Local veterinarians agree that puppies and kittens require medical care that continues on through all stages of their lives.
To prevent disease, young dogs and cats should be vaccinated beginning at six weeks of age and wormed at least twice. Eight weeks is the best time for young pets to separate from their litters.
George Lewis, VMD, has served the community for 22 years. He is often seen driving his pickup to treat pets and large animals as part of his mobile veterinary service.
From the start, puppies will need food and water bowls, preferably glass or metal, puppy food, a dog crate or kennel, safe toys, bedding and blankets. Some dogs are allergic to certain plastics.
“Mentally think about what it takes to actually love and care for a dog for up to 20 years, depending on the breed,” Lewis said of the lifetime commitment made when adopting a pet.
Puppies receive a combination vaccine for protection against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and parainfluenza vaccines. A bordetella vaccine and booster to protect against kennel cough and a corona virus vaccine may also be administered.
Veterinarians will also recommend flea and tick control products and heartworm preventatives. Heartworm disease is transmitted into a dog’s bloodstream when bitten by an infected mosquito. Within several months the larvae matures into heartworms, affecting the animal’s heart and lungs. Heartworms may cause sudden death for outdoor and indoor cats alike. Like dogs, cats should received heartworm preventative year-round, especially with Florida’s warmer climate.
“The transmission is the exact same,” said Dr. Amy Hall, Animal Clinic of Nassau County owner.
Hall asked, “Who hasn’t been bitten in the house?”
In the first year, pet owners may expect to spend up to $200 for vaccines, including a rabies vaccination given at four months. Heartworm prevention and flea control expenses could cost up to $200 annually, depending on the animal’s weight. In addition to initial veterinary visits, dogs and cats should be vaccinated regularly and physically examined annually, with the veterinarian also checking overall health via routine blood work to follow a pet’s condition so that any adverse changes are addressed as soon as possible.
As for a cat’s flea control, felines cannot be treated with the same flea or tick preventative as their canine counterparts.
“There are some products that are safe for dogs that you can’t use for cats,” Hall said. “They are neurotoxic – they can cause muscle tremors and other scary symptoms.”
Before applying, she recommends discussing flea control with veterinary professionals to ensure that prescription or over-the-counter products are safe for felines.
Kittens are vaccinated against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calcivirus and panleukopenia, generally known as FVRCP, on a similar schedule as puppies.
Kittens must also undergo blood tests for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Once a kitten tests negative, it can be vaccinated against future infection. If a kitten tests positive, owners must then decide whether to keep the pet isolated from other felines. If that is not possible, euthanasia might be considered instead of immune support treatments.
“They’re both immune depressive diseases that are similar to HIV in a human, making them more susceptible to infection,” said Hall.
Both viruses may spread through biting and reproductive means so unneutered outdoor cats could be susceptible to the virus, she said.
Sometimes pet owners discover that their cat or dog is already impregnated. If this happens, the pet may either be spayed as soon as possible before giving birth or sometime after the litter is weaned.
In the long term, dogs and cats should be spayed or neutered. Veterinarians typically have a set age for the respective surgeries.
“Spay and neuter, spay and neuter, spay and neuter,” said Lewis, adding that caring for a pet throughout its life has value. “It’s not easy, but it’s very rewarding if you prepare yourself and do it right.”
Full Circle Animal Hospital owner Dr. Mike Payne agrees that preventing unwanted litters is important.
“The benefits of spaying and neutering far outweigh any problems that could occur because they were spayed or neutered,” he wrote via email. “For me I usually recommend that female dogs be spayed around six months of age. We try to perform this before their first heat cycle. For male dogs it is according to the breed. I usually recommend that small dogs be neutered around six months of age unless they show any signs such as aggression, marking or chasing females. For my large breed patients I usually recommend to be neutered at one year of age. Males tend to have less problems than females if they are never neutered. But we do see cases of testicular cancer and prostate cancer that may have been avoided if the pet was neutered.”
In addition to initial visits, dogs and cats should be vaccinated regularly and examined annually.
When training young dogs and cats, pet owners may benefit as well, according to Dr. Mike.
“I think every dog should be leash trained when a puppy,” he notes. “Pets should be under control when walking. This county has too many free roaming pets. However, that is animal control’s job to control and I will leave that up to them. Every pet owner should always check with their county for any ordinances for pets. Nassau County has several and most owners don’t even know they exist.”
Dr. Mike continued, “Cats can be trained as well as any dog. It often takes more patience with them. There are many training tips on the Internet for training cats but I always advise owners to read more than one article to form an opinion about it.”
Lewis cautions owners against tying their dogs to trees. “It’s against county permits to tie a dog to a tree and leave it out in the open.”
Another aspect of pet care involves end-of-life issues when animals become ill or injured. “One of the toughest things we have to do as veterinarians is to let an owner know when it’s time to say goodbye,” Dr. Mike wrote. “Sometimes it is easier to make the decision when the pet has been severely injured or has cancer. When is it time for an elderly pet? That is the question I am asked the most.”
He added, “I always tell them when there is no further quality of life or if the pet is in extreme pain – Does it have dementia so severely it no longer knows anything about its surroundings? Does it interact with the family? Is it eating regularly? … Many other factors are considered in evaluating the quality of life. My wife and I had to make this decision just last year. It is no easier on us than it is the rest of clients. Our job is to try to make it as easy on the pets’ parents as possible.”