeks old (same vaccine as 1st)
  • 3rd puppy vaccination 3 weeks later @ 12 weeks old (DHL-PP – combination vaccine for Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Leptospirosis.)
  • 4th puppy vaccination 3 weeks later @ 16-18 weeks old (same as the third vaccine.)
  • Rabies vaccination – at 4 months of age
  • Bordatella – As early as 6 weeks of age. (We recommend this to any puppy that will be exposed to other dogs – in kennels, grooming parlors, obedience training, dog parks, etc)
  • We will test your puppy’s stool for worms and other internal parasites at each visit and worm your pet as needed.
  • 1st heartworm test @ 9-12 months old
  • Flea preventative and treatments can be started at 6 weeks.

Adult Dogs:

  • Annual booster 1 year after the last puppy vaccination and annually thereafter (DHLPP – same combination as last puppy vaccination)
  • Rabies vaccination 1 year after the 1st rabies vaccination and every three years thereafter
  • Bordatella – The internasal first part is given as early as 6 weeks of age. The second part can be given 3 weeks after the first, and is an injectable. The vaccine is given every 6 months after the initial two-part vaccine is given.
  • Heartworm/tick born diseases test and stool check for parasites annually.
  • Heartworm preventative should be continued monthly.
  • Flea treatments/preventative should be used monthly.

If your puppy or dog is exposed to ticks, he may be at risk for contracting Lyme Disease. In patients that are at risk, we recommend vaccinating. Our doctors can discuss with you whether this is best for your pet. Click here for more information on Lyme Disease.

Heartworm Preventative – Trifexis, Sentinel, or Heartguard Plus given monthly will prevent heartworms and most intestinal worms. Trifexis and Sentinel also help prevent fleas.

Flea treatment and preventative – We recommend Frontline Tritak, Vectra, and Revolution. These are drops that are placed on the skin between the shoulder blades monthly to kill fleas and/or ticks. Revolution also prevents heartworms and controls some other parasites. We also frequently dispense Comfortis, a relatively new once a month pill that kills and controls fleas. Please discuss with one of our staff which medication is best for your pet.

If all this sounds confusing, remember, we will send you reminders in the mail every time your pet is due to come in for a visit!

Cats & Kittens

Keeping your cat healthy is our primary goal. It starts with the first exam as a kitten. Our doctors will look for any sign of illness or genetic problems that could affect your pet’s life. We will give you our recommendations for vaccinations and worming, as well as preventatives for fleas. After your initial visit, we will send you cards in the mail whenever your pet is due for a vaccination. Below are our recommendations for keeping your cat healthy.

Kittens:

  • 1st vaccination @ 6 weeks (FVRCPP – Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Pneumonitis*, Panleukopenia**) We recommend that your kitten have a simple blood test at this time for Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus***. If negative, we can discuss with you whether your kitten should be vaccinated for Feline Leukemia Virus.
  • 2nd vaccination @ 9 weeks (FVRCPP – same vaccination as 1st)
  • 3rd vaccination @ 12 weeks (FVRCPP -same vaccination as 1st and 2nd)
  • Rabies – at 4 months of age
  • We will check your kitten for worms and other intestinal parasite each visit and worm as needed.
  • Flea treatment / preventative can be started @ 12 weeks old. (We recommend Vectra, Frontline Tritak, and Revolution)

*Pneumonitis is also called Chlamydia.
**Panleukopenia is also called Feline Enteritis Virus and Feline Distemper.
***Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is also called Feline AIDS.

Adult Cats:

  • Annual booster vaccination (FVRCPP)- 1 year after the last kitten vaccination and every three years thereafter.
  • Rabies – 1 year after the 1st rabies vaccination and annually thereafter.
  • We will check your cat for worms and intestinal parasites on each visit.
  • We will do a thorough physical exam at the time of each annual booster.
  • We recommend monthly flea treatment / preventative (Vectra, Frontline, or Revolution)