Wellness Examinations and Preventive Health Care

Congratulations on your newest family member!

We are here to provide you with the information you need about parasite control, nutrition, vaccinations and training to enable your pup to live a well-mannered, long and healthy life.

We will customize your puppy vaccine protocol to their specific lifestyle and risk factors.  We follow the guidelines of the Companion Animal Parasite Council and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

Puppies should receive:-

• First core vaccine at 8 weeks of age
• Follow up booster vaccine at 12 and 16 weeks of age.

The interval of 4 weeks is important to ensure the development of proper immunity to the diseases we are protecting them from.

1. DAP-Core (recommended for all dogs)

Distemper – a contagious and often fatal virus that attacks the respiratory system (discharge from the eyes and nose, coughing), gastrointestinal system (vomiting) and nervous system (seizures, partial or complete paralysis).

Adenovirus       Type 1 – Hepatitis – symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea

Type 2 – Respiratory disease – symptoms include dry cough, sneezing, and in severe cases inappetance and fever.

Parvovirus – a highly contagious and potentially fatal cause of vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

1. Rabies – Core (recommended for all dogs)

Rabies is a fatal disease that can only be confirmed after death.  It is carried by bats in British Columbia and has been documented on Vancouver Island.  A puppy has this vaccine once at 16 weeks of age and a booster one year later.  As an adult this vaccine is given every 3 years.

1. Bordetella/Canine Parainfluenza (kennel cough) – Non-Core

This is a contagious respiratory illness.  Vaccination is recommended for dogs that are regularly exposed to other dogs at kennels, training classes, day care, social walks etc.

1. Leptospirosis – Non-Core

This is a bacterial disease that can cause liver and/or kidney disease.  Dogs can become infected if they come into contact with infected urine from rodents, wildlife or farm animals.  It is also a disease that people can potentially get from their infected pet’s urine.

Although considered non-core this vaccine is highly recommended as the disease has been documented in the Nanaimo area.

1. Lyme Disease – Non-Core

This is caused by a bacteria (Borrelia Burgdorferi) that is spread by ticks.  Symptoms can take 2-5 months to occur and include fever, inappetance, joint swelling and lameness.

Congratulations on your newest family member!

We are here to provide you with the information you need about parasite control, nutrition, vaccinations and training to enable your kitten to live a well-mannered, long and healthy life.

We will customize your kitten vaccine protocol to their specific lifestyle and risk factors.  We follow the guidelines of the Companion Animal Parasite Council and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.

Kittens should receive:-

• First core HCP vaccine at 8 weeks of age
• Follow up booster vaccine at 12 and 16 weeks of age.

The interval of 4 weeks is important to ensure the development of proper immunity to the diseases we are protecting them from.

1. HCP-Core (recommended for all cats)

Feline Herpesvirus type 1 (Feline Rhinotracheitis)

Feline Calicivirus – a highly contagious virus that causes sneezing, runny eyes, a fever and ulcers on the tongue.

Feline Panleukopenia (Distemper) Virus – a highly contagious disease that causes inappetance, fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea and nasal discharge.

1. Rabies – Core (recommended for all cats)

Rabies is a fatal disease that can only be confirmed after death.  It is carried by bats in British Columbia and has been documented on Vancouver Island.  A kitten is vaccinated at 16 weeks of age and a booster is given one year later.  As an adult the vaccine is given every 3 years.

1. Feline Leukemia Virus – Core (kittens and some adults)

Feline Leukemia is a disease that only affects cats.  Kittens are at greatest risk, as well as outdoor cats and cats in multi-cat households where there is prolonged close contact.  Infected cats can initially have no symptoms however over time they can develop diarrhea, weight loss anemia, immune suppression, or cancer. 

Regular wellness examinations allow us to evaluate your pet’s overall health, and identify and treat many problems before they become serious illnesses.  For every one human year, pets age five to seven years which is why it is important for us to see them on an annual basis and even more frequently in their senior years.

After a complete physical examination, we will discuss with you the vaccinations and parasite control we recommend based on your pet’s specific lifestyle and risk factors.

The age at which a dog is considered senior varies with the size and breed of the dog but on average we consider them senior around seven years of age.  Cats are considered senior at eight years of age.  As dogs and cats age they are prone to developing heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, hormonal conditions and cancer but old age itself is not a disease.  No one knows your pet better than you do so we rely on your to provide critical information about any changes in their appetite, weight, mobility, exercise tolerance or cognitive function that might suggest your pet has an underlying health concern.  A baseline blood and urine profile is a simple diagnostic test that allows us to diagnose a medical condition early which in turn may allow your dearest friend to live a longer healthier life.