Vaccinations
Risk-Based Vaccination Programs for Your Pet’s Unique Needs
Every pet is different and each animal’s risk factors are unique. That’s why Carroll Veterinary Clinic and Foothills Pet Healthcare Clinic do not recommend standard, one-size-fits-all vaccine programs. Instead, we use a risk-based approach that prevents over-vaccinating your pet while ensuring your puppy, kitten, dog, or cat receives only the vaccines he or she needs to stay healthy.
To determine your pet’s vaccination program, we will ask you to complete our Vaccination Risk Assessment Questionnaire, which you may download, print, complete, and bring with you to your pet’s first visit with us. The questionnaire asks about your pet and his or her lifestyle, including:
- Whether or not you have additional pets
- Whether or not your pet is exposed to wildlife
- Whether your pet sleeps in your bed
- Whether your pet is indoors, outdoors, or a combination of both
Based on your answers, we will recommend the appropriate vaccinations and frequencies to protect your pet from the diseases to which he or she could be exposed.
Before vaccinating your pet, we will thoroughly explain all of our vaccination recommendations and give you a chance to share any thoughts or concerns you may have. You can feel confident that whenever possible, we offer non-adjuvanted vaccinations for our feline patients.
About Heartworm Testing and Prevention
Although heartworm disease is seen relatively infrequently above the mountain, all pets in our practice areas are at risk. That is why we recommend monthly preventives as well as annual testing for dogs. We recommend broad-spectrum preventive medications that prevent a host of other diseases, some of which are contagious to humans. The heartworm tests we use also test for Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis. We see several cases of Lyme disease each week and early detection provides the opportunity for timely treatment.
About Rabies Vaccinations
We believe a rabies vaccination is the single most important thing you can do to protect your family and your pet. To ensure all pets receive this critical vaccination, we keep the cost of a rabies vaccination as affordable as possible. We also offer the vaccination as a separate service and do not require an examination before providing a rabies vaccination.
It’s also important to note that even pets who live primarily indoors should be vaccinated, as they can still be exposed to a
