Prevention
OUR GOAL IS TO NURTURE HAPPY, HEALTHY PETS
WELLNESS EXAMS
Pets age faster than humans. While their lives progress more quickly, their serious medical conditions do too. Our veterinary clinic offers annual pet wellness exams that can help detect serious medical conditions and allowing our facility to treat them before their status becomes unmanageable. In seeing your veterinarian annually, you have the opportunity to discuss your pet's future health outlook, and ask questions about any existing conditions. Prior to your pet's wellness exam, note any severe changes that have occurred with your pet including: vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, weight gain/loss, excessive thirst, or increased aggression. If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms or has developed any abnormal behavior, please inform the veterinarian.
VACCINATIONS
During breastfeeding, pets receive antibodies and nutrients from their mother's milk. When nursing stops, pets become more susceptible to illnesses because their immune systems do not have the same support they once did. As a part of our preventative pet care routine in Montreal, pet vaccinations can help protect your pet from life-threatening diseases.
For most pets, routine vaccinations start around the age of 6 to 8 weeks old and continue regularly throughout adulthood. Some vaccinations are even combined into a single syringe so a pet experiences fewer injections. After being vaccinated, most young pets take about 5 days to build protective antibodies with complete protection taking place after 14 days. Some vaccines require multiple dosages given over a short period of time, and most require booster shots every 6 months to 3 years. Pets who have been vaccinated have an advantage over those who have not. When a disease is detected, your vaccinated pet's immune system quickly responds, decreasing severity of the illness or preventing it altogether. While it is rare, some pets do not develop immunity from their vaccinations and still become ill. If your pet has been vaccinated, is current on all of their booster shots, and has never shown signs of illness or disease, it has likely been successfully vaccinated.
Pet owners should note that vaccinations are preventative, not curative. A vaccination will prevent an illness, but if your pet is already suffering from a disease, a vaccine will not cure them.
DEWORMING
We offer deworming services, because it is an essential aspect of pet care. While nearly 85% of kittens and puppies are born with parasitic infections, most animals develop immunity over time. However, illness and stress can weaken your animal's immune system to fight off these parasites and can awaken any dormant larvae living in your pet.
Intestinal parasites affect growth and development and can be transferred between pets and pet owners. If you think your pet might be suffering from a parasitic infection, we can perform fecal exams to detect microscopic parasite eggs and determine an infection.
PHARMACY
As top veterinarians, we quickly get a thorough understanding of your pet's medical history, current needs, and temperament. To further serve our patients, we provide an in-house pet pharmacy which allows us to better monitor your pet's health when taking prescribed medications. Offering you and your pet the convenience of having an in-house pharmacy allows you to easily obtain your pet's prescription while you wait, after your office visit, or have it prepared for pick-up.
Some of the Items Available Include:
- Dental care products
- Dietary supplements
- Flea and tick medication
- Heartworm preventatives
- Medicated shampoos and conditioners
- Most over-the-counter medications
- Odor control and pet stain removal products
- Prescription food and treats
MICROCHIPPING
Even the most responsible pet owner could leave the garage door open or forget to close the gate, resulting in a lost pet. Microchipping your beloved pet could be the difference between having your pet returned and not being able to find it. While it is estimated that nearly 3 million pets in shelters are euthanized annually, some of those animals are pets whose owners were unable to find them.
The pet microchip technology continues to evolve. Currently, microchip implants are designed to last the extent of your pet's life and are also composed of biocompatible elements that can coexist with your pet's body tissues without causing harm. Currently, microchips can be placed in a variety of pets, including reptiles, dogs, cats, horses, ferrets, and birds. You also do not need to worry about someone stealing your information from the microchip or reprogramming it as only a veterinarian, animal shelter, or animal control center can scan the microchip.