Basic Routine Care Guidelines Adult Dogs

Main Street Pet Care, Inc.

Experience gained over time requires that we periodically update our basic care guidelines for the pets we see. Sometimes we add things that we have found over time are very important for basic care and early detection of disease. Sometimes we drop things that over time just do not seem to provide enough benefit to be worthwhile.

Before adding recommendations, we carefully consider cost versus benefit, and decisions are made that ultimately reflect the best possible care for your pet. If you have any questions about our recommendations, please do not hesitate to discuss them with us. Following are our basic care guidelines for adult dogs:

1. Annual Complete Physical A complete and careful physical examination is essential for detection of both potential and existing, but hidden, health problems. The most common problems we find early when proper yearly physical are performed are heart disease, painful dental disease, cancers, eye problems, urinary stones, arthritis and ear infections. Older animals require an examination every six months (see "Aging in Pets"), which is determined on an individual basis.
2. Wellness Blood Screening Complete Wellness Blood Screening is recommended before six months of age, then every year of life through the middle age years. When signs of aging become apparent, Dr. Leavens or a staff veterinarian will recommend that Senior Blood Screening be advanced to every six months depending on how your pet appears to be aging.
3. Heartworm Testing Experts say this test is needed every year in all dogs to ensure proper prevention and detection. Our experience bears this out. It is interesting to note that we detect heartworms in just as many indoor dogs as outdoor.
4. Parasite Control Because every dog is at risk for parasites, and many parasites can be passed on to humans (especially children), we recommend that every dog be on monthly parasite control. Whether your dog is indoor or outdoor, parasite control is essential because every dog is exposed to parasites, whether from the grass or soil, or off your shoes when you enter your home. In addition to monthly control, every dog also needs complete de-worming every six months. Dogs that are not on monthly control, should receive complete de-worming every three months. For further information about parasites visit our library or www.capcvet.org
5. Rabies Rabies vaccine should be administered yearly to all pets.
6. DHLPP Vaccines DHLPP vaccine should be administered yearly to all dogs. While some of the individual parts of this vaccine may not be necessary in later years, other parts are, and it varies with each dog. The safest thing to do is to vaccinate every dog each year with the entire vaccine.
7. Bordetella Also known as "Kennel Cough", this vaccination protects against two easily transmitted upper respiratory diseases in dogs. One form is injectible and one form is given in the nose, depending on the breed. While "Kennel Cough" is not a fatal disease, it is very common and can make the dog quite ill. While its name implies it must come from a kennel, every dog is at risk, even indoor dogs, due to the highly contagious nature of the disease. Vaccination protection lasts about eight months; it is needed every six months for high risk dogs and every year for low risk dogs.

Questions also sometimes arise about Lyme's vaccine. This vaccine has been fraught with problems and we do not routinely recommend it because we have seen some serious side effects. Lyme's disease is common in dogs and the vast majority of dogs that get the disease do not become clinically ill. For the ones that do become ill, it is an easily treated disease if it is detected in a reasonable period of time.