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Preventive Medicine for your Pets Preventive care for your pet will keep her healthy and aid in avoiding serious medical problems in the future. Vaccination is one part of a care plan that includes heartworm, flea and tick control. Companion Animal Clinic provides this care for cats, dogs, ferrets and exotic pets.  Vaccinations Cats generally receive a series of 2 Panleukopenia-Respiratory virus combination vaccines as kittens and then boosters at regular intervals afterwards. Whether or not the cat goes outside changes what vaccines are recommended. We offer the intra-nasal FVRCP vaccine, given at the same intervals. Rabies vaccines are required by law but no tag is required in Montgomery County. The first rabies vaccine is good for one year. Follow-up boosters are good for three years. Leukemia vaccines are strongly recommended for any cat going outside. Other vaccines are available for specific disease situations but are not routinely administered. Vaccine Intervals According to vaccine manufacturers, all vaccines except rabies are to be boosted on a yearly basis. Recent independent research has demonstrated that the actual duration of immunity is significantly longer than 1 year. Because of this, we are recognizing that the FVRCP vaccine is good for 3 years after the first yearly booster. Feline leukemia is still recognized as a yearly vaccine. Vaccine Associated Sarcomas There is a very low but measurable occurrence of fibrosarcoma cancerous tumors in the locations associated with vaccine administration in cats. Clear links to specific vaccine agents, combinations or manufacturers have not been established. The current recommendations at our clinic is to limit the frequency of injected vaccines as an attempt to limit the chance of these tumors as much as possible. The chance of significant disease without vaccination far outweighs the chance of getting a vaccine associated tumor. All cats should be checked regularly by their owners around the shoulders, the right arm between shoulder and elbow and on the backs of the rear legs for swellings. Vaccines can cause local swelling for up to 4-6 weeks following a vaccination; if they last longer they should be evaluated for removal. These local swellings are usually small, lima bean sized smooth lumps under the skin. If they are larger, lumpy-bumpy or persistent, they need to be checked.  Heartworms Cats can act as an aberrant host for heartworms. This means they can harbor the adult worms but not allow the worm's lifecycle to be completed. Most of the time that cats are exposed to mosquitoes containing heartworm larvae, they are able to eliminate the larva and avoid infection. We have not diagnosed a case of feline heartworms in this area and so currently do not recommend cats be placed on prevention. Cats traveling to much higher risk areas may benefit from being on prevention. Flea and Tick Control Ticks are usually not a major problem in cats. Their grooming habits usually prevent attachment of ticks. Spring is the major time of year for tick problems. Fleas start in July and last into November-December, peaking in September and October. There are multiple topical treatments available through our clinic that are highly effective and safe for cats and kittens. We have seen multiple cases of overdosage and toxicity associated with topical treatments purchased in retail stores and do not recommend their use in cats. Suggested Schedule for Feline Care and Vaccination
Canine Preventive Medicine Vaccinations  Rabies vaccines are required by law and a county tag must be obtained yearly by presenting a valid rabies certificate. The first rabies vaccine is good for 1 year, follow-up boosters are good for 3 years. Bordetella vaccines are required for dogs being boarded or groomed at the clinic and in general for other animal facilities in the New River Valley. These are given yearly. Leptospirosis vaccines are recommended for many dogs. The doctor can help you decide whether your dog needs these vaccines. Lyme Disease vaccines are available but not routinely administered for animals that do not travel to known Lyme Disease areas. Known Lyme Disease areas include Virginia's Eastern Shore and the Northeastern US coastal states. There are other vaccines available for specific disease situations but are not routinely administered. Heartworms This is a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. It involves worms that live as adults in the right side chambers of the heart and the lungs, eventually causing heart failure and death. It is easily prevented through a variety of medications. In this area, we are currently recommending year round heartworm prevention be administered to all dogs. A yearly or every-other-year blood test for heartworm disease is required depending on the situation. Different heartworm preventions are available and none is best for all situations. Consultation between you and your vet will determine which program is best for your pets. Skunk Recipe - Pet Clean Up1 Quart 3% hydrogen peroxide1/4 Cup baking soda 1 Teaspoon liquid soap The bath should be followed with a tap water rinse. Flea and Tick Control In this area we have a tick problem from March through June, then fleas take over as the major external parasites we fight with. Flea season lasts until November-December, peaking in September-October. For ticks, there are topical medications and special tick collars that are effective. For fleas, multiple topical products that are safe and effective are available. Some retail store products are not effective and could even be dangerous. Check with us if you have any questions at all. The veterinary products are effective at treating the environment as well if applied to all animals in the house repeatedly. Repeated bathing and swimming can decrease the effectiveness of all the topical products. Internal Parasites Many of the internal parasites are protected against by the newer combination heartworm preventatives. However, most of these products have less than 100% effectiveness against parasites, and none protects against all of the internal parasites we see in this area. Therefore, it is still recommended that an annual fecal exam be performed to screen for internal parasites. Suggested Schedule for Canine Care and Vaccination
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Home  Preventive Care Urgent CareServices Specialty Services Facility & Staff |
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Companion Animal Clinic 201 South Hill Drive (map) Blacksburg, VA 24060 phone 540.552.6800 fax 540.552.1974 |
Mon, Weds 7:30 am -7:30 pm Tues, Thurs, Fri 7:30 am - 6 pm Saturday 8 am -1 pm Sunday 5-5:30 pm (boarding pick up or drop off only) |
