Protection & Prevention
At Badger Veterinary Hospital Cambridge, we have a focus on preventive care for our patients in order to help protect against common diseases and disorders from ever developing in dogs and cats in the first place.
Combined with regular wellness exams, pet vaccinations and parasite prevention form the foundation of your animal's routine healthcare.
Preventive care gives your pet their best chance at a long, healthy and happy life. Our vets will work with one another and with you to create a customized preventive care plan for your dog or cat that is tailored to their unique needs.
Pet Vaccination & Reproductive Surgery Schedule
Up to date dog and cat vaccinations can help to protect your animal companion from a wide variety of contagious and often serious diseases.
Likewise, having your pet spayed or neutered will prevent the birth of unwanted litters as well as protect your companion from serious illness like some cancers later in life. These reproductive surgeries may help to curb unwanted behaviors such as howling, scooting, roaming, and animal aggression too.
Cat Vaccinations
In their first year of life, kittens need the following shots to protect them from serious diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Rabies
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia 2
- 5 to 6 months
While the following arent really kitten vaccinations, spaying neutering and microchipping can all help to protect your cat from a number of serious health issues and, as a result, fall under the preventive health are umbrella.
- Spay (females) - Spaying your female cat prevents the birth of unwanted litters of kittens, protects your cat against serious illnesses, and can help to prevent behaviors such as howling and scooting that accompany heat cycles.
- Neuter (males) - Neutering your male cat prevents your pet from fathering unwanted kittens, protects your cat against various illnesses, and can help to prevent territory marking (spraying), roaming, howling, and cat aggression.
- Microchipping - A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is about the size of a grain of rice and placed under your pet’s skin. Pets that are microchipped have a better chance of being reunited with their owners if they are lost.
Dog Vaccinations
In their first year, puppies need these shots to protect them from dangerous diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Leptospirosis
- Lyme vaccine Initial (Optional)
- Bordetella (Optional)
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Rabies
- Lyme vaccine booster (Optional)
- Booster: Bordetella (Optional)
- Booster: Leptospirosis (Optional)
Although the following are not puppy vaccinations, spaying, neutering, and microchipping help protect your dog from a number of health issues, and therefore fall under the preventive health care umbrella. These surgeries are available at Badger Veterinary Hospital Cambridge for pets that are 6 months of age or older.
- Spay (female) - Dog spaying will prevent your female dog from mothering puppies, but it can also help to prevent certain cancers and regular heat cycles which can attract roaming males to your property.
- Neuter (male) - Neutering your dog can help to prevent your male dog frm fathering unwanted puppies as well as protect your dog from some serious forms of cancer, helping to reduce the risk they run of roaming or showing problematic behaviors like aggression.
- Microchipping - A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is about the size of a grain of rice and placed under your pet’s skin. Pets that are microchipped have a better chance of being reunited with their owners if they are lost.
- 12 to 16 months
- Final Booster: DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)
- Rabies
- Final Booster: Bordetella (Optional)
- Final Booster: Leptospirosis (Optional)
Parasite Prevention
Parasites can pose a serious health threat to people and animals in the Cambridge area. If not promptly treated, parasites can threaten the life of your dog or cat and, in some cases, can even be transmitted to other people and pets living in your home. Our parasite prevention products can help protect your dog or cat from the following common parasites:
Fleas
Fleas are external parasites that feed on the blood of birds and mammals. Left untreated, fleas can quickly spread throughout your household.
Ticks
These parasites consume the blood of mammals and are responsible for the spread of a number of serious conditions in people and pets.
Ear Mites
Tiny and contagious ear mites live in the ear canals of dogs and cats. These parasites reproduce continuously throughout their lifespan.
Heartworm
This thread-like parasitic roundworm is spread through mosquito bites and makes its home in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of infected animals.
Hookworm
These parasites live in the digestive tract of cats and dogs where they feed on the pet's blood. Hookworms can lead to anemia and other serious conditions.
Roundworm
This parasitic worm lives in the intestine and feeds on partially digested intestinal contents. This parasite can rob your pet of vital nutrients necessary to stay healthy.
Tapeworm
Tapeworms are transmitted when pets ingest infected fleas while grooming themselves or by consuming infected animals, such as rabbits or rodents. These hook-like parasites reside and thrive in your pet's intestines.
Whipworm
Whipworms are spread through the ingestion of soil that has been in contact with an infected dog's feces. Whipworms pose a serious health risk to dogs.