Protection & Prevention in Torrance
At Harbor Animal Hospital, we focus on preventive care to keep common diseases and disorders from developing in the first place.
Combined with regular wellness exams, pet vaccinations, and parasite prevention form the foundation of your animal's routine healthcare.
Preventive treatment ensures that your pet has a long and healthy life. Our staff will collaborate with you to develop a personalized preventative care plan for your cat or dog based on their specific needs.
Vaccination & Reproductive Surgery Schedule
Current dog and cat vaccines are required to protect your pet from a variety of infectious, often fatal, illnesses. Spaying or neutering your pet not only avoids the birth of unwanted puppies or kittens, but these routine veterinary procedures can also help to protect your pet from some deadly kinds of cancer. They have the potential to inhibit undesirable behaviors like wailing, scooting, wandering, and animal aggressiveness.
Cat Vaccinations in Torrance
In their first year of life, kittens need the following shots to protect them from serious diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- Rhinotracheitis, Calcivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calcivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Booster: Rhinotracheitis, Calcivirus, Panleukopenia, Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia 2
- 5 to 6 months
While the following are not kitten vaccinations, spaying, neutering, and microchipping help protect your cat from a number of health issues, and therefore fall under the preventive health care umbrella.
- Neuter (male): 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.
- Spay (female): 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.
- 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 Torrance
In their first year, puppies need these shots to protect them from dangerous diseases.
- 6 to 8 weeks
- Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus (DHPP)
- 10 to 12 weeks
- Booster: DHPP
- Bordetella (Optional)
- Leptospirosis (Optional)
- 14 to 16 weeks
- Booster: DHPP
- Rabies
- 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.
- 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 with microchips have a higher chance of being reunited with their owners if they become separated.
- Spay (female): Dog spaying will keep 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): Dog neutering can help to prevent your male dog from fathering unwanted puppies, as well as protecting your dog from a number of serious cancers, and helps reduce the risk of roaming and dog aggression.
- 12 to 16 months
- Final Booster: DHPP
- Rabies
- Final Booster: Bordetella (Optional)
- Final Booster: Leptospirosis (Optional)
Parasite Prevention
Parasites pose a serious health threat to people and animals in the Torrance area. Left untreated, parasites can threaten the life of your cat or dog, and in some cases can even be transmitted to other people or pets living in your household. 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 external 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, highly contagious ear mites reside in the ear canals of dogs, cats, and other mammals. 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 spread through the ingestion of infected fleas during grooming. These hook-like parasitic worms live and grow 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.
