Complete Wellness Care for Every Stage of Your Pet’s Life
At Caring Hands Animal Hospital, we believe in the importance of preventive care and regular wellness checkups for all pets. From the playful puppy and kitten phase to adulthood and senior years, routine care helps prevent diseases and detect health issues early, ensuring a longer, healthier life for your pet.
Personalized Preventive Care
Every pet is unique, and their care plan should be too. Our veterinarians create customized recommendations based on your pet’s age, lifestyle, and environment. Key aspects of lifelong wellness care include:
Puppies & Kittens (8, 12, and 16 weeks old): Regular checkups include a full physical exam, fecal testing, parasite deworming, vaccinations, and starting flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. Learn more about puppy and kitten care here.
Spaying & Neutering (around 6 months old): Helps prevent unwanted pregnancies, control overpopulation, and reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Adult Pets (1 to 6 years old): Annual wellness exams include a comprehensive checkup, fecal testing, vaccine boosters, and continued flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.
Dental Care: Evaluated at each visit, and professional cleaning may be recommended if tartar or gum disease is present. Find more details here.
Senior Pets (7 years and older): Bi-annual exams include a full checkup, fecal testing, vaccines, parasite prevention, and lab tests (blood and urine) to monitor overall health and detect age-related conditions early.
Regular wellness visits give your pet the best chance at a long, happy, and healthy life.
Preventatives
Parasite prevention is essential for your pet’s health, no matter if they live indoors or outdoors. Fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes can carry harmful diseases and are active year-round. Even indoor pets are at risk, as parasites can enter your home on shoes or clothing. A simple monthly treatment can help protect your pet from these threats. Topical or oral medications like Nexgard, Simparica, and Bravecto effectively keep fleas and ticks away, preventing skin irritation and more serious health issues. Heartworms, spread by mosquitoes, can cause severe lung and heart disease, which is often fatal. Preventative medications such as Interceptor, Heartgard, and Revolution provide an easy and effective way to protect your pet from heartworms. By staying consistent with parasite prevention, you can ensure your pet stays healthy and comfortable all year long. For more information, visit the Companion Animal Parasite Council or the American Heartworm Society.
Microchipping
At Caring Hands Animal Hospital, we recommend microchipping as an essential safety measure for your pet. Microchipping is a quick, painless procedure in which a tiny chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is inserted just under your pet's skin. This chip contains a unique identification number that can be scanned by veterinary clinics, shelters, and rescue organizations to help reunite you with your pet if they ever become lost. Unlike tags or collars, which can easily be removed or lost, a microchip stays with your pet for life.
Why Microchipping is Crucial for Pet Safety:
- Permanent, Tamper-Proof Identification: The microchip provides a permanent form of identification that cannot be lost, broken, or removed, offering peace of mind.
- Quick and Easy Procedure: Inserting the microchip is a simple, fast, and non-invasive process that causes minimal discomfort to your pet.
- Helps Reunite Lost Pets: If your pet is lost, the microchip helps shelters and veterinary offices quickly identify and return your pet.
- Works for All Pets: Whether your pet is a dog, cat, or any other animal, microchipping offers essential protection, no matter their lifestyle.
Vaccinations
Your veterinarian is the best guide for determining the right vaccination plan based on your pet’s lifestyle and needs. We offer a range of vaccinations to protect your pet from common diseases. Click on each option to learn more about its benefits and importance.
1. Rabies
Rabies is a deadly virus that affects both animals and humans. It spreads through the saliva of an infected animal, usually through bites. Wildlife and other mammals in our area can carry the disease, making prevention essential.
To protect pets and people, Virginia and Maryland state laws require rabies vaccinations for all dogs and cats. The vaccine is first given as a one-year dose and then repeated every three years for dogs.
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Seizures
- Unusual behavior (aggression, extreme shyness, or over-excitement)
- Excessive drooling
- Difficulty swallowing
- Paralysis
Keeping your pet up to date on rabies vaccinations is the best way to prevent this fatal disease and ensure their safety.
2. Distemper (DHPP and FVRCP)
Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that affects dogs, cats, ferrets, and some wildlife. There is no cure, making prevention through vaccination essential. The virus spreads through direct contact with an infected animal or indirectly through contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms:
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Nasal discharge
Vaccines protect pets from multiple viruses. For dogs, the distemper vaccine also guards against Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus (often called DHPP). For cats, the vaccine helps prevent Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia (known as FVRCP).
Puppies and kittens receive a series of distemper shots, followed by annual boosters in young adulthood. For older pets, the vaccine is typically given every three years to ensure lasting protection.
3. Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis, or "Lepto," is a bacterial disease spread through the urine of infected wildlife. It is commonly found in contaminated water sources such as puddles, ponds, and slow-moving creeks. Your veterinarian will assess your pet’s lifestyle to determine if vaccination is necessary.
This disease can lead to kidney and liver failure and is also zoonotic, meaning it can spread from animals to humans.
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Increased thirst
- Vomiting
- Changes in urination (more or less than usual)
- Muscle and joint pain
- Unexplained bruising or bleeding
The Lepto vaccine is given in a two-dose series for initial protection, followed by annual boosters for adult and senior dogs.
4. Lyme Vaccine
Lyme disease is a common infection spread by ticks to both dogs and humans. It is especially widespread in Northern Virginia. Depending on your pet’s lifestyle, your veterinarian may recommend vaccination.
Ticks pick up the bacteria from wildlife and pass it to your pet when they feed. For infection to occur, a tick must be attached for at least 48 hours. However, these ticks are often very small and hard to detect, making tick prevention and vaccination essential for protection.
Unlike humans, dogs do not develop a visible “bulls-eye” rash. Many dogs show no symptoms at first or even at all, but this does not mean they are not infected.
If a dog tests positive for Lyme disease, antibiotics can help reduce the bacteria in the body. However, the infection can be difficult to eliminate completely, and a low-level presence may remain even after treatment.
Symptoms:
- Pain and discomfort
- Limping or difficulty walking
- Loss of appetite
- Fever
- Kidney or heart disease (in serious cases)
The Lyme vaccine is given in a two-dose series for puppies, followed by annual boosters for adult and senior dogs.
5. Bordetella
Bordetella, commonly known as "Kennel Cough," is a highly contagious respiratory infection in dogs. It spreads easily through direct contact or the air, making vaccination essential for dogs that interact with other pets at parks, boarding facilities, daycare centers, groomers, or within their neighborhood.
Puppies, young dogs, or those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk and may develop more severe symptoms.
Symptoms:
- Dry, hacking cough
- "Honking" cough
- Runny nose
- Loss of appetite
- Low energy
- Fever
The Bordetella vaccine is available as an injection or a nasal spray and is recommended every 6 to 12 months. Before taking your pet to a facility, check their vaccination requirements to ensure your dog is protected.
6. Canine Influenza
Canine Influenza is a respiratory virus that emerged in 2012 after mutating from an existing strain. Since it was a new virus, most dogs exposed to it became infected. Fortunately, a vaccine was developed to help protect dogs, and studies have shown that the virus does not spread to humans.
Symptoms:
- Runny nose or eyes
- Coughing (wet or dry)
- Trouble breathing or rapid breathing
- Low energy
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
If your pet visits boarding facilities, groomers, or daycare centers, check their vaccine requirements. Consult with your pet's veterinarian to see if your dog's lifestyle makes this vaccine necessary.
The Canine Influenza vaccine is given in two initial doses, followed by yearly boosters for adult and senior dogs.
7. Feline Leukemia
Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is a viral infection that spreads between cats through saliva, feces, and nursing. Kittens, outdoor or feral cats, and those in multi-cat homes are at higher risk. Currently, there is no cure for Feline Leukemia, but early detection can help manage the condition. A simple blood test at the vet can determine if a cat is infected.
Symptoms:
Some cats may show no symptoms. Other symptoms include:
- Loss of appetite
- Low energy
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Coughing, sneezing, or nasal/eye discharge
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
To protect cats, the FeLV vaccine is given as a two-shot series for kittens and then once a year for adult and senior cats.