Protection & Prevention
With preventive care, our vets at Woburn Animal Hospital are often able to keep common diseases and disorders from developing in the first place.
Combined with regularly scheduled wellness exams, pet vaccinations and parasite prevention are used to lay a solid foundation for your animal's routine healthcare.
Preventive care offers your pet the best opportunity to live a long, healthy life. Our team will work with you to create a custom preventive care plan for your dog or cat, tailored to their unique requirements.
Cat & Dog Vaccinations & Reproductive Surgery Schedule
When it comes to protecting your pet against a range of contagious, often serious, diseases, current cat and dog vaccinations are critical. Having your pet neutered or spayed not only prevents unwanted litters from being born; these common veterinary surgeries can also help to prevent some serious types of cancer. They may also prevent unwanted behaviors such as scooting, roaming, animal aggression and howling.
Cat Vaccinations
Kittens need these shots in their first year of life to protect them from potentially fatal diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Rabies
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia 2
- 5 to 6 months
While the following are not cat vaccinations, spaying, neutering and microchipping help protect your cat from a number of health issues, and therefore fall under the preventive health care umbrella.
- Spay (females) - Spaying your female cat prevents the birth of unwanted litters of kittens, protects your cat against serious illnesses, and can help to prevent behaviors such as howling and scooting that accompany heat cycles.
- Neuter (males) - Neutering your male cat prevents your pet from fathering unwanted kittens, protects your cat against various illnesses, and can help to prevent territory marking (spraying), roaming, howling, and cat aggression.
- Microchipping - A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is about the size of a grain of rice and placed under your pet’s skin. Pets that are microchipped have a better chance of being reunited with their owners if they are lost.
Dog Vaccinations
Puppies need these shots in their first year to protect them from serious diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Bordetella (Optional)
- Leptospirosis (Optional)
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Rabies
- Booster: Bordetella (Optional)
- Booster: Leptospirosis (Optional)
Although the following are not dog vaccinations, spaying, neutering, and microchipping help protect your dog from a number of health issues, and therefore fall under the preventive health care umbrella.
- Spay (female) - Dog spaying will prevent your female dog from mothering puppies, but it can also help to prevent certain cancers and regular heat cycles which can attract roaming males to your property.
- Neuter (male) - Dog neutering can help to prevent your male dog from fathering unwanted puppies, as well as protecting your dog from a number of serious cancers, and helping to reduce the risk of roaming and dog aggression.
- Microchipping - A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is about the size of a grain of rice and placed under your pet’s skin. Pets that are microchipped have a better chance of being reunited with their owners if they are lost.
- 12 to 16 months
- Final Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Rabies
- Final Booster: Bordetella (Optional)
- Final Booster: Leptospirosis (Optional)
Parasite Prevention for Pets
For both people and animals in Woburn, parasites are a serious health threat. Untreated parasites can become life-threatening for your cat or dog, and in some cases can even be transmitted to other pets or people living in your house. With our parasite prevention products, you can help protect your dog or cat from these common parasites:
Fleas
These external parasites consume bird and mammal blood. Left untreated, fleas can quickly spread through your house.
Ticks
Ticks are responsible for causing numerous serious conditions in people and pets. These parasites consume mammals' blood.
Ear Mites
Ear mites may be tiny, but they are highly contagious and live in the ear canals of dogs, cats and other mammals.
Heartworm
Spread through mosquito bites, heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that makes its home in the lungs, blood vessels and heart.
Hookworm
Hookworms feed on an animal's blood and live in the digestive tract. These parasites can lead to anemia and other serious conditions.
Roundworm
This parasitic worm resides in the intestine, consuming partially digested intestinal contents and robbing your pet of vital nutrients.
Tapeworm
Tapeworms are spread through the ingestion of infected fleas during grooming. These hook-like parasitic worms live and grow in your pet's intestines.
Whipworm
Whipworms are spread through the ingestion of soil that has been in contact with an infected dog's feces. Whipworms pose a serious health risk to dogs.