Dog & Cat HospitalCalabasas

Care

Preventive & Wellness Care

Life-stage wellness plans that keep healthy pets healthy — tailored vaccine schedules, parasite control, and screenings that catch problems before they become problems.

Preventive care is the highest-return investment in your pet's health. A well-designed wellness plan doesn't just check boxes — it adjusts to where your dog or cat is in life, what risks they're actually exposed to, and what the evidence says matters most at their age. At Dog & Cat Hospital Calabasas, preventive and wellness visits are built around a thorough physical exam first, with vaccines, parasite prevention, and screening tests recommended based on your pet as an individual — not a generic checklist.

What's Included

Preventive and wellness care at our hospital covers the full spectrum of life-stage planning:

  • Puppy and kitten series — vaccines, deworming, socialization guidance, and spay/neuter timing
  • Adult maintenance — annual or biannual exams, core vaccines, heartworm testing (dogs), FeLV/FIV testing (cats), fecal screening
  • Parasite prevention — year-round flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal-parasite control plans
  • Dental health assessment and cleaning schedule recommendation
  • Body condition and weight evaluation with nutrition guidance
  • Senior screening panels — bloodwork, blood pressure, urinalysis — starting when appropriate for your pet's breed and size
  • Breed-specific screening recommendations (e.g., cardiac screening for predisposed breeds)
  • Microchipping for pets that haven't been chipped yet

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What to Expect

A preventive wellness visit starts with the veterinarian reviewing any concerns you've noticed at home, then conducting a head-to-tail physical exam before any vaccines or diagnostics are discussed. From that foundation, the doctor recommends what's actually due or overdue — not everything at once. If your pet is a puppy or kitten, you'll leave with a written schedule for upcoming visits; if they're an adult or senior, the plan focuses on keeping the current health picture complete. Most preventive visits are calm and straightforward, and we work to keep them that way by using low-stress handling throughout.

Why Our Team

Personalized, not protocol-driven.

Vaccine and screening recommendations are tailored to your pet's actual lifestyle, risk factors, and life stage — not a one-size-fits-all card.

Specialists in the building.

When a wellness exam turns up something unexpected, our internal medicine or cardiology team can see your pet without a referral delay.

Continuity across years.

Long-term patients benefit from a team that knows their baseline — making it easier to spot subtle changes that point to early disease.

Dogs and cats only.

Our entire staff trains and stays current specifically in canine and feline medicine, so the advice you get reflects the latest small-animal evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions

1What vaccines does my puppy need and when?
Puppies typically receive a series of DA2PP (distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus, parainfluenza) vaccines every 3–4 weeks from 8 weeks old until at least 16 weeks, plus a rabies vaccine after 12 weeks. Bordetella (kennel cough) and leptospirosis are added based on lifestyle. The exact schedule is set at the first puppy visit.
2How often does my adult dog need a heartworm test?
Annual heartworm testing is recommended for dogs on monthly preventives, because no preventive is 100% guaranteed and early detection allows treatment before the disease advances. Testing is a quick in-clinic blood test with same-day results.
3Do indoor cats still need vaccines?
Yes — rabies vaccination is required by law for cats in California regardless of indoor status, and FVRCP is recommended as a core vaccine. Indoor cats can also be exposed through windows, new pets, or accidental escapes, so core vaccines provide important protection.
4What's the best flea and tick prevention for dogs in Calabasas?
The most effective options for Southern California dogs are monthly or quarterly oral or topical prescription preventives — over-the-counter products are often unreliable. Our team will recommend a product based on your dog's weight, health history, and whether ticks are a significant risk in your area.
5When should my cat be tested for FeLV and FIV?
Every new kitten and any cat with unknown history should be tested for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) before entering a household with other cats or starting vaccines. Outdoor cats or those with exposure to unknown cats should be re-tested periodically.
6At what age is my dog considered a senior and what does that change?
Larger breeds are generally considered senior around age 7; small breeds may not reach that threshold until 9–10 years old. Senior status typically means moving to twice-yearly wellness visits and adding a baseline bloodwork and urinalysis panel to detect age-related changes early.
7Is it okay to spread out my puppy's vaccines to avoid overwhelming their immune system?
Delaying or spreading out core puppy vaccines leaves young dogs unprotected during a highly vulnerable window — parvovirus in particular can be fatal in unvaccinated puppies. Current vaccine schedules are designed by veterinary immunologists to be both safe and effective; spreading them out is not recommended.
8Does my pet need a fecal test every year?
Annual fecal parasite screening is recommended for most dogs and cats because intestinal parasites don't always cause obvious symptoms and some are transmissible to people. Dogs with regular outdoor exposure or that spend time around other dogs may benefit from more frequent testing.

Related

ProceduresVaccinationTreatmentsParasite Prevention Program

Start or update your pet's wellness plan

A current exam is the foundation of every good health plan — let's confirm your pet is up to date and build a schedule that fits their life stage.

Book an Appointment