Veterinary Resources and Information
We know that there can be a lot of conflicting information on the internet. We at City Park Vet, have gathered links to resources we trust, as well as answered some common questions, to take the guess work out of caring for your pet.
What is a spay?
We refer to the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries (an ovariohysterectomy) as a “spay”. Spaying your pets has numerous benefits, including:
- Reduced risk of mammary cancer later in life
- Eliminated risk of ovarian cancer
- Reduced risk of uterine infection (pyometra)
- Prevention of pet overpopulation and accidental breeding
Traditionally this surgery was recommended for dogs and cats at 6 months. This is still the general recommendation, but in some large and giant breed dogs we may have a discussion about spaying later to allow for complete bone and joint development. We can help to advise you on the right time to spay your pet during juvenile health assessments and vaccinations!
This is a day procedure in which your pet is admitted to the clinic first thing in the morning (between 8:00 am and 9:00 am) and discharged later that afternoon (generally between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm). All pets receive intravenous fluid therapy and multiple parameter surgical monitoring for the surgery. Pain medication is dispensed for 3-4 days post-operatively. We must prevent licking and chewing of the surgery site, so a cone or bodysuit will be needed for about 10 days after surgery.
This surgery is offered for dogs, cats and rabbits at City Park Vet.
What is a neuter?
We refer to the surgical removal of the testicles (orchiectomy) as a “neuter”. Neutering male pets can have numerous benefits, including:
- Eliminating the risk of testicular cancer
- Reduction in unwanted behaviours such as marking and aggression
- Reduce the risk of benign prostatic enlargement in older male dogs
- Prevention of pet overpopulation and accidental breeding
Traditionally this surgery was recommended for dogs and cats at 6 months. This is still the general recommendation, but in some large and giant breed dogs we may have a discussion about neutering later to allow for complete bone and joint development. We can help to advise you on the right time to spay your pet during juvenile health assessments and vaccinations!
This is a day procedure in which your pet is admitted to the clinic first thing in the morning (between 8:00 am and 9:00 am) and discharged later that afternoon (generally between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm). All pets receive intravenous fluid therapy and multiple parameter surgical monitoring for the surgery. Pain medication is dispensed for 3-4 days post-operatively. We must prevent licking and chewing of the surgery site, so a cone or bodysuit will be needed for about 10 days after surgery.
This surgery is offered for dogs, cats, and rabbits at City Park Vet.
Vaccination Protocols
There are a number of reasons to keep your pet’s vaccines up to date, but most importantly vaccines help to prevent serious and even deadly diseases. Vaccination against rabies is important even for indoor-only pets as house bats are a common rabies exposure concern.
We will help to advise you on the appropriate vaccination protocol for your pet at their juvenile and annual health assessment and examinations.
Puppy and Kitten Vaccinations:
- First set of vaccines recommended by 8 weeks of age
- Booster vaccination are administered every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks of age
- At 16 weeks of age the Rabies vaccination is administered
- We will cater the appropriate vaccination protocol to the lifestyle of you and your pet
Adult Cat and Dog Vaccinations:
- All cats and dogs require a booster vaccination 1 year after their last juvenile vaccination
- Thereafter, vaccines are administered every 1-3 years depending on the lifestyle of and vaccine schedule chosen for your pet.
Deworming protocols are also discussed at annual visits. The recommended protocol for your pet could vary from monthly deworming all year to just having fecal tests once or twice per year to determine if deworming is necessary.
Ticks and Tick Prevention
Please follow this link to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s website to answer your questions about ticks and tick prevention: https://ticktalkcanada.com/
We will also answer your tick questions and advise a tick prevention protocol for your pet during your visits to the clinic. Generally, we recommend that your pet receives a tick preventative from April through September.
Rabbit Care and Husbandry
Please follow the link to the House Rabbit Society’s thorough and informative website. It may help answer your questions about basic rabbit husbandry, common diseases, and preventative care: https://rabbit.org/
If you are thinking of getting a bunny or have any bunny questions, please click or call to schedule a consultation!
Dental Care
Dental disease is one of the most under-treated issues that we see in veterinary medicine. Preventative home care such as brushing, dental food, and dental treats is crucial in maintaining lifelong dental health in our pet patients.
The conversation about dental health starts when your puppy or kitten comes in for their first consultation where we will discuss appropriate food, treats, toys, and toothbrush training. By the time they are 6-months-old and we are preparing for the spay or neuter surgery, all of the deciduous teeth (baby teeth) should have fallen out and the adults have taken their place. If your little one has persistent baby teeth, missing teeth or improper occlusion, we will recommend treating these issues while they are under anesthetic for their spay or neuter.
Maintaining healthy teeth is just as important for animals as it is for us. Many dogs and cats require a dental cleaning and dental x-rays by the time they are two or three years old. Performing preventative dental examinations and cleanings can prevent more severe problems such as broken, infected, or abscessed teeth. Dental health is also related to systemic health and can help reduce the risk or severity of things like heart and kidney disease later in life.
Veterinary dental procedures require general anesthesia to properly clean and x-ray the teeth(and to extract teeth if necessary). This is a day procedure in which your pet is admitted in the morning between 8:00 am and 9:00 am and discharged between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. We strongly recommend obtaining some baseline bloodwork prior to dental procedures. We will generally perform the bloodwork in the pre-dental examination where we also construct a cost estimate for the procedure.
If you have questions about your pet’s dental health please click or call to schedule a consultation.