Preventative Veterinary Healthcare
Preventative healthcare is the cornerstone of a long, healthy life for your pet. At Aspen Grove we tailor preventative healthcare plans to fit the lifestyle and risks of each pet. Breed disposition, and thorough discussion with owners, allows us to customize vaccination protocols, parasite prevention, and a nutritional plan.
A well-rounded preventative pet healthcare plan should include:
- Annual Comprehensive Physical Exams
- Vaccinations
- Spay or Neuter
- Parasite Prevention
- Diagnostic Screening
Vaccinations
Vaccines are important because they help prevent some of the most deadly diseases in our pets, such as canine distemper, canine parvo virus, feline leukemia, feline AIDS, and of course rabies.
Vaccinating our pets can also help to prevent disease in people. Zoonotic diseases (diseases shared between people and animals) are still very common in parts of the world. Vaccine availability and overall care of our pets has led to a huge decrease in the prevalence of these diseases. Some Zoonotic diseases include rabies, leptospirosis, anthrax and brucella.
when to vaccinate your pet
As a general rule, pet owners should begin vaccinating their pets at 6 to 8 weeks of age. They should be boosted once a month until they are 4 months of age.
Spay and Neuter
Aside from the social issue of pet overpopulation, spaying and/or neutering your pet is important for their overall health and well being. Spaying reduces the risk of certain cancers to nearly zero and completely eliminates the possibility of other diseases such as pyometra, a deadly uterine infection.
when to spay or neuter
As a general rule, the time to spay or neuter your pet is approximately 5 to 6 months of age. It's important to try to spay females prior to their first heat cycle and neuter males before they start to exhibit unwanted testosterone-driven behaviors such as 'marking', aggression, and roaming.
Parasite Prevention
Internal and external parasites are a common cause of disease. They can be a burden to pet's system by sucking blood, invading vital organs, and transmitting many deadly diseases. A parasite prevention program may include products such as Frontline and Heartgard.
Heartworms
Trivia: Though named “heartworms” these parasites most commonly reside in the right pulmonary (lung) arteries, not in the actual heart. They get their name because early cases that were easily detected were of rare infestations with such large amounts of worms that they were found in the heart as well. Such large infestations are extremely rare.
Heartworms are parasites that are transmitted by mosquitoes. The larval stage of the heartworm is deposited in the skin during a blood meal. These larvae will then migrate to blood vessels and then to the right heart and pulmonary (lung) arteries where it will develop into an adult. The life cycle is complete when male and female worms produce microfilaria, or baby worms.
The adults living in the lungs create a physical and inflammatory pressure that the heart must pump against. This added work leads to early-age heart failure. The body also reacts systemically to the presence of the worms leading to other organ failure, especially the kidneys.
This life-threatening parasite is easily prevented with a multitude of medications. The most common are monthly chewable treats such as Heartgard. If given on a regular basis these extremely safe products will keep your pet from contracting heartworms as well as other intestinal parasites such as round worms and hook worms.
While preventatives are safe, it’s best to test for heartworms before starting prevention.
