Preventative Medicine

Prevenative care for our feline friends includes vaccinations, annual bloodwork if desired, and administration of a heartworm/flea/tick preventative in some form or fashion. 

​

Core Feline Vaccinations: ​

• Rabies - a virus that causes neurologic disease and is 100% fatal. It is transmitted to pets through bite wounds and is zoonotic (can be spread to humans). This vaccine is required by law. 

• CVRP (Feline Distemper) - series of viruses that cause upper respiratory infections in our cats. These viruses are highly contagious among cats so protecting them is important. If your cat is already infected (as many are) this vaccine will help reduce severity of clinical signs when their infections occur.

• Leukemia - a virus that is highly contagious among cats and is often fatal. This is spread through the saliva of infected cats, most often grooming each other. This vaccine is combined with the CVRP vaccine so it is an all in one vaccine!

​

HEARTWORM PREVENTION

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos. From the time an infected mosquito bites your pet it takes 6 months for the heartworm to mature in their body and take up residence in their heart causing irreversible damage to their heart and lungs. Cats are not the intended host for heartworms (dogs are), so heartworm disease in our feline patients is a little different. Once they have an adult heartworm living in their heart (6 month after infection) it causes a tremendous amount of inflammation and scarring within their heart and lungs. Unfortunately there is no treatment options for cats at this point and it can be fatal. Monthly heartworm preventative kills the baby heartworm before it has time to migrate in the body and mature in the heart. Prevention is the best option to prevent this devastating disease. 

​

FLEA/TICK PREVENTATIVE:

In Texas fleas and ticks are a year round issue since it rarely gets cold enough to kill them. They are always lurking ready to jump on your pet and infest your home at any opportunity. Fleas and ticks carry several diseases that they can transmit to both animals and humans. Once a flea infestation occurs 95% of the fleas live in your carpets/bedding/etc while the other 5% are on your dog/cat at any one moment. This is why "fleas baths" are generally not effective as they only kill the 5% of the flea population on your pet at that one moment. Longer acting flea/tick prevention is the most effective as each flea/tick that bites your pet will die after ingesting the medication from their bloodstream. Please note that not all flea/tick preventions are created equal so lets talk about the best option for your cat. There are monthly flea/tick prevention options or one that last 3 months. 

​

Preventative care for our canine patients include vaccinations, annual testing (such as heartworm testing, intestinal parasite check, and routine screening bloodwork if desired), and administration of a heartworm/flea/tick preventative in some form or fashion. 

​

Core Canine Vaccinations include:

• Rabies - a virus that causes neurologic disease and is 100% fatal. It is transmitted to pets through bite wounds and is zoonotic (can be spread to humans. This vaccine is required by law.

• Distemper/Parvo - viruses that can cause severe disease within the intestinal, respiratory, and neurological systems. These viruses can be fatal if acquired, especially in puppies and unvaccinated dogs.

• Leptospirosis - a bacteria often times picked up from soil/water. This is spread from the urine of infected animals (ie wildlife) and can cause devastating liver and kidney disease.

​

Other Canine Vaccines based on exposure:

• Rattlesnake - Snake venom is highly toxic to pets and can be fatal within minutes to hours. This vaccination's goal is to reduce the reaction and hopefully help us save their life if your dog is bit by one. (note: your dog will still need emergent treatment if ever bit by a snake)

• Bordetella ("Kennel Cough") - a bacteria that is transmitted by nose to nose contact with infected dogs. We recommend this vaccine for our social butterflies who are going to dog parks, grooming, boarding facilities, or any other place where they contact other dogs.

​

HEARTWORM PREVENTION

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos. From the time an infected mosquito bites your pet it takes 6 months for the heartworm to mature in your dogs body and take up residence in their heart causing irreversible damage to their heart and lungs. Once an adult heartworm is living in their heart (ie a positive heartworm test) heartworm preventative will not kill the worm - they will need a series of more intensive injectable medications to kill the adult heartworms. Fortunately we CAN kill the immature worm within the first few months after initial infection (before it migrates to the heart) with heartworm prevention. Heartworm prevention can come in several forms, however the most common is a monthly chew that you give to your dog on a year round basis. Since heartworms are so prevalent in Texas AND some heartworm preventative are actually dangerous in heartworm positive animals we test for heartworms on an annual basis.

​

FLEA/TICK PREVENTATIVE:

In Texas fleas and ticks are a year round issue since it rarely gets cold enough here to kill them. They are always lurking ready to jump on your pet and infest your home at any opportunity. Fleas and ticks carry several diseases that they can transmit to both animals and humans. Once a flea infestation occurs 95% of the fleas live in your carpets/bedding/etc while the other 5% are on your dog/cat at any one moment. This is why "fleas baths" are generally not effective as they only kill the 5% of the flea population on your pet at that one moment. Longer acting flea/tick prevention is the most effective as each flea/tick that bites your pet will die after ingesting the medication from their bloodstream. Please note that not all flea/tick preventions are created equal so lets talk about the best option for your dog. There are monthly flea/tick prevention options or one that last 3 months.

Preventative care for our equine patients include vaccinations, deworming schedules as discussed with a veterinarian, nutrition management, regular farrier work to maintain hoof health and stability, and routine dental floats. 

​

Core Equine Vaccines include:

• Rabies - a virus that causes neurologic disease and is 100% fatal. It is transmitted to horses through bite wounds and is zoonotic (can be spread to humans. This vaccine is required by law.

• Eastern & Western Equine Encephalitis (EEE & WEE) - viruses transmitted by mosquitos and causes neurological disease with a high mortality rate.

• West Nile Virus - a virus transmitted by mosquitos and causes neurological disease in horses. Humans can get this disease, however we get it from mosquitos and NOT directly from horses.

• Tetanus Toxoid - Tetanus is an often fatal disease that is caused by a neurotoxin produced by a bacteria: Clostidium tetani (a common bacteria in the intestinal tract and manure of horses). Infection occurs when this bacteria contaminates a wound, incision, or reproductive tract (ie after foaling). The neurotoxin causes muscle spasms and rigidity and eventually leads to respiratory failure and death.  

​

Other vaccinations based on exposure:

• Equine Influenza - virus causing upper respiratory infection, fever, and lymph node enlargement. This is spread from horse to horse by direct contact.

• Equine Herpesvirus (Rhinopneumonitis) - virus that can cause respirotory infection, neurological disease, and abortion. This is spread horse to horse by .exposure to infected nasal secretions. 

• Rattlesnake - Venom is highly toxic and this vaccine helps reduce symptoms of a snake bite if your horse is bit by a rattlesnake. It does not prevent a reaction and they will likely still need emergent treatment if ever bit. 

​

Deworming schedules, nutrition management, and farrier work can vary horse to horse, so we can develop these plans together specifically for your horse.

​

Dental Floats:

This is a procedure done under sedation to file off the sharp edges of the teeth that occur from normal dental attrition (wearing down of tooth from chewing). See more information on this in the surgery / dentistry service section.