Your Pet’s Examinations and Vaccinations, Part I

On February 27, 2003 the Texas State Board of Health changed the annual requirement for Rabies vaccination for dogs and cats to once every three years. This means the law has changed, but the recommendations for the health and well being of your pet have not.

First and foremost, the doctors in the VeterinarianCare.us network are dedicated to the current and long-term health of your pet. One of the most important things we can do for you is to perform a thorough examination of your pet every six months. Whether simple or complex, the earliest possible identification of any illness or abnormality is the most important step in health care. Our recommendations for examinations are tailored to meet the need of each individual pet and are guided by their age and health:

• Puppies and kittens need to have more frequent examinations during the first 4 to 5 months of life to monitor their development. Also this is the key time to prevent and manage parasitic diseases and infectious diseases for which safe and effective vaccinations are available. Just like children, puppies and kittens need to receive a series of vaccinations to properly develop their immunity against devastating infectious diseases. And, just like children, puppies and kittens tend to get infections of many types more frequently than adults.
• Healthy adult dogs and cats up to the age of 7 are best protected by regular examination and preventative care including vaccinations, heartworm prevention, flea and tick prevention, intestinal parasite control, and dental care.
• Dogs and cats ages 7 and older are at increased risk for developing a serious medical problem. Heart disease, abdominal organ disease, glandular illness, mental illness, dental disease, and cancer are all real and potentially devastating threats to our pet’s health. Since it is clearly better to identify and begin to manage these conditions as early as possible, we can do a tremendous amount of good by performing routine check-ups that focus specifically on early detection. We now have treatment options for many conditions that were previously viewed as hopeless and our pets are living longer, better lives because we can provide them with better care. Physical examinations semi-annually are an important part of that. Remember our pets are aging a lot in one year (usually the equivalent of 5 to 8 years in a calendar 12 months). Waiting an entire year is too long to do the good we need to do.
• In spite of our hopes and efforts, some pets do develop a medical condition that requires a tailored treatment and management plan in order to assure the best quality of life and well being.

A thorough discussion of vaccine recommendations is covered in Part II.

Dr Paul Skellenger is the Veterinarian for Veterinarian Care. us and has over 20 years in Veterinarian medicine and experience with vaccinations and small animals. For additional information you can contact one of our Veterinarians in your area.