Wellness / Vaccinations
WELLNESS
At Town & Country Animal Clinic, we strive to prevent illness whenever possible. The time and effort invested in Wellness programs has rewards for both pets and owners.
Our Wellness programs are designed specifically for your pet and include: comprehensive physical exam; internal parasite testing; heartworm and flea control; vaccination program; spaying and neutering; and health monitoring blood tests specific to your pet’s stage of life and/or medical necessity.
For animals past the initial puppy or kitten stage we recommend an annual exam. These exams include a physical exam, fecal analysis, heartworm/lyme/ehrlichiosis/Anaplasmosis test for dogs and vaccines appropriate to your pet’s lifestyle and environment. We will address issues such as the need for flea and tick preventative and heartworm preventatives. When you visit us, we recommend that you bring a stool sample with you — this gives us a sample for testing without causing your pet undue distress during its examination.
When animals are older than six years, we suggest having blood work done annually to look for any signs of metabolic diseases such as kidney disease, liver problems, or diabetes. Common old age problems such as these, if detected early, can be addressed or helped in many ways.
VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations help keep your animals healthy. At Town & Country Animal Hospital, we recommend vaccinations for your pet depending on age, lifestyle and risk of exposure on an individual basis. Some vaccines are administered annually, while other vaccines are administered every three years depending upon the vaccine type.
Types of vaccines which may be recommended are as follows:
Dogs
- Distemper/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza/Parvovirus — every year or every three years, following initial vaccine series.
- Rabies — required by law and administered every three years after the initial annual vaccine
- Leptospirosis — after initial series every year depending on exposure risk
- Lyme- after initial series we recommend every year
- Bordatella (kennel cough) — every year depending on exposure in boarding kennels, dog parks, obedience school, veterinary hospitals or grooming facilities
Dogs over one year of age should always be tested for heartworm, which also includes a screening test for tick borne diseases such as Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichia.
Cats
- FVRCP (feline Rhinotracheitis-Calici-Panleukopenia) — every year or every three years, following initial vaccine series
- Rabies — required by law and administered every three years after initial annual vaccine
- Feline leukemia — recommended by the American Feline Practitioners Association. Vaccine administered every 2 years.
If you chose to adopt a pet from the Humane Society, take in a stray, purchase from a breeder, or in some other way inherit a pet of any age, it should be brought in for a full physical exam as soon as possible.
