Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Is Preventative Medicine really more cost effective than treating the disease?
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Let’s compare costs:
Prevention of Heartworms in a 60 pound Dog can cost as little as: $77.00 (PER YEAR)
Treatment of Heartworm Disease in a 60 pound dog: $700-$1100
Prevention is approximately 10 times cheaper than treatment!
You can apply this lesson to many areas of human health care and veterinary health care. Vaccinating a puppy against Parvo Virus is 10 times cheaper than the cost of treating that same puppy for the disease. So not only is it the best medicine for your pet but it is also the best move financially!
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At what age can I have my pet spayed/neutered?
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Do I have to have current vaccines to board my pet or have surgery?
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Yes! For the health and safety of all our patients and boarding pets we have to make sure there are no disease outbreaks in our hospitals.
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When do I start my puppy/kitten vaccinations?
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 PUPPIES: They start optimally at 6 weeks of age and are given every 2-3 weeks until they are 4 months old, (16 weeks) when they receive their Rabies vaccination. They are not fully protected from the diseases we are vaccinating against until they have received the total series of vaccinations. You cannot miss one of the vaccinations or we have to start the vaccination series over because of the way the pet’s immune system works.
KITTENS: They start optimally at 8 weeks of age and are given every 2-3 weeks until they are 4 months old, (16 weeks) when they receive their Rabies vaccination. They are not fully protected from the diseases we are vaccinating against until they have received the total series of vaccinations. You cannot miss one of the vaccinations or we have to start the vaccination series over because of the way the pet’s immune system works.
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Why do I have test my dog yearly for heartworms?
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As a profession we need to ensure that the dogs are receiving the best available prevention options. The heartworm test ensures that your dog’s heart is free of worms and that there has been no break in the medication. Yearly testing ensures that if there has been a break and the dog has gotten the disease, the manufacturer of the medication will pay for the cost of treatment. The manufacturer's of heartworm preventatives guarantee its effectiveness only if purchased from a *licensed veterinarian* and given exactly as prescribed.
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Does the brand of food I feed my pet really matter?
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Yes! Does it matter what you eat? Of course it does! The quality of food you choose to eat will help determine the health of your body. It is the same for your pet. All pet foods are not equal. All pet foods do not contain quality ingredients. There is very little over sight of pet food production so we at TVH recommend those foods we KNOW, to best of our ability, have quality ingredients and will benefit your pet’s life.
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Can I feed my dog... puppy food or my puppy.. dog food? ( Cats & Kittens)
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Absolutely not! (The only exception being lactating mommy dogs and cats!) The formulation of puppy/kitten food is very different from the formulation of adult pet foods. If you feed them inappropriately you run the risk of poor development in puppies/kittens due to a lack of nutrients or a risk of obesity and organ stress in adult pets due to the higher nutrients in the juvenile food. Read the AFCO statement on the bag and it should say “formulated for puppies/kittens” or formulated for adult dogs/cats” IT SHOULD NOT say formulated for all life stages.
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Texas Veterinary Hospitals recommend an examination of all tweleve of the body systems. Your pet will receive a full color printed report of the findings of this exmination. We recommend a physical exmaination every 6 months on all normal pets. This is like a human having an exam every three and one-half years. Pets are unable to communicate how they feel with words, so they are on a greater path towards illness than humans. Many pets mask their illness from us, so only an experienced veterinarian can perform a proper exam to detrmine your pet's state of wellness.
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