Vaccinations and Well Patient
Vaccinations are a significant part of any preventative health protocol. The doctors at
Den Herder Veterinary Hospital have spent many hours fine-tuning a protocol that helps prevent as many diseases as possible, in the safest way possible. For example, we vaccinate for the distemper virus, but we do not use modified live distemper vaccines, as we know there are more documented problems with this type of vaccination. We tailor vaccination schedules to meet your pet's needs and start as soon as 6-8 weeks. As your puppy or kitten starts to grow, its mother's immunity protection starts to wane. This process occurs during the first 6-20 weeks of life of your new pet. We use this time to vaccinate your pet monthly (4 times) to keep it protected from serious infectious illnesses. Upon completion of your new pet's vaccination series we start semi-annual vaccinations to ensure your pet maintains protection throughout its entire life. We recommend twice annual visits for several reasons. First, we believe twice annual physical exams help find problems sooner and treat them quicker than if we were to wait for a full year. Second, we believe giving your pet fewer vaccinations at each visit, but vaccinate more often, it reduces stress on your pet by spacing those vaccinations out. Lastly, we feel that twice yearly visits give us more chances to keep you educated about how to keep your pet healthy and safe at home.
You can expect a thorough physical exam every time your pet comes to Den Herder Veterinary Hospital for routine vaccinations. Included below is a list of procedures done each time your pet is checked.
- Vaccinations appropriate for your pet's age.
- Weight check
- Physical exam
- Video scope (if necessary) to help you visualize things in the eyes, ears, nose, and throat if there is a problem.
- Behavior consultations with written instructions.
- House breaking consultations.
- Check and clean ears (check for infection, mites, wax plugs, etc.)
- Skin exam (fleas, ticks, lice, etc.)
- Ringworm check with blacklight.
- Dental evaluation
- Anal glands examined and expressed
- De-worming for hookworms and roundworms
- EKG (electrocardiogram) done pre-surgically and annually (as part of the physical exam) to detect early heart disease.
- Stool examination for parasites (coccidian, worms, giardia)
