Vaccines for Your Pet: Preventative Treatments for Cats and Dogs

vaccines for petsPet owners in New Bedford and the surrounding South Coast area should think carefully about preventative treatments and medicines, like heartworm treatment for dogs, to keep their furry friends from getting serious illnesses and diseases. You can keep your pet from getting many of these life-threatening diseases by taking them to the Dartmouth veterinary center for care. Do not skip this important trip to your Southeastern Massachusetts emergency vet. It is for your pet’s health and well-being.

Preventative Treatments in Dartmouth

You should know what the law says about getting your pets vaccinated, especially cats and dogs. You may also want to add things to the vaccine to help keep your pet safe. The veterinary center in Dartmouth can help you keep your pet from getting most of the major contagious diseases that affect pets in New England by giving you safe and effective shots. You can get a full list of suggested vaccines for your pet from your emergency vet in Southeastern Massachusetts. Here is a general list of vaccines for cats and dogs that you might want to ask about.

DOGS
Some important and popular dog medicines are rabies shots, which are required by law in most places and essential if you live in a wooded/rural area or if your dog is an escape artist. Adenovirus-2, parvovirus, and depending on where you live, leptospirosis may not be required. Bordatella isn’t mandatory, but it’s a must if you take your dog to dog parks or kennels a lot. Flu shots are optional, based on your pet’s exposure risk. Lyme disease – another vaccine that is your choice, but should be based on where you live and your pet’s lifestyle.

CATS
Some important and popular medicines for cats are the rabies shots, which are required by law in most places and essential if your cat goes outdoors or if you live in a wooded/rural area. Feline leukemia and feline distemper are also critical to your cat’s health and should be done early, according to your veterinary schedule.

Parasite Treatments and Vaccines for Your Pet

As a pet owner in New England, you also need to pay attention to keeping your pet free of parasites. People who own pets in New Bedford should know that most bugs can be avoided with help from your local Dartmouth veterinary office. Heartworm, a disease that can be fatal, can be stopped in dogs and sometimes even cats who are at risk by giving them heartworm medicine.

Talk to your emergency vet in Southeastern Massachusetts about how to keep your pet free of parasites, what kinds of parasites are most common in the South Coast area, and what else you can do at home to keep your pet from getting them or being attacked by them. It is also important to know that a lot of parasites are “zoonotic,” which is a medical term for parasites that can affect both animals and people. Repellents are important for keeping your pets healthy and safe, but they are also good for you and your family.

Fleas, Ticks, and Heartworm

Keeping fleas away is important because they can make your pets sick by causing skin problems, irritations, and infections, and they can even spread diseases. Talk to your Dartmouth vet office about what will work best for you and your pet. Ticks are a big problem here on the South Coast, and you should all take steps to keep your family tick-free. To get the most protection, use tick spray all year long. Talk to your vet about what else you can do to keep ticks away.

These parasites, like roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and coccidia, live in the intestines of animals. They are gross and scary, and they can hurt your pet and your family. Testing and treatments that keep problems from happening are the best way to do it. You see and hear a lot about how to treat heartworms in dogs on TV and at the emergency vet office in your area of Southeastern Massachusetts. Heartworms are spread to both cats and dogs by bugs. Giving certain medicines to pets can help keep them from getting heartworms, but only if a vet tells you to.

Visit Our Dartmouth Veterinary Center

People who own pets in New Bedford or anywhere in Southeast Massachusetts or Rhode Island should call Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth to learn more about heartworm treatment, preventative treatments, tests, and shots for dogs and cats. To keep your pet safe and healthy, you can also set up a well check-up or a yearly check-up. Call us at 508-996-3731 to find out more about our services, which include basic health care like check-ups and shots, as well as surgeries, treatments, x-rays, and other types of emergency care.