Medicine
Wellness Exams and Vaccinations
Annual wellness exams, puppy and kitten schedules, and vaccinations for Rosenberg and Richmond pets, all inside the Thompson Road clinic.
Chapter 01
What a yearly exam checks, and why the fecal and heartworm tests are not optional
A yearly visit at the Thompson Road clinic is built around the Healthy Pet Wellness Program: a complete physical exam, that year's canine or feline vaccinations, a fecal test for internal parasites, and a heartworm test. Dr. Emily Tran, whose special interest is preventative care, treats none of the four as an extra tacked onto the bill. They are the visit itself, because a hands-on exam alone cannot see a roundworm egg under a microscope or a heartworm larva in a blood sample.
The fecal test catches an internal parasite long before a pet shows a symptom, and the heartworm test catches an infection a monthly preventative could have stopped in the first place. Skip either one and you are choosing to treat a heavier problem later instead of a lighter one now, on a pet who cannot tell you anything is wrong.
An orange tabby cat being weighed on a baby scale during a wellness exam at Rose-Rich Veterinary Clinic.
A calendar, not a price list
Puppies and kittens at Rose-Rich do not get one big appointment, they get a calendar. A puppy comes in at six weeks for P1 (a wellness exam, DHPP, a fecal check and a heartworm preventative), again at nine weeks for P2, at twelve weeks for P3, and at sixteen weeks for P4, where rabies is added. A kitten follows its own version of the same idea: K1 at eight weeks, K2 at twelve weeks, and K3 at sixteen weeks, where rabies is added for cats that go outdoors.
We recommend spay or neuter after the last visit on either schedule, once the vaccination series is complete. Missing a visit does not reset the calendar, but it does leave a gap in protection at exactly the age a puppy or kitten is most exposed to the animals and surfaces around it.
Chapter 03
What changes at ten years old
At ten, a pet moves from the Healthy Pet Wellness Program into the Senior Advanced Wellness Program, and the exam adds two things: a Senior Advanced Wellness Blood Panel and a wellness urinalysis, run every other year. Both look for the kind of change a physical exam cannot feel from the outside, in the kidneys, liver and other organs that start to show wear at that age.
The vaccinations, the fecal test and the heartworm test continue exactly as before. The senior program adds to the yearly visit, it does not replace any part of it, and Rosenberg and Richmond pet owners can ask about it at any wellness visit.
Rose-Rich, All of our veterinarians are members of the AVMA. Call (281) 342-3727.
Puppy and kitten schedules
The visits, in order
Puppy schedule
| Visit | Age | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6 weeks | Wellness exam, DHPP vaccination, fecal test, and a heartworm preventative. |
| P2 | 9 weeks | Continues the puppy vaccination series. |
| P3 | 12 weeks | Continues the puppy vaccination series. |
| P4 | 16 weeks | Adds the rabies vaccination. Spay or neuter is recommended after this visit. |
Kitten schedule
| Visit | Age | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| K1 | 8 weeks | First kitten wellness visit. |
| K2 | 12 weeks | Continues the kitten vaccination series. |
| K3 | 16 weeks | For outdoor cats, adds the rabies vaccination. Spay or neuter is recommended after this visit. |
Annual vaccinations
Canine and feline core lists
Canine, annually
- DHLP (distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza)
- Parvovirus
- Coronavirus
- Bordetella (kennel cough)
- Canine Influenza Virus
- Lyme Disease
- Rabies
Feline, annually
- FVRCP (rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia)
- Chlamydia
- Feline Leukemia (FeLV)
- FeLV/FIV Testing
- Rabies
Rabies is required every year for pets in Rosenberg and Needville. In the surrounding areas, it is required every three years. Boarding, grooming and surgery all require proof of current vaccination before drop-off: dogs need DHLP-P, rabies, Bordetella and CIV bivalent; cats need FVRCP and rabies. We ask for it because it protects every other pet staying, boarding or being treated alongside yours that same day.
Healthy Pet vs. Senior Advanced Wellness
Healthy Pet Wellness Program
Pets under 10
Yearly complete physical exam, annual canine or feline vaccinations, a fecal test for internal parasites, and a heartworm test.
Senior Advanced Wellness Program
Pets over 10
Everything in the Healthy Pet program, plus a Senior Advanced Wellness Blood Panel and a wellness urinalysis every other year.
The clinic carries Royal Canin, Hill's and Purina pet foods, along with flea and tick preventatives, so a wellness visit can leave with everything a puppy, kitten or senior pet needs until the next one.
Ready to schedule a wellness visit?
Call the Thompson Road clinic to book a puppy, kitten or annual exam, or send a message and we will get back to you.