How often should I give my dog heartworm preventative?
Heartworm preventative should be given monthly for proper use. If you miss a month or more then your dog should see his/her Dr. to have another heartworm test done before continuing on heartworm preventative. If heartworm preventative is given monthly then your dog should still be checked at lease every other year.
What time do I drop off and pick up for surgeries?
Drop off time is between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. No food or water should be given after midnight the night before. Your pet can typically go home anytime between 3:00p.m. and a half an hour before closing.
I have a new puppy/kitten. What vaccines does he/she need?
At 6 to 8 weeks of age, your puppy or kitten should begin its booster series. At the first visit, your puppy/kitten will also receive a dewormer since most puppies are born with parasites. After the first vaccine, they should come in every 3 weeks for another booster until he/she reaches 16 weeks (4 months) of age. At that time the puppy/kitten will be old enough to receive the rabies vaccine, and be spayed/neutered.
At what age can I have my dog spayed/neutered?
Once your pet is 16 weeks of age (4 months) and at least 3 pounds, they are old enough to be spayed or neutered. Females are spayed,
Males are neutered
Why do I need to have a heartworm check?
Heartworm preventives must be purchased from your veterinarian or with a prescription through a pet pharmacy. With all prescription medication, your pet must have an annual physical in order to maintain the Doctor-Patient relationship. The test is done to ensure the pet is not already infected with adult heartworms. Since it takes about six months for heartworms to mature into their adult stage, puppies younger than six months do not need to be tested prior to medication. Giving preventives to dogs infected with heartworms can lead to rare but possibly severe reactions that could be harmful or even fatal to your dog.
What are heartworms?
Heartworm is a preventable, but serious and potentially fatal, parasite that primarily infects dogs, cats and ferrets. Heartworms live in the large blood vessels surrounding the heart.
What vaccines does my pet need in order to go to the groomer/kennel?
Our recommendation, to ensure the protection for your pet, would be the following vaccinations:
Canines: Rabies, DH2PPC, Bordetella, and Canine Influenza
Felines: Rabies, and FVRCP
At what age does my puppy need to start heartworm prevention?
As soon as your puppy is 9 weeks of age, has seen the Doctor and has had a physical exam and is younger than six months of age, he/she can start heartworm preventative. Heartworms take about six months to mature into its adult stage. This is why it’s okay to start heartworm preventative without a test for young puppies.
My pet is on flea medication and I still see fleas. Is the product still working?
Flea medication will not repel fleas. The flea has to land on the pet before the medication will kill it. Once you are seeing fleas on your pet, then there is an infestation in the environment. And, the fleas that you are seeing on your pet are only about 5% of the fleas in the environment. It will take several months of applying product for all of the fleas in the environment to get onto the pet and then die. Please go to Fleas to learn more.
My pet has parasites. Can I get them?
Some intestinal parasites can be passed from animals to people. The ones that cause the greatest threat are roundworms and hookworms.
Keep pet feces cleaned up and always use good hygiene after playing with your pet or after cleaning up feces.
Where do parasites come from?
Most parasites are found in the environment, whether in the soil or contaminated waters. Your pet can also get parasites from fleas, ingesting rodents or wild animals, or eating feces of another animal.
