Educational Resources

Vaccines save lives — full stop! If this sentence disturbs you, we are not the hospital for your pet. We support core vaccinations so your pet can live their best life and keep your pet in your life as long as humanly possible.

From the first rabies vaccines in the early 1900s, to the development of Parvovirus in the 1970s, veterinarians are so thankful for the ability to protect your babies from these lethal diseases. As of 2024, the AAHA Vaccination Guidelines have updated their core vaccines (now includes Leptospirosis):

• Rabies: This disease is untreatable and zoonotic (will spread to humans), making vaccination a Tennessee state requirement. Personally seeing animals with Rabies, you do NOT want to dance with this devil.

• DHPP Vaccine:

  • D: Distemper- a highly contagious, often fatal viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. It can start with coughing and eye discharge but may progress to seizures and permanent neurologic damage.

  • H: Hepatitis Adenovirus - mostly eradicated by vaccination, but this causes severe liver disease and has very poor prognosis.

  • P: Parvovirus - causes severe gastrointestinal disease and septicemia. There are 95% survival rates seen now with modern medicine, but without treatment it has a 50% or less survival rate

  • P: Parainfluenza- one of the causative agents for Kennel Cough

• Leptospirosis - as of 2024 this is a core canine vaccine as it is zoonotic (and speaking from experience you do NOT want to have to undergo treatment for this). Lepto causes liver and kidney failure, which may or may not be reversible depending on its stage.

  • Side note: This vaccination has historically had a bad reputation, as it used to cause higher than expected vaccine reactions. Vaccines have become MUCH safer and have no more than normal routine risk of vaccine reactions. If your dog is a dog, it should receive Leptospirosis vaccine unless otherwise medically warranted.

• Optional additional vaccines based on lifestyle:

  • Bordetella bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough) - bacterial cause of Kennel Cough, treatable, but in the meantime your dog will cough like a honking goose and keep the whole house awake. Respiratory spread. If your dog walks NEAR or plays with other dogs, this vaccine is a must.

  • Influenza - I worked in the epicenter of Influenza in 2017 when a dog brought it over from a rescue in Asia. It quickly spread across the state and is now a recurring disease. It causes severe respiratory disease. I had a 3-month old patient who got Influenza and underwent treatment for 6 months to completely get through this disease! If your dog has ANY respiratory contact with other dogs, even on a walk, it is suggested to vaccinate for this as illness is so severe. The Lewis pups are ALL vaccinated for this even though they almost never see a dog (do I have trauma memories? YES I DO)

  • There are other vaccinations available. If you have questions regarding them, please ask at your next visit!

Feline Vaccines: Because Cats Deserve Protection Too

Vaccines have dramatically reduced once-common, often fatal feline diseases, and they remain one of the most important tools we have to keep cats healthy—indoors and outdoors.

The Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) regularly updates its vaccination guidelines to balance disease prevention with individualized care. Not every cat needs every vaccine, but every cat needs core protection.

Core Vaccines (Recommended for All Cats)

• Rabies - 100% fatal, zoonotic (transmissible to humans), and legally required for cats in Tennessee. Even indoor-only cats are at risk—bats get inside homes more often than you’d think (ask me for a real-life story at your next appointment). I’ve seen firsthand how devastating rabies exposure cases can be, and prevention is always easier than quarantine, testing, or heartbreak.

• FVRCP Vaccine - this combination vaccine protects against three major feline viruses:

  • F: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (Herpesvirus-1) - causes severe upper respiratory disease, eye ulcers, and lifelong infection with flare-ups during stress.

  • V – Calicivirus - another upper respiratory virus that can cause painful mouth ulcers, pneumonia, and chronic oral disease.

  • P – Panleukopenia (Feline Distemper) - highly contagious, often fatal virus—especially in kittens. Without treatment, survival rates can be grim (<50% survival rate without treatment). With aggressive care, outcomes improve, but prevention is far safer (and cheaper).

These vaccines are the backbone of feline preventive care. If your cat is a cat, they need FVRCP and Rabies vaccines.

Non-Core (Lifestyle-Based) Vaccines

• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) - FeLV is a big deal. It suppresses the immune system, causes cancer, and significantly shortens lifespan. The AAFP recommends FeLV vaccination for all kittens, regardless of lifestyle, because young cats are especially vulnerable.

  • For adult cats, FeLV vaccination is recommended if they:

    • Go outdoors

    • Live with FeLV-positive cats

    • Might sneak outside (yes, we know cats are very tricky)

  • Indoor-only adult cats with no exposure risk may not need ongoing boosters, but this should be a thoughtful, individualized decision—not a blanket assumption.

  • What About Indoor-Only Cats?

    • I hear this all the time: “But my cat never goes outside.”

    • That’s great — but viruses don’t need permission. Bats, broken screens, emergency escapes, and exposure at the vet or groomer all count. Core vaccines are still essential, even for couch champions.

Let’s Personalize Your Cat’s Care

There’s no one-size-fits-all plan when it comes to feline vaccines. Age, lifestyle, exposure risk, and medical history all matter. We’re always happy to walk through the options and build a vaccination plan that makes sense for your cat.

Because your cat may have nine lives — but we’d rather not test that theory.

Not all pet foods are created equal—and the small print on the bag matters more than most people realize. One of the most important lines you’ll see on a dog or cat food label is the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement.

AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) does not regulate or approve pet food. Instead, it sets nutritional standards that manufacturers can choose to meet. How a food meets those standards makes a big difference.

Two Ways a Pet Food Can Meet AAFCO Standards

1. Formulated to Meet AAFCO Nutrient Profiles

This means the food was designed on paper to contain the required nutrients for a specific life stage. The recipe meets nutrient targets—but no animals were required to eat it before it went to market.

These diets may be adequate, but they don’t prove:

• The food is digestible

• Pets will eat enough of it

• Nutrients are absorbed as intended

• The diet supports real-world health over time

2. AAFCO Feeding Trials (Hint: the Gold Standard)

Foods that undergo AAFCO feeding trials are fed to real dogs or cats for a defined period under controlled conditions. During the trial, pets are monitored for:

• Body weight and condition

• Physical health

• Bloodwork and lab values

• Overall wellbeing

This shows the food doesn’t just look good on paper—it actually works in living animals. If you see a statement near the ingredient section that say:

“Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that this food provides complete and balanced nutrition…”

Then this is a Gold Standard food!!

Why Feeding Trials Matter

Feeding trials help catch problems that nutrient calculations can miss, including:

• Poor nutrient absorption

• Imbalanced minerals

• Deficiencies that develop over time

• Palatability issues that lead to under-eating

This is especially important for cats, who are metabolically unique and less forgiving of nutritional errors.

Life-Stage Appropriate Nutrition Is Not Optional

AAFCO recognizes different nutritional needs for:

• Growth (puppies & kittens)

• Adult maintenance

• All life stages

Feeding the wrong life-stage diet can have real consequences:

• Growth diets fed long-term can lead to obesity or skeletal issues

• Adult diets fed to kittens or puppies may cause deficiencies

• “All life stages” foods are often growth-level diets and are truly NOT all life stage - this is not advised.

Cats, in particular, should never be fed dog food or diets not specifically labeled for feline nutrition—taurine deficiency alone can cause heart disease and blindness.

What We Recommend Looking For

When choosing a diet for your dog or cat:

• Look for a clear AAFCO adequacy statement

• Prefer foods that have passed AAFCO feeding trials

• Choose the correct life stage for your pet

• Be cautious of boutique or exotic diets without long-term data

Nutrition isn’t about trends—it’s about biology.

Want more expert guidance? The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has excellent, globally-focused information on choosing the right food type for your dog or cat. Their recommendations are developed by veterinary nutrition experts from around the world. Please feel free to refer to their site (linked above) for the opinion of professionals worldwide.

TLDR:

AAFCO feeding trials provide real-world proof that a food can safely and effectively nourish pets over time. While not every formulated diet is unsafe, feeding trials offer an added layer of confidence—especially for growing animals and lifelong feeding.

If you’re unsure whether your pet’s current diet is appropriate, we’re always happy to review labels and help you choose a food that supports long-term health, not just good marketing.

Okay, I stepping off my soap box.

Fleas, GI parasites, Heartworms, Mites, OH MY! Maintaining monthly coverage keeps your pet from being exposed to external and internal parasites. Because quite frankly - they are gross and can get you and your family sick. My job is to protect you from that and keep your pet healthy!

• Heartworms (Link to American Heartworm Association): spread by a single mosquito bite. In a feline only study, of the heartworm positive cats 26% of them were STRICTLY INDOOR. If your animal has a heart beat, they are at risk of Heartworm Disease. Our suggested prevention can be talked about at your visit!

• Fleas: our fleas have become resistant to many over-the-counter products. For this reason oral flea/tick medications have become the standard-of-care for fleas. Did you know, fleas carry tapeworms? Ever seen rice-like segments around your pets anus, that is from them eating tapeworms. Yum! They also carry a disease called Bartonella, which is the cause for Cat Scratch Fever (bow wow wooowwwww)

• Ticks: prevention is 100% key on reducing risk of tick-borne diseases. Did you know there are ticks less than the size of a pen dot on a piece of paper that can spread disease in under 4 hours of attaching to your pet? Keeping your pet on year-round tick prevention is the only way to prevent unnecessary illness. There are THREE common tick diseases we see in Hamilton County. Lyme disease, Erhlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis.

  • Lyme disease: Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative bacteria that causes joint disease, illness, kidney disease, and other internal inflammatory changes. It is treatable, but will cause life-long damage.

  • Anaplasma: causes platelet abnormalities, generalized lethargy, and joint disease. This disease carries a better prognosis than Lyme disease, but also can cause life-long changes

  • Ehrlichiosis: causes low white blood cells and platelets, leading to lethargy, fever, bruising, nosebleeds, and sometimes chronic weight loss. In early stages it is treatable, but chronic infection can cause long-term bone marrow suppression and serious complications.

When I say I got your back when I suggest these, I really mean it. This is something I feel so passionate about preventing, it is as easy as giving a pill or applying a topical medication once monthly. Your pet does not need a disease that is 100% preventable.