Life Stage Care
The Peak Veterinary Team recognizes that each life stage presents different needs to ensure pets remain happy and healthy. Our veterinarians will work with you and your pet to develop a unique life stage care plan. From kitten and puppy care through to senior years and every stage in between, Peak Veterinary Hospital will be there. Life stage care ranges from the proper scheduling of checkups, dental care, and vaccinations, to the accommodation of evolving diets, to end of life care, and everything in between.
Deworming
Deworming is a critical part of wellness and preventative medicine. Following guidelines from the Companion Animal Parasite Council, Peak Veterinary Hospital recommends monthly deworming for all dogs as well as cats that spend time outdoors. This is particularly important in southern Alberta, the Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, and Calgary off-leash parks where there is significant overlap of territory with wildlife. While the risk to indoor cats is lower, deworming every three months is recommended. Deworming, while improving the health of your pet, also helps prevent transmission of parasites to human family members.
Vaccinations
Equally as important as deworming are vaccinations. Vaccines help protect against specific infectious diseases. They stimulate the body’s immune system to recognize and fight an infection. Without vaccination, many pets would become seriously ill or die from preventable diseases.
Drs. Grandoni and White take recommendations made by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) into account when working with you to prescribe the best, patient specific vaccination protocol, guided by an individual risk-benefit assessment .
Vaccines help protect against specific infectious diseases. They stimulate the body’s immune system to recognize and fight an infection. Without vaccination, many pets would become seriously ill or die from preventable diseases.
Vaccines are introduced to puppies and kittens at the time antibodies received from nursing start to decline. This is an essential time, especially for puppies that are out socializing, and the importance of vaccinations cannot be understated. As adults, your pets will still need vaccinations every 1 to 3 years to ensure they are adequately protected from life threatening diseases.
Nutrition
A member of our Peak Team can provide guidance on the nutritional needs of each life stage of your pet, including dietary requirements for growth, weight management, disease prevention and control, as well as overall performance.
Checkups and Health Exams
Pet check ups on a regular basis are essential for your pet to remain as healthy as possible. The health consultation begins with a thorough history, discussing your pet’s diet, exercise routine, washroom habits, and pertinent medical or surgical events that may require different ongoing care options. They continue with Fear Free techniques to complete a thorough examination of your pet, from nose to tail, to ensure they are in optimal health. From the information gathered through consultation with you as well as the physical examination findings, our veterinarians then take the time needed to recommend preventative health treatments (eg. vaccinations), changes to your pet’s nutrition, exercise routines, parasite control, dental care. Checkups can also help diagnose potentially serious ailments before they become significant issues, working with you to discuss the available diagnostic options (eg. blood chemistries and electrolytes, complete blood counts, radiographs, or referral for specialist recommendations) to return and maintain optimal health.
Dental Care
Maintaining a healthy mouth is a vital part of your pet’s preventative health care plan. Proactive action can be taken to reduce dental disease, which is frequently seen in dogs and cats as young as three years of age. To provide your pet with the best proactive and remedial dental care, Peak Veterinary Hospital has a separate dental suite at their clinic. The suite is equipped with digital dental X-rays, ultrasonic scalers and polishers, therapeutic laser treatments after extractions to aid comfort, and all the dental specific tools necessary to address various dental needs. You can rest assured that the veterinarians and veterinary nurses will take the same high level of care and attention for dental anesthesia as they do for any other surgical procedures.
End of Life Care
Peak Veterinary Hospital recognizes the importance of goodbyes. The team is here to support and guide you through this process to ensure a gentle transition. Palliative care can be discussed as an important option for you and your pet. Peak Veterinary Hospital offers a private comfort room designed to mimic that of a home environment. There is no medical equipment visible, allowing you and your family to focus on your pet while saying goodbye.