Annual wellness exams
We recommend annual exams for all of our patients so we can stay on top of any new problems as they arise. At these visits we can discuss any changes you’ve noted in the past year, and discuss your pet’s changing exercise and nutritional needs as they age. We can make sure their vaccination schedule is appropriate for their lifestyle, and discuss parasite prevention products if needed. Most importantly, though, we will give your pet a thorough physical exam so we can check for any abnormalities that may not have been noticeable by you in their day-to-day life. We hope that, by identifying issues early, we can have better success in treating them before they become severe.
Vaccinations
We recommend that all dogs be protected against distemper and parvovirus, which are included in the DHPP vaccine. We also administer the rabies vaccine, which is required for all dogs in California. We also carry Bordetella (“kennel cough”), Leptospirosis, Lyme, and rattlesnake vaccines for those dogs whose lifestyles may warrant these additional vaccines. More recently we have started to offer the Canine Influenza vaccine, due to a recent outbreak in the Bay Area.
For cats, we recommend all adult cats be kept current on their FVRCP vaccine, which protects against multiple contagious upper respiratory infections and panleukopenia (also called feline distemper). We also recommend annual rabies vaccination, which is required by law in California. If your cat is very difficult to work with in the clinic and you are interested in the three-year version of the feline rabies vaccine, we can discuss that option instead. For outdoor cats, we recommend annual vaccination for feline leukemia (FeLV), which can be transmitted from contact with other cats.
Routine laboratory testing
Even with attentive owners and thorough annual exams, our patients can only tell us so much about how they are feeling. We may recommend filling in the gaps with screening bloodwork to check their blood counts and internal organ function. These tests can also serve as a baseline from which we can monitor trends, and to which we can compare future lab results, should your pet get sick.