At Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, we strongly believe in the advantages of preventative medicine versus reactionary medicine. Preventative care is easier, cost-effective, and safer for your pet than treating diseases once they occur. Whether it’s pet vaccinations, parasite prevention and screening, or dental hygiene – preventative medicine is the best medicine.
Puppies and kittens require a series of pet vaccinations beginning at six to eight weeks of age. Due to their immature immune system, puppies and kittens require multiple vaccine boosters to achieve proper immunity.
Vaccinations are a fundamental part of your dog’s overall health. Once vaccinations start at six to eight weeks of age, they’ll continue throughout your dog’s life. We recommend following the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) guidelines for core and non-core vaccines, but we also believe that each pet is an individual. Pet vaccinations may be specifically tailored to your pet based on need and risk.
As your dog gets older, vaccinating your dog every year may not be necessary. We offer both one and three-year rabies vaccines and strongly recommend parvovirus and distemper antibody titers for older dogs with a good vaccination history.
Vaccinations are an essential part of your cat’s health and are recommended even for indoor-only cats. Vaccinations for cats also start at six to eight weeks of age and will continue throughout their life.
We recommend following the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) guidelines for core and non-core vaccines, but all cats are different. Because of this, your cat’s vaccinations can be customized based on their needs and exposure risks.
The FELV vaccine is especially important for indoor/outdoor and outside cats. Healthy Pets Veterinary Care is also proud to offer Purevax Feline Vaccines, a non-adjuvant line of vaccines for cats – as recommended by the AAFP. We offer both the one and the three-year Purevax rabies vaccines.
Heartworms are a potentially life-threatening parasite carried by mosquitoes. A single bite can infect your dog without proper prevention. Heartworm disease is unfortunately common in South Florida, where the sub-tropical climate allows mosquitoes to thrive year-round.
The good news is that heartworm disease can be easily prevented in your pet by affordable monthly heartworm preventatives. These preventatives are far more inexpensive and safer than the treatment for heartworms – which is extremely expensive and a life-threatening process.
We proudly carry Heartgard as our heartworm prevention, due to its safety and efficiency. We also offer alternative heartworm preventatives through our easy to use and convenient online pharmacy.
For your pet’s safety, we require yearly testing for heartworm disease prior to refilling preventatives. Contact us today to schedule your pet’s annual heartworm test. To learn more about heartworm disease, please visit the American Heartworm Society.
Fleas and ticks are more than just a nuisance for dogs and cats. They can cause severe anemia and carry deadly diseases that can be transmitted to people.
Fleas are a very common problem in South Florida, as they love high humidity levels and warm temperatures. This makes our climate the ideal environment for them. Dogs and cats often get fleas through contact with other animals or contact with fleas in the environment. Sometimes they are even carried in on our shoes or clothes.
Fleabites will usually cause itching for the host, but some dogs and cats may be hypersensitive to the flea’s saliva. For pets with flea hypersensitivity, the itching can be quite severe and often leads to hair loss, skin inflammation, and secondary skin infections.
Ticks are common parasites and are found all over the world, from the woods to city parks. They transmit many serious diseases including:
The risks to your pet can be minimized with proper prevention and annual screening tests, which are performed at the same time as your pet’s heartworm test. These screening tests are especially important as symptoms of tick-borne diseases are often vague and difficult to recognize until it’s too late.
The oral health of your dog or cat can impact their overall health. Loose or broken teeth can be painful, and a disease of the mouth or gums can potentially spread to your pet’s other organs. We offer complete oral examinations for both dogs and cats. Our procedures include:
Please visit our Dental Care page for more information. We also provide wellness plans for your pets that include yearly dental cleanings.
We want to start your puppy or kitten’s life on the right paw. When you come to Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, your new addition to the family will get the preventative treatment and the great overall care they deserve. To schedule an appointment, contact us today!
