Berthoud Animal Hospital - F R Douthit

Our wellness procedures are designed to prevent disease and prolong the lives of your pets. Preventative care should begin the day you welcome a new pet into your home. For puppies and kittens, we recommend beginning a vaccination series between six and eight weeks of age. While receiving appropriate vaccinations is important, the comprehensive physical examinations, intestinal parasite screenings and precautionary dewormings that are also administered during this series will help ensure your new family member is off to a happy, healthy start.

The primary reason you should have your pet spayed or neutered early on is that female dogs and cats can begin their heat cycles as early as seven months and males can develop aggressive behaviors during puppyhood or kittenhood. Spaying and neutering your pets come with a myriad of health and behavioral benefits that allow them to live longer, happier lives.

We use state-of-the-art surgical equipment and prioritize educating our clients, so you know the appropriate aftercare for your pet. At Berthoud Animal Hospital, we perform outpatient procedures. Typically, check-ins will be from 7:45am-8:15am and your pet will stay with us until the doctor has cleared them from discharge.

Most commonly, intestinal parasites include roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and giardia. All are very common in our area. In most instances, these parasites do not cause external symptoms in pets, making biannual testing and monthly preventative measures imperative. In people, these parasites are not as well tolerated and can lead to serious diseases.

Pet vaccinations are important for all dogs and cats; even the ones that remain indoors most, if not all, of the time because they could still catch an airborne virus from outside at potty time or through an open window or door screen. More often than not, viruses are spread due to contact with other infected animals that are wild or whose owners did not elect to keep their pet vaccinations up to date.