Pet Care
Wellness Care for Cape Cod Pets
You and your pet deserve the best treatment available that's provided by a staff of dedicated veterinarians and technicians, all at an affordable cost. When you choose Brewster Veterinary Hospital to be your pet care partner, you can rest assured your pet is receiving veterinary care based on the most advanced medical protocols in the Cape Cod area.
Regular Pet Wellness Exams
We believe the cornerstone of your pet's heath is a regular veterinary wellness exam that includes "nose-to-tail" examinations, dental examinations and cleanings, customized vaccinations and parasite prevention, and more. Identifying issues before they become serious is both the key to long-term good health and to keeping the lifetime cost of caring for your pet as low as possible.
Vaccinations
Vaccines are the best way to protect your pet against serious diseases and bacteria. While some vaccines prevent common infectious diseases, others protect against dangers present in a pet's lifestyle.
At Brewster Veterinary Hospital, we vaccinate puppies for Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo and Parainfluenza (DHPP) and Rabies. We vaccinate kittens for feline viral rhinotracheitis, for calicivirus infection and panleukopenia (referred to as FVRCP), as well as for Rabies.
Brewster Veterinary Hospital provides non-core vaccines for your pet's complete well-being. Non-core vaccinations for dogs include Bordatella, Lyme, Lepto and Influenza. For cats, we offer the feline leukemia vaccination.
Vaccinations are an important part of your pet's overall health care program. To better ensure the long term health of your pet, our staff wants to provide your companion with the maximum protection available.
Puppy and Kitten Care
Let Brewster Veterinary Hospital share your joy in welcoming a puppy or kitten in your life by providing your new pet with support, guidance, and exceptional health care. Our puppy and kitten programs are designed to cover all the fundamental health care needs of your new pet during his or her early life stages.
After welcoming your new pet to your family, the first item on your agenda should be a trip to Brewster Veterinary Hospital for a comprehensive physical examination by one of our Cape Cod veterinarians. The initial visit provides an opportunity for you, your pet and one of our doctors to meet and get acquainted. This time is well spent and offers you—the pet owner—a chance to ask questions. Our veterinarians also allay any concerns or anxieties you may have about owning a puppy or kitten. This is a special time for you and your pet and we want your memories to be cherished and worry-free.
Just like health care for humans, veterinary medical care for pets is constantly evolving and advancing. To help you navigate your way through the various stages of care necessary to keep your beloved companion healthy, Brewster Veterinary Hospital's doctors and staff provide comprehensive veterinary care at an affordable price.
Similar to the programs offered for adult dogs and cats, our puppy/kitten programs include:
- Comprehensive pet wellness examinations
- Vaccines
- Parasite prevention
- Behavior counseling
- Spay/Neuter surgery
- Discussion of housetraining/litter box training
- Nutrition and diet counseling
We can also address common pet owner questions and topics such as:
- Best pet food brands
- Declawing
- Microchipping
- Introducing a new pet
- Adjustment to new baby
- Preparing for surgery
- Puppy socialization
- Crate training
We also offer discounted pediatric laboratory packages for puppies and kittens. It is important to all of us at Brewster Veterinary Hospital that your new pet start off on the right paw and enjoy a healthy and happy life. Please contact us for more information at (508) 896-2540.
Your puppy and kittens first year of care will include:
- Physical Examinations: Your puppy's or kitten's lifetime of wellness starts with its first comprehensive physical exam. Puppies and kittens should have 3-4 exams between the ages of 8-16 weeks. These visits are important because they provide our veterinarians with an opportunity to assess your pet's overall health and to administer vaccines.
- Vaccinations: Due to their developing immune systems, puppies and kittens must receive a series of properly staged vaccines. Because every puppy and kitten is unique, we tailor our vaccination recommendations based on their lifestyle and/or breed and according to the suggested medical guidelines.
- Diagnostic Testing: Puppies should be tested for heartworm. Kittens should be tested for feline leukemia and feline AIDS.
- Additional Recommendations: Your veterinarian will also discuss and recommend other services, such as spaying, neutering and microchipping.
- Socialization: The doctors and staff at Brewster Veterinary Hospital recognize that well-socialized dogs live more peaceful, relaxed, and healthy lives. As they age, they are much less likely to behave fearfully or aggressively when faced with unfamiliar people, dogs and new experiences.
Senior Pet Care on Cape Cod
Your senior pet has medical needs that are very different from puppies and kittens. The veterinarians and medical team at Brewster Veterinary Hospital will work with you to develop a health care plan that ensures your pet is safe and happy throughout his or her golden years.
Preventive services are the key to keeping your older pets healthy. Symptoms of disease or a chronic condition may not be readily apparent. In some cases, conditions that look like the usual signs of old age could be signs of a more serious problem, such as arthritis, periodontal disease, kidney failure or cancer. We recommend all senior pets undergo at least one physical examination each year, though more frequent examinations are encouraged. During an examination, we perform tests that can detect the signs of heart disease, infection, diabetes and other health problems.
We offer discounted senior laboratory packages up to 40 percent off. These packages include the physical exam and extremely comprehensive testing. We are often able to find conditions earlier when they are less costly and easier to treat. If your pet is experiencing any changes in behavior, we urge you to bring him or her in for a check-up. We can make sure you and your faithful companion enjoy many more years together.
Parasite Prevention and Control
Parasites can be real pests. Both external (e.g. fleas, ticks) and internal (e.g. heartworm, hookworm, roundworm) parasites can cause problems for both your pet and your family. Prevention is the best approach to eliminating these pests. Please ask a staff member at (508) 896-2540 for the best way to prevent parasite problems.
Heartworm Disease
Heartworm disease is a serious, life-threatening disease transmitted by mosquitoes. It affects dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats. In the U.S., heartworm disease is most common along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries. Cape Cod is one of these areas where heartworm disease is more common.
Clinical symptoms of heartworm disease develop very slowly. Early symptoms include lack of energy, exercise intolerance, coughing, and difficulty breathing. Because heartworm disease is increasing in frequency and is a serious and deadly disease, we recommend that your dog be tested annually.
Heartworm disease prevention is simple and effective in the Brewster area. For dogs, a once-a-month heartworm preventive can be given as a chewable treat. This same chewable medicine prevents not only heartworms from developing, but also kills and prevents most other types of worms that can infect your dog.
If you would like to have your pet tested for heartworm disease, or if you would like additional information on how best to protect your pet from this dangerous parasite, please call (508) 896-2540 today for an appointment.
Flea and Tick Prevention
Fleas are not just a nuisance; they carry diseases that can be dangerous to both you and your pet. For example, fleas can transmit tapeworms to your pet, and often you can see segments of the tapeworm in your pet's stool. Your pet can also be allergic to fleas, and even just one flea bite can cause an intense allergic reaction, resulting in a severely painful skin infection.
Ticks can carry a variety of serious illnesses, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in certain parts of the country. If you plan to travel to an area where these diseases are a problem, please talk to one of our veterinarians about the precautions you can take to protect your pet.
The good news is that these problems can be avoided by using one of the safe and effective parasite prevention products that are available at Brewster Veterinary Hospital. Ask a member of our medical team to recommend a product that is right for your pet.
Allergies and Skin Problems in Dogs and Cats
Allergies are quite common in dogs of all breeds and backgrounds and are typically caused by fleas. Some other allergies your pet may develop can be the result of food or an inhaled irritant like dust or pollen. Most allergies appear after the pet is six months of age with the majority of affected dogs over age two. The most common symptom associated with allergies is itching of the skin, either localized or generalized. Other symptoms include respiratory distress (e.g. coughing, sneezing, and wheezing) or digestive problems that cause vomiting, flatulence, or diarrhea.
Flea allergy is the most common allergy in cats. A normal cat experiences only minor skin irritation at the site of the bite. The flea allergic cat, on the other hand, has a severe, itch-producing reaction when the flea's saliva is deposited in the skin. Just one bite causes such intense itching that the cat may severely scratch or chew itself, leading to hair loss and open sores or scabs on the skin. The area most commonly involved is over the rump or base of the tail.
It is important to be able to identify the first signs and symptoms of allergies and dermatological conditions. These include:
- Scratching, licking, chewing or biting the skin, feet and ears
- Red, raised, scaly areas on the skin
- Bumps, crusts or pus filled vesicles on the skin
- Increased skin pigmentation
- Thickened skin
- Loss of hair
- Salivary staining (brown color)
- Head shaking
If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, please make an appointment to have him or her seen by one of our veterinarians at Brewster Veterinary Hospital. We will evaluate your pet, determine the most effective method of treatment, and explain how you can prevent future problems. If left untreated, allergic reactions and skin conditions can become serious medical concerns.
Involving You in Your Pet's Healthcare
When you bring your pet in to see us, we want you to feel confident your pet is receiving the best care possible. Ask us anything you want to know. The veterinarians and staff at Brewster Veterinary Hospital know that great veterinary care begins with taking the time to get to know your pet, talking with you and giving you all of the information you need to make the right decisions for your dog or cat. In addition, our commitment to you and your pet doesn't end when you leave our hospital. Our veterinarians and staff make sure you have the knowledge you need to provide the best possible care for your pet at home.
Please take some time to read about the services we provide and about why you should trust us with your pet's health, now and for years to come. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please email or call
(508) 896-2540.
Internal Medicine For Your Pet
While the focus of our medical practice at Brewster Veterinary Hospital is your pet's wellness, an important part of our services are the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases that can affect your pet's internal organs and body systems. Our experienced veterinarians, supported by state-of-the-art technology, are able to identify and treat a range of complex internal medicine diseases.
Exotic Pets
We off care programs for exotic pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and other small mammals, and on a case by case basis small farm animals. Unfortunately at this time, Brewster Veterinary Hospital is no longer caring for birds or reptiles.Since it is often difficult to determine if an exotic pet is ill, we strongly recommend physical examinations twice a year to check for health problems plus annual monitoring to check for nutritional and husbandry-related conditions.
After acquiring your new exotic pet, a complete wellness appointment is strongly recommended. This exam includes a thorough physical examination, husbandry and nutritional consultation, disease screening and laboratory testing if necessary. Before bringing your pet into your home, you want to make sure that he or she is healthy.
Behavior Counseling
Even with the right training and lots of attention, your dog or cat can develop bad habits or unwanted behaviors. Whether these problems are new, or they've been a part of your pet's past for some time, it doesn't mean that you and your family need to live with them forever.
Brewster Veterinary Hospital offers behavior counseling for many of your pet's problems, including:
- Inappropriate urination or defecation
- Urine marking
- Aggression
- Nipping and biting
- Separation anxiety
- Inappropriate chewing and barking
- Digging
- Chewing
- Introduction of new pets into the household
Your animal's behavioral problems might be a product of their environment, such as a schedule change or the introduction of a new baby or pet. Their behavioral problem may also be learned, as unwanted behaviors can arise as a result of unintentional positive reinforcement. You might also consider genetic factors. Painful disease or condition, or degenerative changes associated with aging, can cause or contribute to your animal's behavior problems as well.
Our assessment begins with your pet's clinical history and a thorough medical examination. Before beginning behavior therapy, any medical problems that have been diagnosed will be treated. If our veterinarians and technical staff members cannot help with your pet's behavior problem, we can refer you to a board-certified animal behavior specialist.
Your Pet's Nutrition
Proper nutrition and a balanced diet, along with clean water, is an essential ingredient for your pet's overall good health. As your pet's caregiver, nutrition is the most significant health variable you control.
To support your efforts, the doctors at Brewster Veterinary Hospital perform a thorough body condition evaluation during each physical examination and provide dietary recommendations based on what they see. We can also provide you with important information on proper serving size, nutrient needs, and feeding strategies for your individual pet. We will also help you navigate pet food claims so you can make the most informed choices.
Prescription Diets for Your Pet
Some pets have serious nutritional challenges or chronic conditions that benefit from a special diet. When that is the case, we may recommend feeding a special prescription diet. Making this change can have a significant positive impact on your pet's overall health and well-being.
Prescription diets benefit medical conditions such as liver disease, bladder and kidney disease, digestive problems, renal failure, food allergies, diabetes, and more. Brewster Veterinary Hospital carries a diverse inventory of prescription foods and high-quality nutritional products. If your pet requires a prescription diet we do not carry, we can easily order it for you.
At Brewster Veterinary Hospital, we offer weight loss and food allergy management to you and your pet. We carry Hill's prescription diets and Royal Canin prescription diets.
Microchipping
A lost pet is a frightening situation that can end with devastating consequences. Studies have shown more than 10 million pets get lost each year and approximately 90 percent of those found would not have been returned to their owners without some form of permanent lost pet identification.
This is why the team at Brewster Veterinary Hospital consider microchip pet IDs an important responsibility of pet owners and a fundamental way to protect your pet from disappearing. We use the HomeAgain microchip system. By connecting your pet with a microchip, your pet will register with a unique identification number that is filed in a database with your contact information. The contact information can be updated anytime. If your pet is lost, the microchip can be scanned by animal control officers, animal shelters, and at veterinary hospitals in the U.S. as well as in many foreign countries.
This safe, reliable and permanent pet identification takes less than 10 seconds to implant and can save you and your pet days, weeks, or more of worry and uncertainty.
HomeAgain membership offers additional benefits such as proactive pet recovery and free access to ASPCA poison control. HomeAgain also comes with a number of useful services to pet owners such as their national pet recovery database, lost pet specialists, rapid lost pet alerts, lost pet medical insurance, travel assistance for found pets and more.
Health Certificates
If you and your pet are traveling internationally, you're most likely going to need an International Health Certificate. To know what is required, Brewster Veterinary Hospital recommends contacting the destination country's consulate or embassy. A helpful list can be found at the US Department of State website.
International Health Certificates are issued by USDA-accredited veterinarians only and must be endorsed by the state's USDA Veterinary Services office. The state veterinary services office oversees all export documents for pets departing from the US and ensures that the veterinarian issuing the document is accredited and that the forms have accurate information.
For additional questions concerning requirements for travel, please visit the US Department of Agriculture website for a complete list of travel regulations and alerts.
In-house Pharmacy
At Brewster Veterinary Hospital, we are able to ensure there is a direct link between the exam room and our pharmacy. This means your pet will receive the right medication, at the right dose, in the right form as quickly as possible. We will also be able to instruct you, the pet owner, on the medication's use and how you may be able to monitor its effectiveness. You can also feel confident all the medications we dispense were obtained from safe, reliable sources and stored under the right conditions.
We maintain a complete inventory of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, shampoos, flea and tick control products and heartworm preventatives to meet the needs of your pet. We also carry a full line of prescription diets. If your pet requires a prescription diet we do not carry, we can easily order it for you.
Ensuring that you have convenient and timely access to competitively priced medications is an important aspect of our veterinary practice.
Refills are easy, too. Simply give us a call or order through our website.
End of Life Planning
For many pet owners, even slightly considering their pet’s final days can be a difficult train of thought. Our animals are a part of our family. It is this strong bond, born from years of loyal companionship, that makes these thoughts particularly hard to bear.
When the time does come for your pet, the caring staff at Brewster Veterinary Hospital is ready to help you in your decision. We encourage you to talk with our veterinary healthcare team about these issues before they become an urgent matter. Find out about your options, including our crematory and burial services, make some key decisions ahead of time, and ask us to add this information to your pet's record. Taking the time to plan, as challenging as it may be, will lessen the pain and stress for you and your pet.
End-of-life services are provided at our hospital. We have the ability to provide end-of-life services for our clients at their homes. If our Doctors are not available, we can refer you to a local house-call vet in your area. Cremation services are available off-site.