Preventive Care

Preventive care services are performed for the prevention of disease or sickness and help to ensure your pets are staying healthy. These services include vaccinations, parasite control, wellness exams, and even weight management help. Please click on any of the subheadings listed below to learn more about our services in preventive care.
Available Services
  • Because our pets age at a quicker pace than we humans do, it is important that they receive appropriate preventative care, along with early detection screenings to identify any health concerns or diseases in their earliest stages.

    Pets aged 7 years or older should visit their veterinarian twice a year for wellness exams. These exams are the key to detecting any health problems that could endanger your pet.... Read more

  • Fleas and ticks are capable of transmitting infection and disease to pets through a bite. Many pets also suffer from severe allergic reaction to the bites of fleas and ticks. It is imperative that owners prevent these parasites by using one of the many commercially available products that protect pets from fleas and ticks.... Read more

  • Vaccines and regular health exams are key preventive care measures and are critical to the well-being of your pets to help protect them from potentially deadly infectious diseases.

    The process of immunization against disease begins in your pet’s body as a result of receiving vaccines, usually by injection.

    VCA veterinarians recommend:

    • Giving core vaccines to dogs (distemper, canine adenovirus, parvovirus and rabies)
    • Giving core vaccines to cats (panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and rabies)
    • Starting a vaccine program between 6 and 9 weeks of age to begin proper lifelong protection
    • Giving vaccines every 3 weeks until a pet reaches 15 to 17 weeks of age.... Read more

  • Does your pet have a microchip?

    Each year, millions of pets go missing and many don't make it back home. Microchipping your pet is a simple, effective way to prevent this sort of tragic loss.

    About the size and shape of a grain of rice, identification microchips are encoded with your pet's vital information then implanted beneath your pet's skin, usually between the shoulder blades.... Read more

  • Our hospital offers guidance on a number of Parasite Control Programs. The most common parasites that afflict pets are fleas and ticks.

    Fleas and ticks are capable of transmitting infection and disease to pets through a bite.... Read more

  • Our hospital offers and encourages Preventive Medicine Services through the use of special "Early Disease Detection/Wellness" programs for adult and senior dogs. Because pets are living longer, they are experiencing increased problems with chronic illnesses and cancer. The earlier a problem is diagnosed and a treatment plan started, the better the outcome.... Read more

  • Our hospital offers Vaccination Examinations because vaccinations are critical to the well-being of your pets. Vaccines protect against potentially deadly viral diseases like Distemper, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis and Rabies in dogs, and Panleukopenia, Feline Leukemia Virus and Rabies in cats.

    Dogs

    • Annual Rabies Vaccination - Rabies is always fatal (in both animals and humans).... Read more

  • At VCA Animal Hospitals we want to work with you to help your pets maintain a healthy weight, so they can live a long and happy life with you.

    Being overweight can be very dangerous for our pets - even a few extra pounds can potentially shorten their lifespan. Pet Obesity has become a national epidemic for our cats and dogs, and we’ve decided to help do something about it with our pet weight loss initiative called the Big Pet Project.... Read more

    • A wellness exam is an overall general health assessment that may include blood tests, urinalysis, and parasite screening.
    • A wellness exam is recommended for most pets at least annually.
    • Some veterinarians recommend wellness exams at least every 6 months for senior pets and pets with chronic health issues.... Read more

  • Wellness tests are important to assist the veterinarians in creating an overall portfolio of your pet's health.

    By including blood tests in your pet’s routine exams, it is possible to create a wellness “baseline” against which future testing can be compared. This can help to make any potential abnormalities or concerns be more easily detected.... Read more