Cat Health Care in Langley: Booster Shots, Vaccinations & Regular Check-ups

Obesity in cats is a common issue, as it is easy to overfeed a cat who knows how to plead to its owner. Obesity is a severe issue for animals, and it can lead to serious consequences as they age. All cats must meet their dietary demands and maintain a healthy weight range with proper diet and exercise. The best method to ensure that your cat's needs are satisfied is to speak with us about a custom diet tailored to your pet's lifestyle. Our specialists will assist your pet in overcoming excessive weight gain issues and will advise you on suitable dietary choices.

Cats should get a proper and healthy diet based on aspects such as stage of life, breed, size, level of physical activity, and health issues. When cats reach a new life stage, they need dietary changes. For example, a cat needs nutrition transitioning as he/she grows into a complete adult and then to a senior. Also, if your cat has any problems that could be cured with a prescription diet, such as obesity or food allergy, dietary changes may be suggested.

We'll assist you in making the necessary dietary changes for your cats so that they can continue to live long and healthy lives. The following issues can be reduced or even eliminated with a healthy diet and good nutrition:

• Cat allergies
• Scratching and itching
• Dull coat
• Arthritis
• Hip and joint problems
• Intestinal disorders

Supplements for your cat's skin and coat are an excellent method to keep them feeling great. Cats may benefit from arthritis and joint supplements as they get older.

Fleas: These are tiny, wingless, brown, fast-paced insects that can be seen in the fur of your cat. Flea saliva can lead to an allergic reaction in some animals, causing irritation and suffering. Fleas can transmit an intestinal parasite called tapeworm if they are swallowed while your cat is grooming itself. Flea infestations can cause anemia, and fleas can potentially transmit infections to humans as well.

Ticks: Ticks are spiders residing in gaps and cracks in the house or in vegetation such as meadows, woods, brush, and weeds. Some tick bites lead to minor irritation or inflammation at the bite site, while some can cause serious infections to your cat. Tick bites might produce mild irritation or swelling at the bite site, while some tick bites can cause serious sickness in your pet. These illnesses can cause more serious health issues or even death if remain untreated.

Note: If you spot a tick and are unable to remove it, please let us know and we will assist you. To lessen the impact of the tick's attachment, call us right away. It is considerably safer to get a tick removed by one of our skilled professionals. Schedule an appointment with us to minimize the tick's impact.

Heartworm Infection: Heartworms are transmitted with the bite of an infected mosquito. Heartworms are parasites that stay in the heart and the blood vessels surrounding it. The adult heartworm produces microfilariae, which circulates in the cat’s blood. If they remain untreated and overlooked, it can lead to fatal infections. 

Fleas: If your cat is clawing, gnawing, or licking constantly, you should make an appointment as soon as possible. Flea dirt, which looks like ground coffee or pepper and is produced by fleas, can generally be seen by checking your cat’s tummy or combing his or her coat with a fine-toothed comb.

Ticks: If you detect a tick on your cat, do not burn it. This is ineffective and may lead to injuries. It is safer to get a tick removed by one of our skilled professionals. Schedule a session with us to learn the tick's impact.

Heartworm Infection: Heartworm prevention is the most effective treatment. A monthly oral prescription is one of the prevalent and efficient measures. The parasite is spread by mosquito bites, and the cat normally shows no symptoms for months. However, there could be some later symptoms such as breathing difficulties, coughing, weight loss, fatigue, and listlessness. In many situations, pets may not show symptoms until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. To check for heartworms, a blood test is advised once a year. If caught early enough, these infections can be treated, but they can be expensive.

Our veterinary team is delighted to assist you in selecting an appropriate preventative routine for your cat based on risk factors and current health. It is crucial to discuss with us each year which pest control treatments are suitable for your home, based on your cat's daily activities.

Wellness examinations allow us to assess your cat's overall health while also providing a framework for their individual bodies and habits. They also allow us to discover any issues before they become problematic, as well as familiarise your pet with our veterinary clinic, making future visits simpler for both them and you.

We feel that the best way to keep our patients healthy is to practice preventive care. This comprises annual wellness exams, one- or three-year vaccines, parasite prevention both externally and internally, and nutritional control. Our team will help you decide which immunizations are necessary for you and your cat. We'll go through all of your options in-depth to help you make favourable health decisions for your cat.

Our veterinarians will begin by assessing your cat's vital signs in a wellness exam. They will examine your pet thoroughly and perform diagnostic tests, including urinalysis, blood testing, and intestinal parasite tests. Based on your cat's life stage, disease and vaccine screenings for kidney, liver, heartworm, blood diseases, and other conditions may be undertaken.

Wellness exams don't always include difficult or expensive medical testing and treatments for your cat. This allows us to identify and analyze baseline variables such as temperature, physical condition, and lab work, preventing serious health issues from being left untreated. When your cat is well, we take these measurements to offer better care in the case of illness or an emergency. A dental exam and a weight check are always important aspects of a wellness exam since they might reveal abnormalities that can develop quickly and have a substantial influence on your cat's general health.

Early detection and treatment of medical issues will help your cat enjoy a longer, healthier, and more active life.

Microchipping is a reliable approach to find missing cats and reunite them with their owners. The process is risk-free, simple, and low-cost.

Some cat owners believe that their cats don't need identification because they do not go outside, but we've found that they are the ones with high chances of getting lost if they get outside by accident. As separation from your cat can happen anytime, microchipping is essential for permanent identification. Microchip identification should be done on every pet. The process can be done at any age.

In a reasonably painless veterinarian operation, a small microchip is injected beneath the skin (between your cat's shoulder blades). The chip is indestructible and will last the life of the pet. Your information, along with your bar code number, must be recorded so that you may be notified if your cat goes missing.

All animal care facilities will detect the microchip using a specific microchip scanner that is easily waved over the skin if a cat is located. When a microchip is discovered, a specific hotline is called, and the cat is reported missing. The cat owner is then contacted right away and provided contact details for picking up their pet.

If your cat is unwell or has been injured, X-rays are a non-invasive way for our experts to diagnose your pet. In general, wellness check-ups, X-rays are used to discover potential abnormalities before they become serious.

If your cat is suffering any health issues, we offer veterinary X-rays as part of a diagnostic test or as a preventive precaution during a routine senior health examination. Depending on the patient's situation, we employ radiography alone or in combination with other diagnostic instruments. When your cat is not well or has a trauma, we're fully equipped to provide routine radiography procedures to discover a range of diseases or injuries. 

X-rays are used in animals to detect numerous ailments such as malignancies, bladder arthritis, and kidney stones, as well as lung abnormalities such as pneumonia. They are also used to assess bone damage, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, the genitourinary system, organ integrity, and even the presence of unknown items in the body. Dental radiographs are used to differentiate healthy teeth from damaged teeth that need to be pulled, as well as to detect any abnormalities below the gums, such as root damage, tumours, and abscesses. In some circumstances, we may need to sedate your cat or apply a short-acting general anesthetic.

The majority of laboratory testing is performed as part of routine wellness check-ups as prescribed by our doctors. Our diagnostic lab will perform numerous tests to identify the appropriate treatment for your pet in the event of a crisis or an unanticipated visit. We recommend that you have your cat tested on a regular basis to assess its health. If any problems or issues are detected, we will work with you to determine the right course of action. 

If your cat is behaving strangely, please arrange an appointment immediately. During the appointment, our doctors will assess which laboratory services are necessary.

We inspect your cat’s eyes, ears and skin. Then, we check for any abnormalities in their circulatory, neurological, gastrointestinal, and skeletal systems to ensure a thorough diagnosis. If blood and/or urine tests are required, we will examine their liver, pancreas, kidneys, and endocrine system. We may prescribe further diagnostic tests depending on your cat's condition.

In case you are concerned about your cat's health, please contact us to schedule a medical examination.

Every atmosphere is different, and each cat breed has its own reaction to allergies. We can create a long-term diagnosis and treatment plan to help ease allergic symptoms and enhance your cat’s quality of life.

Your cat deserves a comfortable life, free of allergies. Preliminary testing during a normal wellness screening is the first step in allergy treatment. Please arrange an appointment with our doctors if your cat is displaying indications of pain. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include:

• Itching
• Constant head shaking
• Rubbing of the muzzle or ears
• Licking feet
• Elevated circular lesions
• Hair loss and flakiness
• Scratching

We are dedicated to supporting you in determining the source of your cat’s discomfort. We suggest long-term medication options for them to get back on track to a joyful, healthy life. Veterinary allergy testing may be done through a number of methods, including food allergy testing using a hypoallergenic diet. These allergies can be diagnosed and treated in the clinic, or we can recommend you to a dermatologist or other expert.

• Bacterial allergy:
  Some cats might develop an allergic reaction to Staph bacteria naturally prevalent in the environment. The bacteria can infiltrate the deeper layers of the skin in dogs with weakened immune systems, causing a skin disease called pyoderma.
  
  
• Contact allergy:
  Contact allergies are uncommon in cats. This sort of allergy is a localized response to a substance.
  
  
• Allergy to inhalants:
  The most common allergy observed in pets is inhalant allergies, often known as atopy. It can happen because of tree pollen, mould spores, grass pollen, weed pollen and home dust mites.
  
  
• Allergy to food:
  Food allergies take a long time to develop and may appear as skin irritations or digestive difficulties.

Between the ages of 4-6 months, we suggest spaying or castrating small cats. We frequently advocate waiting for surgery for large breed cats until they are 6-12 months old.

Spaying your female cat has a variety of benefits. They include reducing the number of stray cats, decreasing the sometimes 'messy' heat cycles that attract male cats, and preventing illnesses like pyometra (uterus infection) and breast cancer in your cat. Furthermore, studies have revealed that spayed animals live longer than non-spayed animals.

There are several advantages to castrating your male pet. These advantages include reducing the number of wandering cats, decreasing unwanted and uncomfortable behaviour, and preventing illnesses like prostate disease or testicular cancer.

Spaying, also known as an "ovariohysterectomy," is a medical operation in which your female pet's ovaries and uterus are surgically removed while she is under general anesthetic. Castrating is a medical operation involving the removal of both testicles while your male pet is sedated using a general anesthetic. To reduce risk, we will examine your pet prior to surgery. We provide personalized attention for each pet while they are under anesthesia to ensure their safety. Our qualified technicians and physicians are skilled in advanced monitoring to guarantee your pet's comfort.

When conducting a spay or castration, we prioritize your cat’s comfort and safety. On canine spays and castrations, as well as feline spays, we frequently utilize an IV catheter and fluids. This is essential to maintain blood pressure and perfusion to the kidneys and other organs, as well as to provide emergency IV access. We combine modern pain management techniques with anesthetic to ensure that your pet is as relaxed as possible throughout the operation and after discharge. During the surgery, our patients are given different injectable pain medicines and are sent back with oral pain medication. At the surgical site, we also conduct local anesthetic blocks. Proper pain management provides for a more comfortable operation and a speedier recovery.

Soft tissue surgery in cats is performed for a number of reasons. Spay treatments, neuter procedures, hernia repairs, and mass treatments are the most popular soft tissue surgery for cats. Cystotomy, abdominal exploratory surgery, and splenectomy are some advanced soft tissue operations.

Soft tissue surgeries are performed to treat a number of medical problems. Spays and neuters are among the regular treatments, as are trauma and emergency surgery, mass removals, wound management and reconstructive surgeries.

For all surgical operations, our vets adhere to high levels of healthcare standards. Our highly-trained veterinarians emphasize pain management to keep your cat safe and secure throughout the procedure. We think that making our patients safe and comfortable before, during, and after surgery is the most important and necessary aspect of their treatment.

Cats with joint issues, torn ligaments, fractured bones, and even congenital abnormalities might benefit from orthopedic treatment. The anterior cruciate ligament, or the cranial cruciate ligament, is utilized for most orthopedic surgeries.

Pay close attention to your pet's movement. If you notice any unexpected changes, it might indicate an orthopedic problem.

Common signs of orthopedic problems include difficulty in getting up, favouring one leg occasionally when walking, limping, swollen leg, stiffness, or doing less physical activity. If you find issues like these, please bring your cat to our facility for a checkup.

Tibial plateau levelling osteotomy is a procedure that alters the dynamic of the animal's knee to heal a damaged ligament. By counteracting the pressure that triggered the ligament to rupture, the ligament becomes useless to the knee's stability. The tibia bone is sliced, rotated and kept in place with metal plates during reconstructive surgery. This is a long-term and highly successful treatment for the injury.

Tibial tuberosity advancement is a procedure used for repairing a damaged ligament by altering the ligament's dynamic such that it is no longer required for stability. Titanium implants are used in the procedure, which has a fast recovery time.

Patellar luxation is a deranged knee cap, and it is often seen in small cat breeds. When the patellar displaces from its usual position to the inside of the knee, it is known as patellar luxation. Cats who have this condition can have a non-weight bearing lameness and popping noise in their knees. There are various treatments available, ranging from knee brace for Degree 1 luxation to realignment surgery for lower grade luxation. Once we examine your cat, we can figure out a suitable course of action for the luxation.

A fracture refers to bone breakage or cartilage that can be treated with a variety of techniques ranging from basic exterior splinting to more advanced internal plating. Fractures are most commonly caused by trauma, disease or tumour in the bone, or stress applied to a specific bone. For all surgical operations, our vets adhere to high levels of care. Our trained veterinarians focus on pain management to keep your pet safe and comfortable during the procedure. Our veterinary professionals will monitor your cat’s vital signs using modern equipment to give them the treatment they deserve.

The mouth is the root of most health issues. Plaque, tartar, periodontal disease and infected teeth contaminate the rest of the body, causing inflammation and infection.

Among the prevalent diseases we see in cats are dental disorders. Some of the symptoms of this are drooling, aversion to eating, puffiness, foul breath, gum redness, tooth loss and discolouration.

Dental problems and infections can be easily avoided by visiting our vets for check-ups and cleanings on a regular basis. We take an overall approach to dental care, including assessing, treating, and preventing tooth diseases.

• Teeth exams, cleaning and polishing
  Dental cleaning for cats is quite similar to human dental cleanings, with the exception that we must use an anesthetic to examine and clean the teeth thoroughly and safely. Our veterinarians undertake a complete oral exam after the cleaning to look for indicators of disease like gum loss, root exposure, or pockets surrounding the root.
  
  We take complete mouth radiographs (X-rays) of your cat, just like it is done in the case of humans. This enables our doctors to examine the roots of your cat’s teeth for any disease or irregularities that are positioned below the gum line and are not detectable by a routine examination.
  
  
• Tooth extraction
  We make every attempt to save teeth that we believe have a chance of being treated properly. However, in many cases, periodontal diseases progress to a point where treatment without extraction is ineffective. We only pull teeth that the dentist considers untreatable.
  
  
• Oral surgery (minor)
  To properly extract each individual root from teeth, dental surgery is required. To execute the treatment properly, we have substantial training and expertise. Painkillers are given in the clinic and recommended for home care.

Vaccinations are crucial for your cat's health and wellness and they help to avoid viral infections including parvovirus, distemper, Lyme disease, parainfluenza virus, feline leukemia virus, panleukopenia and rabies.

Vaccines expose the immune system of the cat to inactive or small doses of a specific type of bacteria or virus. Vaccines are given via subcutaneous injection (under the skin), oral administration, or intranasal administration, based on the vaccine. 

Vaccinations are followed by a consultation and checkup with one of our veterinarians to ensure that your cat is in good condition. To guarantee effective protection, accurate and timely administration is required.

Cats with weak immune systems need vaccinations more than grown animals. Veterinary vaccinations are usually started around 6-8 weeks and then repeated at intervals throughout your cat’s life, based on the vaccine. Our veterinarians will establish a personalized vaccination schedule for your cat.

• Offer a preventive measure against infectious disease 
• Reduce the risk of disease by protecting your pet against outbreaks caused by organisms 
• Reduce the risk of zoonotic disease

• Rabies 
• Distemper 
• Canine cough (Tracheobronchitis) 
• Lyme disease
• Parvovirus 
• Leptospirosis 
• And more

Our staff attends to your pet friend’s well-being, and also advises you on nutrition, vaccination sessions and the common pitfalls to watch for. As pet owners ourselves, when discussing insurance options or euthanasia, we appreciate the joys and sorrows related to owning a cat; as such, we strive to support your requirements in the best way possible. Our services cover the following:

• Health testing and laboratory work 
• Dentistry 
• Weight control programs 
• Flea prevention and treatment
• X-rays
• Specialists access
• After-hours house calls for euthanasia
• Staff cat sitting
• Cat food sales
• …and much more!

If the well-being of your cat is your concern, please schedule an appointment today.

A pet’s immunization varies according to their immediate environment. Our pet health care in Langley helps you evaluate various risks and addresses your pet’s specific concerns. For cats, the ideal age for their first shots is at 8 to 9 weeks of age. A wellness exam every year, with appropriate vaccinations, is also suggested. Appointments are booked every half-hour.

Older cats as well as kittens are the most susceptible to various infectious diseases. Multiple booster shots may become essential to achieve immunity in cats. Another important consideration is good nutrition in pets, for achieving optimal health.

Our cat visits generally take 45 minutes.

Big or small, friendly or shy, we love treating all cats! Visit our clinic for cats health care in Langley and book your appointment today.