Puppies and kittens should start receiving vaccinations at 7 – 8 weeks. These first vaccines are temporary and need to be boostered at 3 week intervals until the permanent vaccines can be given at 16 weeks.
Spaying or neutering can be done as early as 4 months of age and should be done before 6 months of age on puppies and kittens. It is important to spay females prior to their first heat cycle to decrease their chances of uterine and mammary cancers.
Heartworm testing is very important for your dog. Heartworms are passed from dog to dog by mosquitoes and are very prevalent in this part of the country. Heartworm tests are performed in house with a small blood sample and results are received within 10 minutes.
Heartworm preventatives are guaranteed, however, failures have occurred. For the manufacturer’s guarantee to be honored, a test has to be done once a year. As with other preventative medications, if a test is not done periodically, we have no way of knowing if the product is working as it should be.
There are several reasons why an animal may not be suitable to be vaccinated on any given day. A physical exam is performed to make sure that there are no health issues with your pet that would cause the vaccine to be ineffective. A fever or ongoing infection may cause the immune system to not be receptive to the vaccine and would, therefore, not create the desired immunity. An annual comprehensive physical exam is also important to the overall health and well-being of your pet. Pets age much more quickly than humans and many problems can be detected during the physical examination. Early detection and treatment of disease is important to ensure a long healthy life with your pet.
No! These human anti-inflammatories are very dangerous to your pet. There are medications specifically designed for dogs and cats that control pain and reduce inflammation.