Primary Pet Care

Wellness exams are an essential part of keeping your dog healthy. They are an excellent way for you and our veterinarians to prevent illness before it starts or diagnose it early when it is most treatable. Wellness care includes physical exams, customized vaccination schedules reflecting your pet’s breed, lifestyle and individual needs, proper food/nutrition evaluation and disease screening for conditions such as heartworm, lymes and giardia.  At Ivy Pets, our canine wellness care is designed to provide comprehensive long-term, life-stage veterinary care for your dog, from puppy-hood through his or her senior years.  

Comprehensive Wellness Exams

As advocates of preventative health care, we recommend that we see your dog at least annually for a comprehensive wellness exam.  At your dog’s annual exam, we will provide tailored vaccinations and helpful pointers on home care that will keep your cat healthy, happy, and protected against preventable illnesses.  Our wellness exams include:

• Comprehensive exam
• Dental exam
• Eye exam
• Weight and nutritional needs assessment
• Vaccine programs based on your dog’s lifestyle 
• Fecal Analysis/Internal Parasite Test
• Heartworm, Tick Fever/Lyme Blood Test 
• Heartworm prevention
• Yearly Deworming 
• Microchipping if needed

Our Vaccine Philosophy

Vaccines are important in preventing serious disease in dogs.  Our philosophy is to design a personalized vaccine protocol for each dog, maximizing protection against the diseases your dog is likely to be exposed to.   Our current vaccine recommendations are based on up-to-date research and the incidence of disease in our area. 

We Recommend All Dogs Be Protected With The Core Vaccines

Core vaccines are those that are considered essential for all pets of a specific species, regardless of their lifestyle or environment, because they protect against highly contagious diseases that pose significant risks to the pet’s health or can be transmitted to humans (zoonotic diseases). Core vaccines provide protection against diseases that are either widespread or have severe consequences if contracted.

1. Rabies: Protects against rabies, a fatal viral disease that affects the nervous system and can be transmitted to humans.
2. Distemper: Protects against canine distemper virus, which affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.
3. Parvovirus: Protects against canine parvovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes severe gastrointestinal illness, particularly in puppies.
4. Adenovirus (Canine Hepatitis): Protects against canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), which causes infectious canine hepatitis, a serious liver disease.

Non-Core Vaccines

Non-core vaccines are those that are not universally recommended for all pets but may be important for pets based on their specific lifestyle, geographic location, or risk factors. These vaccines protect against diseases that are less common or pose less severe risks but may still be significant depending on the individual pet’s circumstances.

1. Bordetella bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough): Protects against a bacteria that causes kennel cough, a highly contagious respiratory illness. This vaccine is recommended for dogs that frequently interact with other dogs, such as at boarding facilities, dog parks, or grooming salons.  PLEASE NOTE:  Your pet will need the Bordetella vaccine if they are boarding or playing at our Brooklyn location.

2. Leptospirosis: Protects against Leptospira bacteria, which can cause kidney and liver damage. It is more commonly recommended for dogs that spend time in areas with wildlife, stagnant water, or are in regions where leptospirosis is prevalent.

3. Lyme Disease: Protects against Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria transmitted by ticks that causes Lyme disease. This vaccine is recommended for dogs in areas where Lyme disease is common, particularly if they spend time outdoors in tick-infested areas.

4. Canine Influenza (Dog Flu): Protects against canine influenza virus, which causes respiratory illness. It is often recommended for dogs that are frequently in contact with other dogs, such as in shelters, boarding facilities, or dog shows.

5. Parainfluenza: Protects against a virus that is part of the canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRD). This vaccine is often included in combination vaccines and is recommended for dogs at risk of respiratory infections.

All dogs and cats need dental care, and dental disease is one of the most common disease in dogs and cats. 

Common signs of dental diseases in pets include:

• Bad breath
• Loose teeth or teeth that are discolored or covered in tartar
• Your pet shies away from you when you touch the mouth area
• Drooling or dropping food from the mouth.
• Bleeding from the mouth
• Loss of appetite or loss of weight

For more information about the dental care provided at Ivy Pets, please visit our pet dental care page.

We recommend microchipping every dog and cat.  The microchip is tiny, the size of a grain of rice, which we place between your pet’s shoulder blades and under the skin. That microchip is encoded with a unique number and information about your pet.  Once registered, it contains your contact information.

We can microchip your dog or cat during any routine visit, dental procedure or surgical procedure.  It is a simple procedure and no anesthetic is required.  We use a microchipping system that is used by shelters and veterinary clinics throughout the world. In the event your pet is ever separated from you, it may be your only means of being reunited with them.

You can visit the AVMA’s website and the Home Again website to learn more about some of the most frequently asked questions about microchipping.

You can also use the Pet Microchip Lookup web site to find a pet’s owners based on the microchip number, independent of the microchipping company.

Please feel free to call us and stop by to have us “check your pet’s chip” to be sure it has the most current contact information for you.

Nutrition plays a critical role in your pet’s health, from young puppyhood through senior years.  Many pet owners take nutrition for granted, in part because the availability of so many nutritionally complete commercial diets has taken much of the guesswork out of choosing a suitable diet for a pet. However, did you know that your pet’s nutritional needs change with age and activity level? Did you know that specially formulated diets can assist in the management of various medical conditions, including kidney disease, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease? Do you know how many calories your pet should have each day and whether you are over- or underfeeding? Are you comfortable reading and interpreting pet food labels?

We Can Help You With Your Pet’s Nutritional Needs

Whether your pet has special dietary needs or simply needs to shed (or gain) a few pounds, our nutritional counseling services can help you accomplish your goals and keep your pet in good health. We offer counseling in dietary selection and feeding practices for pets during various life stages, such as growth, pregnancy, nursing, and the “golden years.” If your pet has a medical condition, we can help you select the most appropriate diet to suit your pet’s needs.