The importance of regular physical examinations cannot be overlooked. Abnormalities can be discovered during the exam even in apparently healthy animals. Detection of disease or behavioral problems early in their course provides the best opportunity for successful therapy and often with less expense. In general, we recommend annual exams for young and middle aged animals, and biannual for geriatrics (over 10 years) or individuals with chronic conditions.

There is increasing evidence that immunity provided from most vaccinations lasts longer than one year.  Repeated vaccination has also been associated with immune-mediated disorders in dogs and certain types of cancer in cats.

While we believe that vaccination is important in preventing certain diseases that can be fatal to your pet, we also believe that annual revaccination may be excessive. (The American Animal Hospital Association, The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, and many veterinary schools are now recommending every 3 year boosters.)  Any animal with a chronic condition, whether it be allergies, arthritis, etc, already has inflammation in its body, and adding a vaccine to the picture is an additional stress on the immune system.  For all animals, but especially for these individuals, we recommend vaccine titer testing. A simple blood test will measure your pet’s antibodies against diseases it was previously vaccinated for - Distemper and Parvo in dogs, or Panleukopenia in cats. If there are already adequate circulating antibodies against these diseases, then there is no need to “remind” the immune system with a booster vaccination.

Duration of immunity

see links page for additional links to vaccination issues

We strongly believe the old adage that you are what you eat!  Proper nutrition is the cornerstone of good health.

Feeding Pets as Nature Intended

see links page for specific commercial foods we recommend