The importance of physical examinations
The cornerstone of your pet’s wellness, is a complete physical exam and consultation with you! Our doctors and technicians make every effort to answer any and all questions you may have about current health issues and possible treatment options. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventative care. 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. We recommend baseline blood work for pets over the age of five. Dogs and cats age much faster than people, so significant changes in your pet’s health can happen in a short time. We will work with you to create an individualized wellness program, including a vaccination and prevention protocol customized specifically to your pet and his or her needs based on risk factors, the doctor’s physical examination findings and your input.
Our focus during a well pet exam is on customizing vaccination protocols, discussing weight, evaluating the physical examination and making sure your pet does not have any abnormalities that are of concern. We also use this time to talk about maintenance care like ear cleaning, dental care and dietary issues.
Current vaccination recommendations:
Adult Dogs
- DAPPV Vaccine Annually
- Rabies Vaccine every 3 years after initial booster
- Bordetella Vaccine Annually
Adult Cats
- FVRCP Vaccine Annually
- Rabies Vaccine Annually
- Leukemia Vaccine for cats spending time outdoors
Puppies
- DAPPV Vaccine at 8 weeks old
- DAPPV and Bordetella Vaccine at 11 weeks old
- DAPV and Rabies Vaccine at 14 weeks old
- DAPPV Vaccine at 17 weeks old
Kittens
- FVRCP Vaccine at 8 weeks old
- FVRCP Vaccine at 11-12 weeks old
- FVRCP and Rabies Vaccine at 15 weeks old
