Tag Archives: cat

Why Vaccines?
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If you’ve brought home a new pet, it is important to make sure it receives the proper vaccines to be protected against certain diseases.

Vaccines have been used for decades to prevent illnesses that are deadly and/or difficult to treat.  A new puppy or kitten needs several series of vaccines to ensure full protection.  Most veterinarians try to start this series at around 8-10 weeks of age.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has a very good summary of vaccine information at this link:
http://www.avma.org/issues/vaccination/default.asp

What to expect at your first visit
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There are some things you need to know or bring when you schedule an appointment to see the vet:

  1. If you have specific questions, write them down on a list so you don’t forget to ask them.
  2. Have all paperwork (birth date, past vaccinations, medications) from the store, breeder, or organization where you attained your animal.  If your pet has seen another vet, bring a copy of prior records.
  3. Make sure you know the answers to certain questions like:
  • How long have you had your pet?
  • How old is your pet?
  • What is it eating?  How much?
  • Any vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, or sneezing?
  • What preventatives for fleas, ticks, or heartworm are you using?

Being prepared for this first visit will make for a more efficient and thorough appointment.

Mammary Cancer
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There is a relationship between spaying and prevention of mammary cancer in both the canine and feline population.

In an un-spayed (intact) female dog, 50% of tumors developed are mammary gland tumors. If a female dog is spayed before her first heat, she only has a 0.5% chance of developing mammary cancer. After the first heat, this risk increases to 8%.  Once a female reaches her third heat, she has a one-in-four chance (26%) of developing mammary cancer.  Spaying after the second heat does not appear to decrease the risk of mammary cancer, but may alleviate malignancy if mammary cancer does develop1.

Similar relationships are seen in cats, with those spayed before 6 months of age having a 9% risk and those spayed between 6-12 months having a 14% risk 2.

Here are some excellent links that summarize the relationship between mammary cancer and spay: