Preventive Medicine

Preventive Medicine

Preventive medicine helps prevent the onset of certain diseases through measures such as vaccination, antiparasitic treatments and regular health check-ups which have the common objective of maintaining the good health of your animal.

Vaccination

Vaccinations are intended to protect your pets from a potentially fatal diseases with a high risk of contagion. Properly administered vaccinations help preserve the health of an animal as well as the entire population by providing strong immunity against certain infectious agents (see below).

Some diseases, such as rabies or leptospirosis, are zoonoses, meaning that they are also transmissible to humans.

It is therefore essential to ensure that vaccinations are complete and up to date, particularly concerning the rabies vaccine (anti-rabies), especially if you are planning to travel with your pet. Some countries require this vaccination for any animal staying in or even passing through their territory.

It should also be noted that some countries additionally require a rabies antibody titer which determines whether your pet has developed sufficient immunity to the rabies virus following the rabies vaccine.

Do not hesitate to contact us to find out the requirements of the country in which you will be visiting with your pet.

We follow the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) guidelines for the vaccination of small animals.

Dogs

The following vaccinations are mandatory or recommended:

• Legal obligation: Rabies (Rabies ( R ))
• Generally recommended: distemper, contagious hepatitis (hepatitis contagiosa canis) and parvovirosis ( DHP ); leptospirosis ( L4 ))
• Frequently recommended: Kennel cough/parainfluenza complex
• Case by case: leishmaniasis, borreliosis, babesiosis

After the basic immunization, your dog's vaccinations should be updated yearly or every three years, depending on the disease. For more information on the different diseases and the basic immunization schedule please see our vaccine advice article.

Cats, Rabbits and Ferrets

Cats:

• Rabies (Rabies (R)); feline rhinotracheitis and parvovirus (RCP); leukosis (feline leukemia/“feline AIDS” (FeLV))

After the basic immunization, the cat's vaccinations must be refreshed either once a year or every 3 years.

Rabbits:

• Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease/“Chinese Disease” ( RHD ) and Myxomatosis ( Myxo )

The rabbit’s vaccination should be refreshed once a year.

Ferrets:

• Rabies (R), distemper (Distemper) and parvovirus (P)

After the basic immunization, the vaccinations must be refreshed once a year.

Attention! Since a worm infestation can suppress the immune system, it makes sense to deworm the animal about 10 days before the planned vaccination date.

You can find more information on the individual diseases and the basic immunization schedule in our guide article on vaccinations.

Pest control

Ectoparasites (ticks, mites, fleas, lice, trichodectidae, mosquitoes, flies) as well as endoparasites (worms) can directly or indirectly sometimes cause serious diseases leading to skin problems, immune disorders, severe anemia, digestive disorders and even heart failure or lung damage.

For effective protection of humans and animals, regular antiparasitic treatment is therefore recommended. The frequency of parasite treatments depends on various factors (such as age, type of breeding, walking locations, type of food (BARF), travel) and must be adapted to each animal. For parasite control, we follow the recommendations of ESCCAP (European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites).

As an alternative to deworming , it is also possible to perform a laboratory examination of the faeces to detect worm eggs or other developmental stages. In this case, the probability of detecting worm eggs is optimal if the faeces are collected over 3 consecutive days. In the event of a positive result, an appropriate deworming treatment can then be carried out. However, some caution is required: only the detection of worm eggs is significant. A negative faecal sample does not necessarily mean that your pet is free of worm infestation, as worm eggs are shed intermittently. This is particularly true for tapeworm infections, where faecal examination has a particularly low sensitivity.

Puppies and kittens should be dewormed for the first time at 2-3 weeks of age and every month until they are 6 months old. For most adult animals, prophylactic deworming every 3 months is normally sufficient.

Flea and tick prophylaxis is particularly important in the spring and summer months or when traveling to southern regions. For more information on parasite prophylaxis when traveling to endemic regions, see the article "Checklist for your dog's vacation".

We will be happy to advise you on our different antiparasitic treatments and to choose with you the products best suited to your animal.

Preventive Care for Elderly Patients

Just like in humans, aging brings its share of various problems to animals that impact quality of life. These include disorders of the musculoskeletal system (osteoarthritis, muscle weakness), organs (kidney or liver problems, degeneration, tumors), teeth (tartar, inflammation of the gums and roots) or even age-related dementia.

In order to detect and treat these diseases at an early stage, it is important to carry out regular check-ups in aging animals. Laboratory tests, blood pressure measurements and abdominal ultrasounds are excellent tools that help detect age-related diseases and allow for early treatment to ensure that your pet lives as long as possible.

In case of diseases of the musculoskeletal system or certain organs, dietary supplements or special food may be prescribed. For more information on nutrition, see the section "Nutritional advice".

Travelling with a Dog

When going on vacation with your dog, there are a few important things to consider.

For travel to European countries, your pet must:

• Have a correctly completed official European passport.
• Be identified by an electronic microchip (transponder) which is registered in the name of the owner with an approved organization.
• Have a valid rabies vaccination.

If you want to travel to certain countries like the UK or Norway, treatment for tapeworms is required before entering the country.

In addition, it is important to pay particular attention to protection against diseases transmitted by ticks and sand flies when travelling to the Mediterranean basin, Portugal and the South-West of France, as these so-called "Mediterranean" diseases are very widespread in these regions.

 You will find detailed information on the topic of travelling with a dog in the article "Travelling with a dog"