Vaccination is a vital part of your pets health. Both dogs and cats started off as non-domestic animals, and many diseases have evolved to transmit between them through direct-contact and through contaminated surfaces in their environments. Vaccines are used to prepare their immune system for any possible exposure and prevent nearly all infection, in rare cases at least reducing the severity of symptoms. At PACK, we consult the vaccine recommendations of AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association), and the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) in order to develop a personalized vaccination recommendation tailored to your pet, their lifestyle and its risks.
Core vaccines (Rabies, DHPP, FVRCP, Bordetella, etc.) are vaccinations that we consider to be essential for all healthy pets, but others depend on if your pet goes to places or performs activities where possible exposures occur. We will give you all the education you require, but never make you feel pressured into using more vaccines than your lifestyle requires.
Very rarely, in the distant past, have vaccinations contained ingredients that have since been discovered to be harmful. Our promise to you, is that we continue to research and stock only the safest and most effective vaccines available
Pet’s can’t tell you when they’re sick, and in many cases, they may hide the majority of their symptoms. This is why at PACK we believe routine blood testing is an effective preventative tool, to not only gauge your pet’s health, but also detect changes or disease as early as possible. Early intervention will always be the most effective time to alter the course of a disease or illness. We are committed to providing a cost-effective option, tailored to your pet’s age and risks, that will allow regular screening to keep your pet as healthy as possible.
All dogs require a yearly 4DX/Heartworm test. This test will screen for possible Heartworm infection, as well as the tick-borne bacterial diseases Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma. Preventatives are important at preventing these diseases, but since infection can be irreversibly damaging to your pet’s body, we will always recommend testing once a year to ensure that the preventatives have worked to keep them safe. If a positive is found, we will help you every step of the way to make sure that we eliminate the infection and that damage is minimized.
Annual Fecal Tests are an important measure to makes sure that your pet’s gastrointestinal health is appropriate, but also to ensure that these parasites have not been brought into your home. Some, not all, parasites of pets are zoonotic (transmissible to people), and we want to keep you, your family, and especially any young children as safe as possible.
We know just how confusing it can be to walk into a pet store and select the right diet for your pet these days. There’s misleading advertising everywhere you turn, as well as different suggestions from breeders, groomers, neighbors, and friends. Dogs and cats only eat one food all day and all year, so their diet is a crucial part of their healthy life, and an important subject to us. At PACK, when asked – we recommend diets that are constructed from decades of scientific research and veterinary expert advice, so you will hear us regularly recommend Purina ProPlan, Hill’s Science Diet, and Royal Canin – because no one can match their knowledge, science or care when it comes to formulating a diet.
At your appointment, we will take the time to discuss all your diet choices with you, so that we can find the diet that best suits your pet’s age, health, and special needs. We won’t tell you what to feed, but we want to help you to understand the pros and cons of your food decisions. Remember – you don’t put diesel in a Ferrari!