Veterinary Services | Vaccinations
Vaccinations and Boosters for Adult Dogs and Cats
Vaccinations are an important aspect of your dog and cat’s wellness plan. Many diseases and conditions can be prevented with modern vaccines and protocols. Our immunization programs are based around the most current research and guidelines recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners. We review your pet's vaccination protocols regularly to make sure that your pet is getting all the necessary immunizations and booster shots for his or her age, environment and risk level. Vaccination schedules are tailored to your individual pet, so your veterinarian will ask questions about your pet's life to be sure we recommend a suitable program.
According to the American Heartworm Society guidelines, we recommend annual heartworm testing for all dogs (indoor and outdoor), and, according to Center for Disease Control (CDC), we recommend twice yearly fecal parasite checks for both dogs and cats.
Vaccinations for Adult Dogs
In general, we recommend our canine patients receive immunizations against rabies, distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus. We recommend annual leptospirosis and bordatella vaccines. The rabies booster is available in a 1 year or 3 year vaccine, and you and your veterinarian will discuss the best vaccination schedule for your dog at your annual wellness exam.
If your dog frequents dog parks, goes shopping at the pet store, is groomed at a grooming shop or is boarded while you are on vacation, we also recommend your dog be vaccinated against Bordatella (kennel cough).
We recommend an annual Lyme’s vaccine for dogs that are exposed to ticks (or Lyme’s infected owners or dogs) due to travel to Michigan or the East coast, who go camping with the family or roam wooded areas where ticks are prevalent and tick diseases are known to occur.
Vaccinations for Adult Cats
After the kitten has finished his or her kitten vaccination series, an adult indoor-only cat should receive the FVRCPC or feline distemper/upper respiratory vaccine, which lasts 3 years. For those cats that live indoors and outdoors, we recommend the Rabies and the FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccines along with the FVRCPC.
For outdoor cats that fight, the Feline immunodeficiency virus vaccine is recommended to protect your cat against the feline "AIDS" virus.
