Frequently Asked Questions
What is BESTPRACTICE and what does it mean for me?
BESTPRACTICE is New Zealand’s ONLY quality accreditation programme that ensures a high standard of service and professionalism for veterinary clinics and hospitals in New Zealand.
A quality assurance programme modelled on best practice overseas standards and adapted to suit the New Zealand veterinary environment.
Hamilton Small Animal Veterinary Centre was one of the first practices to join up to the standard in NZ and continues to meet the current evolving standard.
How often does my pet need vaccinations?
Dogs and Puppies
WSAVA (The World Small Animal Veterinary Association) have updated their protocols for puppy vaccinations. Following your puppies initial course of 3-4 puppy vaccinations from 6-16 weeks of age they now recommend a Parvo Antibody Test at 6 months. This test will check for adequate protection against Parvovirus.
If protection is positive, pups have adequate Parvovirus antibodies. They will not need another vaccination at 6 months old and will be due Vanguard Plus 5, Leptospirosis and Canine Cough 1 year after the initial puppy course.
If protection is negative, they will require another Parvovirus vaccination at this 6 month check. Then they will have protection against Parvovirus for the next 3 years, but they will require a booster for Leptospirosis and Canine Cough 1 year after the initial puppy course.
From this point onward, health checks, Leptospirosis and Canine Cough vaccinations are yearly, and Vanguard 5 vaccination (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza and Adenovirus) is every 3 years.
Cats and Kittens
Kittens need to be vaccinated with Felocell 3 (Feline Herpes Virus, Feline Calicivirus, Feline Panleucopaenia Virus) every 3-4 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age. Please do not let them outside until 2 weeks after their last injection, to allow the vaccine to be effective.
Adult Cats
Adult cats receive their first booster of Felocell 3 at 6 months of age. This is to cover cats that did not take up adequate protection with their kitten vaccination course. Your cat will then be vaccinated with Felocell 3 every 3 years. We still recommend a yearly wellness check for early detection of any health issues.
Young Adults and Initial Courses in Adult Cats
Cats aged over 16 weeks, that have not been vaccinated previously require two vaccines as the initial course, and then a booster vaccination as per the 3-yearly programme.
If regular vaccines in a previously vaccinated cat have lapsed by more than 6 months, then one dose is all that is required before they can go back to 3-yearly vaccinations.
However with these changes it is more important than ever to keep up with your cats yearly wellness checks so any changes in their health are picked up sooner rather than later.
How often should I worm my pet?
Puppies and kittens should be wormed every 2 weeks up until 12 weeks of age.
Between 12 weeks (3 months) and 6 months of age, it should be done monthly as young animals are more at risk for problems secondary to worms.
After 6 months pets should be wormed 3 monthly.
However many modern flea products also contain effective worming treatments so discuss your needs the next time you contact the clinic and our trained staff will give you the advice and product that best meets you and your pet’s needs.
I can’t see any fleas so should I still treat my pet for them?
YES!
Once you have fleas on your pet they are already producing flea eggs and contaminating your household environment.
Once the environment is contaminated it takes more time and is more difficult to resolve the flea issue.
With modern safe flea products spotting a flea should be a rare event.
With a wide range of safe long lasting topical and oral products flea control is a simple and relatively inexpensive health concern to resolve.
Call or drop in and our trained staff will help determine the best product for you.
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