Preventative Care

Examinations

Your animal’s health will benefit from a yearly examination with our veterinarians. Because our pets age faster than we do, annual appointments with a veterinarian are the least we can do to keep them healthy.

Preventative Care For Dogs

• Physical examination to look for changes to teeth, weight, joints, skin, heart and lungs.
• Core vaccinations including Rabies, Distemper, and Leptospirosis, and additional vaccines Bordetella, Lyme, and Canine Influenza based on your dog's lifestyle.
• Diagnostic screening tests including heartworm/tickborne disease antibody testing, fecal testing, geriatric splenic ultrasound and wellness or geriatric lab work to identify underlying illnesses early.
• Recommendations for heartworm and flea/tick preventatives that work best for your pet's lifestyle.

Preventative Care For Cats

• Physical examination to look for changes to teeth, weight, joints, skin, heart and lungs.
• Core vaccinations of Rabies and feline Distemper, and additional vaccination of feline Leukemia based on your cat's lifestyle.
• Diagnostic screening tests including FIV/Leukemia testing, fecal testing, and wellness or geriatric lab work to identify underlying illnesses early.
• Recommendations for flea/tick preventatives that work best for your pet's lifestyle.

Vaccinations

Fortifying your pet against illness is easier when you follow the recommended vaccine schedule. This will vary depending on the species and breed of your animal, but the results are always the same: healthier pets and less money spent on treatment.

For your new puppy, Montpelier Veterinary Hospital recommends a complete series of vaccinations. In a year, and every year after, our team will provide these booster shots:

• Borrelia (protects against Lyme disease)
• Bordetella (protects against kennel cough)
• Leptospira (protects against a bacterial infection)

Additionally, we recommend that canines receive vaccinations for rabies and DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus) every three years.

Felines follow their own vaccine schedule. It includes an initial series for kittens and then yearly vaccination against the Feline Leukemia Virus. Every three years, we ask that you bring your cat to be vaccinated for rabies and FVCRP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis.)

If you have questions about your pet’s required vaccinations, give our office a call.

Parasite Control

Parasites are more than an inconvenience for your pet. Over time, a parasite can stunt growth, aggravate existing medical conditions, and result in life-threatening infections. To avoid complicated treatment plans and costly bills, prevention is key. Routine examinations and laboratory testing are a great way to start.

There are also a number of preventative medications that protect pets against parasites. The industry’s best dewormers and oral medications can be found in our online store and at our clinic. These products will protect your pet against common parasites, such as:

• Roundworms, heartworms, hookworms, and tapeworms
• Ear Mites
• Ticks
• Fleas

If your pet spends a lot of time outdoors, it is especially vulnerable to these parasites. Give us a call, visit the online store, or stop by our clinic to purchase parasite medication. And if your animal is already infected with a parasite, trust Montpelier Veterinary Hospital for caring and professional treatment.

Microchipping

Microchipping has become an industry standard, and for good reason. It is a safe way to ensure that you are reunited with your pet should you ever get separated. Call us for our microchipping services or to learn more about these benefits:

• The procedure is painless and doesn’t take long at all.
• Once implanted, the microchip cannot be tampered with and will never need to be replaced.
• A microchip poses no risk to your personal information as it contains no data except for a reference number.

Once your pet has been microchipped, it can be identified anywhere in the country. So if you like to travel with your animal, you have a built-in safety net.

Nutrition & Weight Management

Proper balanced nutrition is vital to the health and wellness of your pet, so much so that it was named the fifth vital assessment by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) following temperature, respiration, pulse, and pain. Determining the best diet for your companion takes into account a number of factors including their breed or size, life stage, activity level, and any health conditions. With an innumerable selection of pet foods on the market, finding the best diet can be overwhelming at best, and we recommend in your selection that you utilize the guidelines provided by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) under Additional Resources on this page to help direct your choices.

Montpelier Veterinary Hospital carries Hill's, Purina, and Royal Canin veterinary diets. Each of these brands are recommended by our veterinarians as they are formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists for proper balanced nutrition for dogs and cats. Information about the nutrition experts formulating your pet's diet and more is available through the Pet Nutrition Alliance Manufacturer Report available under Additional Resources on this page.

Nutrition is an important modality for treatment in a number of chronic conditions. The staff at Montpelier Veterinary Hospital can make recommendations for the specific nutritional requirements for your pet and their health. Diet is also an important factor in treatment for obesity, one of the most common conditions in pets today. According to a survey performed by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the United States in 2018 were overweight or obese. Obesity can predispose pets to many health conditions, but our veterinarians at Montpelier Veterinary Hospital will assess your pet using multiple metrics including Body Condition Scoring illustrated below and can help to create realistic weight loss goals to help your companion live a happier and healthier life.