Veterinary Wellness Plans Keep Your Pet Healthy

At Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital, keeping your cat or dog in great shape is our highest priority and the routine wellness examination is very important. We will work with you to set up a schedule of visits.

Just as no two pets are alike, no two wellness plans are alike. The veterinarians at Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital will work with you to set up a regular schedule of visits for wellness care.

Exams twice a year—Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital schedules wellness examinations twice a year, no matter what age your pet may be. We will fully examine your pet from nose to tail to make sure he or she is healthy. Our veterinarians will make sure that your pet is well enough to be given any vaccinations that are due at the time of the exam.
Blood work—No matter what your pet’s age, we will perform blood work as needed. This will let us know what is normal for your pet. By knowing your pet’s normal condition, we can better determine by later tests what problems he or she may have and which systems are affected. Picking up problems early is the key to preventing serious illness and maintaining your pet’s good health.
Oral examination—We will examine your pet’s mouth and teeth at every regular appointment, checking for problems that need to be followed.

With these regular examinations, Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital’s veterinarians are able to monitor your pet’s health. Our team approach will help your pet have the best health and the best life possible.

Pet Vaccinations Are Key to Prevent Disease

At Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital, we understand that basic vaccines protect most pets from common diseases. We consider your pet’s lifestyle and exposure to other animals in kennels and dog parks, and then tailor your animal’s vaccine program to his or her particular needs.

Dog and Puppy Care

We may recommend the following canine vaccine protocol:

Rabies

Rabies is a virus that is contracted most commonly from bite wounds from infected animals, often skunks, raccoons, and bats. Rabies is rare in San Francisco; however, the incidence is higher in surrounding communities. Rabies vaccinations are required by law.

First dose given at 16 weeks of age
Next dose given 1 year after first dose
Subsequent doses given every 3 years

DHPP

Canine distemper virus is a highly contagious disease of dogs, raccoons, skunks, and other animals in those families. It causes symptoms ranging from fever, nasal discharge, and pneumonia to neurologic dysfunction and death.

Hepatitis is a virus that causes liver disease and can result in death.

Parvovirus is a devastating disease that causes intractable vomiting and diarrhea and can damage the immune system. It is highly contagious through feces and can persist on contaminated surfaces such as sidewalks for longer than 5 months.

Parainfluenza is one of the primary causes of kennel cough, a disease where virus and bacteria can synergistically cause a dry hacking cough in dogs.

Every 3–4 weeks from 6–8 weeks of age to 16–18 weeks of age
Next dose 1 year later
Subsequent dose in adult dogs every 3 years

Bordetella

Kennel cough is a contagious bacterial and viral infection transmitted by oral and nasal secretions. It usually results in a dry cough that sounds like a dog is trying to cough something up and varies in severity. However, in some cases it can lead to significant pneumonia. Sometimes, the vaccine will include mild symptoms that may require antibiotics if persistent.

First dose at 12–16 weeks of age
Next dose 3 weeks later
Subsequent dose every 6 months or once yearly, depending on exposure in kennels, shows, dog groups, and so on

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease that can result in kidney and liver failure. It is transmitted through contact with infected urine from wild animals such as mice, squirrels, raccoons, opossum, wolves, and deer. Leptospirosis can contaminate the ground with the bacteria remaining viable for months. Contact with this soil or water can spread the infection to your pet. Infected dogs can pass the infection to people. With vaccination, we can limit the severity of infection from the four main types.

Two doses given 3–4 weeks apart
Subsequent dose annually

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is spread by bites from certain tick species. It can cause clinical disease in approximately 5–10% of infected dogs. Symptoms include immune arthritis, fever, kidney disease, and swollen lymph nodes. Ticks must be attached to your pet for at least 48 hours for transmission to occur. Tick control medication should be the primary method of prevention. This vaccine is recommended for dogs that frequently travel to areas such as Mendocino and the North Coast.

Two doses given 3–4 weeks apart
Subsequent dose annually

Cat and Kitten Care

For felines, the typical vaccine protocol may include:

Rabies

Rabies is a virus that is contracted most commonly from bite wounds from infected animals, often skunks, raccoons, and bats. Rabies is rare in San Francisco. However, the incidence is higher in surrounding communities. Rabies vaccinations are required by law. We use a special rabies vaccine manufactured by Merial called Purevax. It is the safest known vaccine for cats.

First dose given at 12 weeks of age
Next dose given 1 year after first dose
Subsequent doses given every 3 years

FVRCP

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis

Just as with the common cold in humans, the virus that causes this upper respiratory tract infection is easily transmitted from one cat to another, so vaccination is imperative if your pet will come in contact with other cats. Its symptoms may take the form of moderate fever, loss of appetite, sneezing, eye and nasal discharges, and coughing. Kittens are particularly affected, but this disease can be dangerous in any unprotected cat as effective treatment is limited. Even if a cat recovers, it can remain a carrier for life.

Calicivirus

This virus is another major cause of upper respiratory tract infection in cats. Widespread and highly contagious, its symptoms of fever, ulcers and blisters on the tongue, and pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) can range from mild to severe, depending on which strain of the virus is present. Treatment of this disease can be difficult. Even if your cat does recover, he or she can continue to infect other animals, as well as experience chronic sneezing, runny eyes, and severe gum disease. Vaccination is tremendously important.

Panleukopenia

Panleukopenia is a parvovirus infection that is primarily transmitted by the fecal–oral route. Sometimes known as feline distemper, this disease is caused by a virus so resistant it can survive over a year outside a cat’s body. Because most cats will be exposed to it during their lifetimes and infection rates in unprotected cats can run as high as 90–100%, vaccination against this usually fatal disease is absolutely essential. Symptoms range from lethargy, listlessness, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Every 3–4 weeks from 6–8 weeks of age to 16–18 weeks of age
Next dose 1 year later
Subsequent dose 1–3 years

FeLV

Infection with the feline leukemia virus can result in many serious health problems for your cat — everything from cancerous conditions such as lymphoma to a wide range of secondary infections caused by the destruction of the immune system. It is the leading cause of death in North American cats. After initial exposure to the virus, a cat may show no symptoms for months, if not years, yet all the while infect others. Testing is available to determine the FeLV status of your cat. If he or she has not yet been infected, but is likely to come in contact with cats that are, vaccination against this fatal disease is highly recommended.

First dose at 9–12 weeks of age
Next dose 3 weeks later
Subsequent dose annually

Up-to-date vaccination records are important, especially if you board your pet. We recommend keeping these records handy in order to avoid any last minute confusion.

We look forward to your questions about disease prevention, so feel free to bring them to your pet’s wellness visit or call our office with your concerns.