This includes the annual health check and vaccination, flea and intestinal worm control, heartworm prevention, microchipping and nutritional guidance.

We recommend yearly health checks and vaccinations for dogs, cats and also for rabbits. This keeps their immunity levels high and allows them to be admitted to boarding kennels and catteries. The visit also allows us to weigh your pet, examine them and discuss any concerns you may have.

Young animals need a course of vaccinations beginning at 6-8 weeks of age; these are covered in more detail on our Info Sheets .

Our recommended vaccine for dogs is called a C5 and covers Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Kennel Cough (also called Canine Cough).

For cats, we recommend the F3 vaccine that covers Feline Enteritis (also called Feline Panleukopaenia) and the two Cat Flu viruses (Feline Rhinotracheitis and Feline Calicivirus). There is now also a vaccine for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV or Cat AIDS). This is a new vaccine and, so far, looks very promising. FIV is transmitted from cat to cat by bites so any cat that spends time outdoors where he or she can come across other cats is at risk. We encourage our cat-owning clients to consider this vaccine and can supply them with more information on request.

Rabbits should be vaccinated against Rabbit Calicivirus. This virus can be transmitted either directly from rabbit to rabbit or via mosquitoes.

Fleas can be a problem for dogs and cats for most of the year, but particularly during the warmer months. We now have a number of very safe preparations that get rid of fleas very quickly. The most effective ones are those in liquid form which are applied monthly to the back of the neck, such as Frontline, Advantage, Revolution or Advocate. Other products stop fleas from breeding rather than killing them and are very effective as a long-term measure. These include Sentinel and Program.

There are many older products available for treating or preventing fleas. They include powders, collars and rinses and are generally cheaper than the newer preparations. While many of these were effective when they were released, fleas have built up resistance to them over the years. They may still be effective as short-term measures but will usually need to be reapplied frequently (every few days) for ongoing flea control.

A regular worming program is essential for puppies, kittens, dogs and cats in order to control the intestinal worms that are carried by many pets. Your pets can become infected with worms from contact with other animals’ faeces (droppings), from eating certain kinds of offal or from hunting and eating rats and mice. Some worms can also be acquired by skin contact with infected surfaces. If left untreated, intestinal worms can lead to serious health problems in pets, such as diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss.

Occasionally, humans can also become infected. Young children are most at risk of picking up worm parasites from pets especially if they play in areas that may have dog or cat faeces (for example sandpits). In humans, these parasites do not actually become worms in the bowel but can cause various problems. These may include VLM (Visceral Larval Migrans) that causes tummy pains or more serious (but less common) problems such as retinal (eye) disease.

The dog worm most dangerous to humans is the Hydatid tapeworm (Echinococcus granulosus). Dogs get this parasite from eating infected sheep offal and will pass the worm eggs in their faeces. In Australia, our meat inspection services would prevent such offal from reaching shops so it is mainly country dogs (who may come across a dead sheep and eat some of it) that are at risk. Humans can become infected if they swallow some of the worm eggs passed by an infected dog. The problem in humans is that this parasite will produce fluid-filled cysts in various parts of the body and the condition is difficult to treat.

So after all that, how often do you treat your dog or cat for intestinal worms? We advise giving them a high quality "Allwormer" tablet such as Drontal (tablet or flavoured chew) or Milbemax every 3 months.  There is also a new worming product for cats called Profender which is simply applied to the back of the neck.

We recommend that all dogs that live in our region of Melbourne be on a heartworm prevention medication. Heartworm is transmitted from one dog to another by mosquitoes, so even dogs that stay at home are at risk.

For unprotected dogs, we estimate the likelihood of infection is around 5% or less, i.e. about one in twenty. When a dog is infected with heartworm, treatment is possible but can be expensive and risky. Prevention is always preferable.

Preventive medications range from monthly tablets or chewables such as Heartgard, Interceptor, Sentinel or Guardian, to those in liquid form such as Revolution or Advocate, which are applied to the back of the neck. A very simple and increasingly popular measure is a yearly injection (Proheart SR12), which can be done at the same time as the yearly health check and vaccination booster.

We can advise you as to the best diet for your pet which will maintain, if not improve, his or her overall health, as well as give dietary guidance for animals with special needs.

Mont Albert Veterinary Surgery carries a range of diets from Waltham, Hills, Eukanuba and Iams. These include high-quality foods for everyday use and also prescription diets for particular conditions. For example, some diets are formulated to prevent skin irritation or intestinal problems.

We can also advise on dietary adjustments for dogs (and also a few plump moggies) that are carrying too much weight. Sometimes it means changing the proportions of foods that the pet is used to eating rather than changing to an unfamiliar diet.

Microchipping your dog or cat provides a valuable and reliable recovery service that works to ensure pets can be returned home if lost.

How does it work? A small "chip" (actually a transponder) is inserted by injection in the scruff (the loose skin) of the back of the neck. This chip carries a unique number that can be read and displayed by a scanner. This number is stored on one of four Australian microchip registries (two in Victoria and two in New South Wales) along with the pet details and owner details (including address and phone numbers). When a pet is brought to a vet clinic or animal shelter, the scanner brings up the number of the chip and it is simply a matter of retrieving the owner’s details from the microchip registry.  Each chip lasts the life of the pet and there is a one-off fee for inserting it and recording the owner details on one of the microchip registries.

From May 1, 2007 all new puppies and kittens in Victoria are required to be microchipped before registration with local councils.  Puppies or kittens over 3 months of age should be registered.  Whitehorse council  offers free registration for puppies or kittens under 3 months of age and for desexed puppies and kittens between 3 and 12 months of age.

Mont Albert Veterinary Surgery uses Central Animal Records  as its microchip registry.  We can get online access to owner records within seconds of scanning a chip.

© Mont Albert Veterinary Surgery            443 Mont Albert Road, Mont Albert, Victoria 3127            Tel (03) 9890 1728