Pet Wellness Care

Many of the diseases that can affect dogs and cats are preventable through proper pet vaccinations. From your first visit to Cottage Pet Hospital, we’ll make sure your pet is up-to-date on their vaccines and put on a schedule that makes sure they continue to stay up-to-date.

Depending on your pet’s age, medical history, lifestyle, and environment, our Anaheim veterinarians will discuss the best course of action in regard to your pet’s vaccine schedule. You can bring your cat or dog in as early as eight weeks for his or her first round of vaccines.

Feline Vaccinations
The core vaccines for cats include panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline herpesvirus type I, feline calicivirus, and rabies. These vaccines protect your kitty from serious health issues. Depending on your pet’s lifestyle, you may also want to get your cat vaccinated for feline leukemia virus. During your feline’s visit, we’ll discuss his/her lifestyle and determine which vaccines he or she should have.

Canine Vaccinations
Core vaccinations for dogs include Canine Distemper, Parvovirus, Hepatitis, Bordetella, Lepto, and Rabies. By law, dogs must have a rabies vaccination (starting at 12-16 weeks) and receive boosters every three years. We’ll discuss your dog’s risk and determine if he or she should also receive the Canine Influenza, Leptospira bacteria, and/or Lyme vaccine, depending on your pup’s lifestyle.

There was a time when parasites like fleas, ticks, and roundworms were considered mostly a nuisance. Now, however, we know that parasites can cause serious illness and even death in pets. For example, ticks can transmit infections like Lyme disease, and fleas can transmit tapeworms and Bartonella – the bacteria that causes “cat-scratch fever” in humans. Another type of parasite, called a heartworm, is transmitted by mosquitoes. Heartworms live in your pet’s lungs and heart, causing damage to these organs, and sometimes even death. Intestinal parasites, like roundworms and hookworms, also threaten pets and are even transmissible to humans.

You may not always be able to tell if your pet has parasites. Fleas can hide under your pet’s fur, and some ticks are very tiny (only the size of a pinhead), so they are very difficult to find. Intestinal parasites like roundworms can cause diarrhea and other problems, but many infected pets don’t show any signs of illness at all.

Fortunately, we can recommend tests to tell if your pet has parasites. We can also examine your pet for evidence of fleas, ticks, or other parasites. Our expert staff can recommend medications to help control fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites. Preventing parasites in your pets also helps protect children and other family members, so let’s work together to protect your pets and family.

Veterinary examinations and parasite testing are important ways to protect your pet’s health. Let our knowledgeable staff provide you with a comprehensive parasite control program. We can recommend a schedule for parasite testing, discuss what signs of parasites you can look for at home, review ways to control parasites in and around your home, discuss treatment options if your pet has parasites, and recommend ways to control and prevent parasites in the future.

Did you know that pets age faster than people and can be considered “seniors” at around 7 years of age? Just as our health care needs change as we age, your pet’s health care needs also change. Nutritional needs, exercise habits, and many aspects of your pet’s daily routine can change as your pet ages. But how can you tell the difference between “normal” aging and a medical problem? As in humans, some health issues that affect older pets can begin with very subtle changes that may go unnoticed until the problem has become serious.

Regular wellness visits are important for every stage of your pet’s life, so don’t forget to keep your senior pet’s scheduled wellness appointments. The best way to help protect your pet as he or she ages is to understand the aging process in pets. We understand that process and can help you help your pet. Even if your senior pet is already being treated for a medical condition, treatment recommendations can change as a condition progresses. Sometimes medication dosages need to be adjusted, or medication may need to be changed. Routine wellness blood work and other routine diagnostic testing are important for senior pets because these tests allow us to evaluate how your pet’s health is either responding to current management strategies or changing with age.

Your senior pet’s wellness examination is also your chance to have us address any of your questions or concerns about your pet. We welcome your questions and encourage you to be involved in decisions regarding your pet’s health care.

Older pets make wonderful companions, and thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer than ever! You are an important ally in your senior pet’s health care. We are here to help ensure that your pet is safe and happy throughout the “golden years.”

It is a scary situation when a pet becomes separated from his or her owner. Owners worry about their pet’s safety, who will find their pet, and how they will be reunited. Pets have been known to slip out of their collars and I.D. tags can fall off or become unreadable. Microchips are a permanent solution to this that will help you reunite with your lost pet!

A tiny microchip is placed under the skin between the shoulder blades of the dog or cat (other animals such as horses, ferrets, and most mammals can be microchipped too). The microchip has an identification number on it, which can be read by a scanner. A veterinarian’s office or animal shelter can scan the chip to find out who owns the animal.