Wellness Services

Preventative Health Care for dogs and cats: 

Our most important part of any visit is the examination performed. Also, we will discuss what vaccinations are needed for each individual pet. Puppy and kitten vaccinations are started near 6 to 8 weeks of age and repeated until 14 to 16 weeks of age. After your puppy or kitten is fully immunized, we will need to see them annually for their examination and to reevaluate what vaccinations are necessary. Our senior patients, we encourage examinations every 6 months to try to catch a possible disease before it makes your pet extremely debilitated.

For puppies/kittens we are aiming for boosters at regular intervals ending at a certain age, not aiming for a specific number of boosters. So depending on when they start, it will usually end up being 3 or 4 boosters

 

Cats:

Feline Distemper (FDFVRCP):
kittens - starting as early as 6 weeks. Boosters done at every 3-4 week intervals, finishing between 16-20 weeks of age.
adults with no previous vaccines- a series of 2 boosters
After primary series (kitten or adult booster) Give 1 vaccine which is then good for 3 years

Feline Leukemia (FeLV):
kittens- starting at 8 weeks and later: 2 doses 3-4 weeks apart
Adults- 2 doses 3-4 weeks
Dose again 1 year later. Interval for booster after this year will be based on risk: High risk: annually, Low Risk: Every Other year

Rabies:
Not less than 12 weeks of age. Recommended Annual vaccine (even with indoor only cats). The 3-yr vaccine is available, but not recommended due to the risk of injection-related carcinomas found in cats. The vaccine will be given if client specifically requests one, with the knowledge of risks, or cat is fractious.

Dogs:

 

Canine Distemper (DA2PP):
Puppies- starting as early as 6 week, boosters every 3-4 weeks until over 16 weeks of age
Any dog over 16 weeks only needs 1 vaccine (no booster needed)
Booster 1 year after primary vaccine which is then good for 3 years.

Rabies:
No earlier than 12 weeks. Initial vaccine needs to be 1 year. Follow up booster, recommend 1 year, but is ok for 3-yr vaccine, if owner requests.

Leptospirosis:
After 12 weeks, 1 booster at 3-4 weeks, then annually

Bordetella (BV):
1st choice should be Intranasal. Injectable for pets who Intranasal is not possible
Puppies: Any time after 8 weeks.
Intranasal: 1 vaccine is protective for puppies/adults
Injectable: Puppies and unvaccinated adults require 2 injections at a 3-4 week interval

Lyme:
After 12 weeks, 1 booster at 3-4 weeks, then annually

Canine Influenza-CIV (H3N2, H3N8 Bivalent Flu):
Give as early as 8 weeks, 1 booster 2-4 weeks, then annually.

**Depending on size of dog , we may decide to start lepto, flu, or lyme later. This helps avoid the possibility of a vaccine reaction due to the quantity of vaccines given at the same visit.

 

Wild Life, Exotics, and pocket pets:       

  

If your pet is scaled or feathered or can even fit in your pocket, we will give them their own full examination, specific for their needs. Our veterinary staff is very skilled at handling these smaller pets. We will take in most wild creatures and assess for health and well being- whether this means rehab with the University of Illinois Wildlife Department or releasing back to their own habitats after treament in clinic. For privately owned critters, we recommend filling out a new patient form prior to bringing in your exotic pet to help us understand how they are being housed and cared for in your home. We also recommend bringing in a fresh stool sample to have us test for any intestinal parasites. 

 

  

Dental Care:

Many pets develop periodontal disease by the age of 3. We encourage preventative dental care with brushing, rinses, chews, and dental health foods, such as Science Diet's prescription diet T/D. Performing a "teeth cleaning" will likely be needed at some point in your pet’s life. At Prairie Oak, we believe that COHAT is the best option for our patients. COHAT stands for Comprehensive Oral Health Assestment and Treatment. COHAT includes an oral exam, dental radiographs, scaling and polishing of teeth, and education for the owner after the procedure. This does more than just take away the bad breath.  COHAT guards against more serious issues such as bacterial infections in the mouth, uncovering oral tumors, removing diseased teeth, or preventing blood-born issues that could potentially travel to other places in the body.

 

Parasite Prevention:

Fecals: recommended 2 negative stool samples on puppies/kittens, regardless of worming history, and then annually (even if on heartworm prevention). 

Heartworm blood testing: for dogs is done annually (even if the pup has been on heartworm prevention since initial visit).  All dogs should be on a heartworm preventative given once a month and flea preventative that is given once a month (or every 3 months) year round. There are patients that require tick prevention as well. We look forward to discussing which product is best for your individual pet. We also recommend protecting your cats as well. We have options for both indoor and outdoor cats. 

Medical Services

Diagnostic Services:

Our in-house diagnostic services include blood tests for disease detection, urine tests, fecal examinations for intestinal parasites, bacteriology, cytology, digital x-rays, electrocardiograms, blood pressure measurement, and ultrasound. In addition, we use the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Illinois as well as other referral labs as needed.

  

Anesthetic Services:

We recommend running preanesthic bloodwork to ensure all precautions are taken prior to your pet’s anesthetic procedure. Anesthetic safety and pain management for your pet are a very important part of any surgical experience.We routinely perform spays and neuters, mass removals, dental cleanings, orthopedic surgeries as well as soft tissue surgeries.

Therapy:

We look forward to working with you to find the most appropriate treatment for your pet. Depending on the nature of the issue, many procedures, including administering intraveneous and subcutaneous fluids, administering oral and injectable medications, medical bathing, or starting on new prescription diets can be started before even leaving our doors.  We also administer chemotherapy when needed for those patients diagnosed with cancer.