Since MK has been roaming around outside all summer I decided it was time to take her to work with me and have her weighed so I can deworm her from intestinal parasites that she could of picked up from being outside. I was most concerned with tapeworms. I found out MK is the all mighty huntress and kills moles and mice so I wanted to keep her safe if she by chance ingests them. Rodents harbor tapeworms so when another animal eats them they get the tapeworm. Tapeworms are gross so it’s best to prevent than to treat.

Our trip started with a hour and half car ride, when I got to the clinic and took MK out of her cage I was greeted by this:

Vomit with a hairball in it.

Since MK vomited up a hairball it is some thing I have to address so it doesn’t happen in the future. Right now I am feeding MK Purina Pro Plan Focus Weight Management, when this bag of food is done she will be switched to Purina Pro Plan Focus Hairball Management to help prevent her hairballs. You can also give a hairball remedy/laxative  as needed to help prevent hairballs.

After your greeted by the front office staff a lovely technician like me starts by getting the patients weight.

The weigh in.

And the results are 9#.

You should weigh your pet through out the year to make sure they aren’t gaining any excess weight. If your cat is overweight you can follow along with SlimKitty they have all kinds of resources to help your kitty stay fit. It is also a good idea to weigh them more often as they get older to make sure they aren’t loosing weight because of  some older kitty diseases that cause weight loss: Kidney and Thyroid disease. 9# is a ok weight for MK, she shouldn’t get any heavier than that and it wouldn’t hurt her to loose a few pounds. Since the vet visit and her going out more often I do think she has loss a pound.

Next the lovely technician will put you in a examination room, get a history and then the doctor will come in to do a nose to tail physical exam, they will talk about the exam and what they found as well as ask questions about your pets health and life style. They will answer any concerns you may have. The only concern I had this day was how often to deworm MK during the summer to prevent the tapeworms. Dr. Hartay told me I should deworm her each month while she is going outside. The dewormer is safe to be given that often and will catch the tapeworm life cycle if indeed she gets infected with them.

Nose to tail physical exam.

Once the physical exam is done and your pet is deemed healthy enough to be vaccinated the doctor will give the appropriate vaccinations for your pet’s life style.There are core vaccinations and non core vaccinations.

It’s vaccination time.

Core vaccinations are vaccines that each animal should get as they are airborne viruses that your cat can get through the air or off of inanimate surfaces  like people, dishes, ect.  MK gets FVRCP and Rabies each year as her core vaccinations. FVRCP consists of 3 different viruses in one vaccination, she will be protected against Feline Rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus), Calcivirus and Panleukopenia (distemper). In a year or two MK’s FVRCP vaccination will be good for 2-3 years. After a series of vaccinations as a kitten and yearly vaccinations for a few years the doctor can push out the expiration date of the FVRCP vaccination so it doesn’t have to be given as often. She gets Rabies each year as the vaccination she is given is Purevax Rabies by Merial. This is the only non-adjuvanted Rabies on the market it is only good for one year and needs to be boosted each year. Up until a month ago it was labeled for one year use, Merial has now come out with a 3 year non-adjuvanted vaccine. You want to have your Veterinarian use Non-adjuvanted vaccines as those are less likely to cause vaccine induced sarcoma’s.

Non core vaccinations are vaccines that are appropriate for your cat’s life style. Not every cat needs the non core vaccinations. MK get’s one non core vaccine. She is given Feline Leukemia vaccination since she goes outside. Feline Leukemia is a deadly virus that is spread by cat bites/saliva and scratches. Since we have feral cats in the area and our neighbors have barn cats that could come in contact with MK I vaccinate her. If your cat is a indoor cat and doesn’t come in contact with unknown cats that may have the disease they don’t need to be vaccinated against Feline Leukemia.

You can find the complete guidelines from the American Association of Feline Practitioners here.

That wasn’t so bad.

MK had a great physical, her vaccinations and was no worse for wear. She is now current on her vaccinations for one more year.

Powered by Linky Tools

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…