Vaccination Against Preventable Diseases

 Vaccination is the key to your pet's overall health.  Unless properly vaccinated, your pet is at risk of contracting and spreading one of several, possibly fatal, infectious diseases.  Most common infectious diseases can be prevented by routine vaccination.  Puppies and kittens should begin their vaccination series at 6-8 weeks of age and these vaccines should be boostered every 3-4 weeks until at least 16 weeks of age, when adult immunity takes over.  Depending on the vaccine, your pet should then be boostered annually or every 3 years in the case of rabies.

   We routinely vaccinate dogs for distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainflueza and corona virus, which is a single 6 way vaccine (DHLPPCVK).  Kennel cough, known as bordatella, is highly contagious and a good idea for most dogs.  It is easily transmitted with dog to dog exposure such as dog parks or pet stores.  It is mandatory at boarding and some grooming facilities where there is a greater risk of exposure and transmission.  Lymes vaccination is also a good idea if you are traveling to endemic areas or have a greater risk of outdoor exposure to ticks.

   We routinely vaccinate cats for feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia and chlamydia which is a 4 way vaccine (FVRCP) as well as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) annually.

   Rabies vaccination is required by law for dogs and cats and may be administered as a 1 year or 3 year vaccine.  Initial rabies vaccination must be a 1 year only vaccine.

Heartworm Testing and Prevention

Heartworm Testing/Prevention:  Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living in the arteries of the lungs or in the heart of dogs and rarely cats.  The disease is spread by mosquitoes which pick up microfilaria (baby worms) from an infected dog and infect other dogs and cats.  These tiny baby worms molt, migrate to the heart and lungs growing into twelve inch long, white, spaghetti-like worms. These adult heartwoms breed and produce new baby microfilaria which continue the life cycle.  Clinical signs, which may not develop for many months, include persistant cough, fatigue, and rapid breathing.   A simple blood test that takes just a few minutes will tell us if your dog has heartworms.  Although heartworm disease is very common in Indiana, it is very easily prevented.  We recommend heartworm prevention year round and blood testing for heartworm disease every two years. For those of you who do not wish to give preventative in the winter months, we recommend heartworm testing annually.  PREVENTION IS KEY

Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiancy (FIV)

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV):  FeLV and FIV are among the most common contagious infectious diseases of cats.  Both of these viruses can weaken the immune system of cats causing a variety of symptoms and clinical signs that can ultimately result in death. There is no cure for cats who harbor these viruses.  Occasionally these viruses (especially FIV) can be carried for years without causing disease.  These viruses are spread from cat to cat through close contact or exposure to discharges from the eyes, nose, urine or the milk of nursing moms.  Bite wounds can also transmit the virus.  A simple in-house blood test is needed to test for both of these viruses if their status is unknown.  We recommend making sure kittens are at least 8 weeks of age to get an accurate result.  We recommend testing all cats and kittens with unknown FeLV/FIV status. 

Laboratory

Laboratory:  Our in house laboratory equipment allows us to provide you with an instant overall health profile for your pet, including Complete Blood Count (CBC), Chemistry profile, urinalysis, cytology, and fecal testing.  The CBC allows us to check your pet's red and white blood cell counts, blood volume and clotting ability.  The Chemistry will check for problems with liver and kidney function, blood sugar, proteins, electrolytes etc.  Fecal examinations search for internal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, coccidia among others.  Skin scrapings and ear cytology may be needed to search for mange mites, ear mites or infection.  As in human medicine some testing needs to be sent out to specialized laboratories around the  country.

Intestinal Parasites

Roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, coccidia and giardia are all different types of intestinal parasites which cause vomiting, diarrhea, poor coat and failure to thrive.  They often go unnoticed by pet owners because they live in the intestines of your pet.  It is important to have fecal samples evaluated regularly and any time your pet has loose stools without a known cause.  Puppies and kittes are often born with several of these parasites which are easily treated with medications.  These parasites are considered zoonotic which means that they can be transmitted to humans, especially children causing serious illness.  For more information on intestinal parasites and their zoonotic potential please visit the Companion Animal Parasite Council website. 

Microchipping

Microchip Pet Identification:  We offer microchip identification as a means of permanent identification for your pet.  Microchips contain a personal identification number that is unique to only your pet.  The microchip is so tiny, (about the size of a grain of rice), that it fits through a hypodermic needle.  Like a vaccination, it is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades where it remains safely for life.  The procedure takes just seconds and can be done as an outpatient or any other office visit.  A scanner is used to read the microchip number should your pet ever become lost, much like a bar code reader at a store.  There are no "radio" waves or electrical waves given off by the microchip.  We regularly reunite pets with their owners at our office with a simple phone call, when there is a microchip present.  Collars fall off, tags fall off.  Don't let your pet become a statistic if they should stray from home.