Neutering, or orchiectomy, is performed at around six months of age. It is a day surgery that involves a general anesthetic.
The advantages of neutering at six months of age include prevention of testicular tumors, greatly reducing the chances of prostate problems, and a reduction in hormone related behavioural problems.
Soft tissue surgery pertains to surgery involving the skin, ears, eyes and abdominal organs (such as stomach, intestines, bladder). Some examples of common soft tissue surgeries include laceration repair, abscess repair, removal of swallowed objects, removal of bladder stones, correction of eyelid problems, and removal of skin growths. We offer referral to a specialist for complicated soft tissue surgeries.
Orthopedic surgery refers to those surgical procedures performed on bones, muscles and ligaments/tendons. Often, pets will fracture a bone or rupture a ligament or dislocate a joint that requires surgical repair. Often these surgeries can be quite involved and, occasionally, may require referral to a specialist.
Congratulations on your new puppy!
To get you started the following visits are recommended for your new pup:
6-8 weeks of age:
-First physical examination
-Initial vaccination
-Begin deworming schedule
-Nutrition and behaviour counseling
8-10 weeks of age:
-Physical examination
-Booster vaccination
-Chart growth rate
-Begin flea preventative medication (depending on time of year)
-Consider health insurance
12-16 weeks of age:
-Physical examination
-Final vaccinations including rabies and bordetella vaccinations if required
-Chart growth rate
-Discuss spay/neuter surgery
6 months of age:
-Spay/ neuter surgery
-Consider microchip implant
Congratulations on your new kitten!
Whether this is you first kitten or an addition, we are available to address any of your questions or concerns.
Typically the following initial visits are recommended for your kitten:
8 weeks of age:
-Initial physical examination
-First vaccination
-Nutrition and behavioural counseling
-Begin deworming schedule
-Begin flea preventative medication (depending on time of year)
12 weeks of age:
-Physical examination
-Booster vaccination including rabies vaccination if required
-Discuss health insurance
-Discuss spay/ neuter surgery
6 months of age:
-Spay/ neuter surgery
-Consider microchip implant
Just as we age, so do our pets. When you consider that your pet ages about 5-7 years for every human year, it is not surprising that they encounter geriatric problems sooner than we do.
Yearly, or in some cases twice yearly, exams become very important as your pet ages. Since they cannot communicate to you when they are not feeling well, and because most geriatric diseases are insidious in onset, regular check ups are often the only way to detect problems.
As part of senior exams, lab tests are often recommended to help us to detect certain diseases in the early stages when they are more effectively treatable. This may involve blood or urine tests depending on the particular circumstance. Recommendations will be made based on the results of the physical exam or merely to screen for some common geriatric conditions.
Newer medications become available often that allow us to treat more disease conditions and provide your pet with a comfortable life in the senior years.