Blog: Vet Visits and Vaccines…What is REALLY Necessary

There are so many questions to ask when a pet becomes part of the family. Most importantly: What is REALLY necessary for the health of my pet?

There are two major aspects to the health care of your pet: Preventative Health Care and Treatment of Illnesses. While not every pet will develop the same illnesses over their lifetime, ALL pets benefit from Preventative Health Care.

Preventative Health Care is designed to help your pet stay as healthy as possible and prevent infectious diseases and parasite infestations. This care not only helps your pet, but also your family, because some of these illnesses (such as rabies) and certain parasites (such as fleas, ticks, roundworms and hookworms) can also affect the human members of your family.

Also, keep in mind that our pet family members age faster than we do. During their first year of life, a pet goes through the same amount of development as a human does in their first 16 to 21 years! After that first year things slow down, but your pet still gains an average of 5 to 8 years of aging compared to our single year. Because of their faster aging, your pet needs to visit the veterinarian at least once per year for a thorough physical. Most veterinarians will also administer vaccinations during this visit, perform routine screenings, and discuss parasite prevention.

While vaccinations are commonly administered during the wellness visit, not all vaccinations have to be given every year and not all vaccinations are required for all pets. Puppies and kittens must go through a series of boosters to build up proper immunity. After their first adult vaccinations (usually given at about 1 ½ years of age), dogs and cats can start getting some of their vaccinations every three years, although one year vaccinations can also be done if it is preferable. A few vaccinations, such as Bordetella, Leptospirosis, and Lyme Disease for dogs and Feline Leukemia for cats are still annual vaccinations.

In addition to vaccinations, there are lab tests that are also beneficial for your pet’s health. Fecal tests check for parasites that live in the intestinal tract. Animals that are not on parasite prevention must have this test performed to ensure that they are not carrying intestinal parasites that can be passed on to other animals and people. Blood screenings look for heartworm disease, tick borne diseases, and feline viruses. In addition to these routine yearly screenings, a pet that is 7 years old or older should have a blood screening to assess the liver, kidneys, and thyroid.

Once you leave the vet’s office, the preventative care is not over. In addition to getting a proper diet and exercise, all pets in the Midwest need parasite prevention all year long. In the past, people were told that indoor pets did not need prevention and that all pets could skip parasite prevention during the winter. This practice puts you and your pets at risk for parasite infestations. Remember, once those parasites get into the house or your pet, it doesn’t matter how cold it gets outside.

Also, all pets need routine dental care during their lifetime. The frequency of this care varies for each pet, but if your pet has stinky breath, it could be time for a dental cleaning. A thorough dental cleaning does require the use of anesthesia, but allowing your pet to live with untreated dental disease can lead to a painful and infected mouth, kidney disease, heart disease, or strokes. Keeping your pet’s teeth healthy will help keep them healthy overall, so this is typically considered Preventative Health Care unless there is obvious disease in the mouth.

While this covers the typical routine care that all pets need, if your pet becomes ill, they will need additional visits to the veterinarian to get them well again. Remember that if your pet has any changes in their health, you should seek the advice of your veterinarian.