Why should I vaccinate my pet if he/she never leaves the yard?

Pets that don't leave their yard are still at risk of contracting certain diseases that don't require direct contact with another animal.  In fact, the animal that never leaves their home may be at greater risk because they haven't had a chance to develop immunity to common diseases.  Diseases such as Parvovirus and Cat Flu are examples of this as people can carry them on their shoes, clothes, etc.  In addition to providing your pet with immunity to common preventable diseases, the annual vaccination also gives your veterinary team the opportunity to thoroughly examine your pet and identify any problems that you may not have noticed.

What am I paying for when I have my pet desexed?

When your pet is desexed at our surgery they receive excellent veterinary and nursing care.  Prior to surgery, your pet is thoroughly checked, has blood and urine tests and is sedated with recently developed and safe premedicants.  A nurse is assigned to your pet throughout the whole day.  Once anaesthetised, your pet is monitored by a qualified veterinary nurse.  This nurse uses a doppler (to monitor blood pressure), a pulse oximeter (to measure heart rate and oxygen levels), while your pet is intubated and breathing in gaseous anaesthetic.  During the procedure, your pet is placed on a heating pad and hot water bottles and blankets are also used to keep your pet comfortable and body temperature at the right level.    Qualified, experienced vets perform the surgery using a sterile technique and sterilised instruments for each patient.  The animals are placed on intravenous fluids throughout the procedure to maintain blood pressure.  All stages of the procedure are recorded on an anaesthetic tracking sheet.   

Why should we take our companion to the vet twice yearly?

There are a few reasons why. Firstly your pets age at a much faster rate than we do, to accept a once yearly visit being adequate does not take into account they age at a 5-7 times faster rate than we do. It also accepts that early detection of many diseases can wait - this is unwise. Many diseases also progress much faster in our animal companions then they do in we human family members. The faster we detect the better we can help them.

What is the purpose of screening tests done such as urine or blood testing when there is no sign of disease?

With the new laboratory equipment, the new tests being constantly developed and the knowledge associated with those test results being gained we can now detect disease processes long before they are a problem or even cause a symptom on your companion. This means that we can through dietary or medical means fix or slow the process that is occurring and therefore enable your friend to live a longer and healthier life. Depending upon their age, their breed(s) and what we detect on our physical examination we can select a range of tests that best suit your pet and therefore increase our chances of early detection of disease and better management.