What Love Deserves
Gold-Standard wellness care.
New Puppy & Kitten Visits
These first visits are especially fun and very important in getting your new pet off to a good start. Our veterinarians perform a thorough nose to tail physical exam, focusing on any internal/external parasite problems or congenital or developmental abnormalities. Highlands team members
will provide you with the latest information to help you raise a healthy puppy or kitten.
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Vaccinations
Your pet depends on your protection in many ways. Vaccinations are an important part of protecting pets from debilitating and even life threatening diseases. All pets are vaccinated against rabies. Dogs are also vaccinated for distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis, and more. Vaccines
are important for both inside and outside cats to protect them against feline leukemia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, chlamydia and panleukopenia which are transmitted by saliva, mucus and other secretions of ill cats.
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Intestinal Parasites
The majority of puppies and kittens contract intestinal parasites from their mothers. If left untreated these parasites can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, stunted growth and even death. Lab testing of a stool sample can diagnose intestinal worms that include roundworms, hookworms,
whipworms, and tapeworms. Cellular parasites like giardia and coccidia are also diagnosed by testing the stool.
Intestinal parasites are not only found in young animals. Montana cats and dogs are frequently exposed to infestation with normal daily living. It is important to deworm your pet regularly with a broad spectrum product, especially if you have children, as roundworms can be transmitted to humans. Read More
Intestinal parasites are not only found in young animals. Montana cats and dogs are frequently exposed to infestation with normal daily living. It is important to deworm your pet regularly with a broad spectrum product, especially if you have children, as roundworms can be transmitted to humans. Read More
Heartworm Disease
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease. No state is heartworm free. When the American Heartworm Society started monitoring heartworm disease in 2001, there were almost no positive pets in Montana. Unfortunately,
now heartworm disease is here to stay.
Heartworms are not intestinal worms. They are transmitted from animal to animal in larvae form by mosquitos. It takes 6 months to mature to the adult worms that grow to be 6 to 14 inches long. The adults can live for up to 5 to 7 years in your pet’s heart and pulmonary arteries. The resulting damage can be irreversible.
It is much easier to prevent heartworm disease than it is to treat it. Treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is costly, difficult, and takes many months.
Heartworm affects cats differently than dogs but is equally as serious. While only 5 to 20% of cats develop heartworm after being bitten by an infected mosquito, a majority die of the disease within two years. There is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so prevention is the only means of protecting cats from the effects of heartworm disease. Read More
Heartworms are not intestinal worms. They are transmitted from animal to animal in larvae form by mosquitos. It takes 6 months to mature to the adult worms that grow to be 6 to 14 inches long. The adults can live for up to 5 to 7 years in your pet’s heart and pulmonary arteries. The resulting damage can be irreversible.
It is much easier to prevent heartworm disease than it is to treat it. Treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is costly, difficult, and takes many months.
Heartworm affects cats differently than dogs but is equally as serious. While only 5 to 20% of cats develop heartworm after being bitten by an infected mosquito, a majority die of the disease within two years. There is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so prevention is the only means of protecting cats from the effects of heartworm disease. Read More
Senior Care
In early stages, some of your senior pet’s problems may not be obvious and the gradual onset of health problems, in an apparently healthy pet, often goes unnoticed. Many times an owner thinks that their pet is only “getting old”. A complete physical exam can help identify potential areas of concern,
so we can determine what testing is appropriate. Diagnostic tests such as a chemistry blood panel, complete blood count, thyroid levels, urinalysis, thoracic and abdominal radiographs and ultrasound are important means to evaluate your pet’s health.
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Microchip
We encourage the use of microchips to give your pet an additional source of identification in the event of being lost. They are often required for international travel. The microchips we implant at Highlands have the added feature of a TempScan device. The TempScan allows us to digitally read
your pet’s body temperature when you come in for routine veterinary visits, which most pets prefer to a rectal temperature.
The tiny electronic chip is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades with a large needle. Most often they are injected at the time of spay or neuter. The number on the chip, along with your personal contact information is entered into a national database for easy retrieval. Should your pet be lost and found, you’ll be promptly contacted.
At this time, there are no microchips available with a tracking device. Read More
The tiny electronic chip is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades with a large needle. Most often they are injected at the time of spay or neuter. The number on the chip, along with your personal contact information is entered into a national database for easy retrieval. Should your pet be lost and found, you’ll be promptly contacted.
At this time, there are no microchips available with a tracking device. Read More
Nutritional Counseling
Nutrition is considered the fifth vital assessment for our pets. Historically temperature, pulse, and respiration were the three vitals monitored. Then pain scoring was added as the fourth vital assessment.
At Highlands we believe that nutrition has an enormous impact on the health and life expectancy of our pets. Our veterinarians will consider your pets general health, activity level, and any medical conditions when they recommend a diet for your pet. We may recommend an over-the-counter diet, if your pet is healthy. Some conditions like allergies, kidney disease, obesity, and bladder stones can be partially managed with a prescription diet.
We will determine an estimated ideal weight for your pet. Studies have shown that keeping our pets lean will extend their life expectancy.
We are also happy to answer any questions you have about raw or “boutique” diets. Read More
At Highlands we believe that nutrition has an enormous impact on the health and life expectancy of our pets. Our veterinarians will consider your pets general health, activity level, and any medical conditions when they recommend a diet for your pet. We may recommend an over-the-counter diet, if your pet is healthy. Some conditions like allergies, kidney disease, obesity, and bladder stones can be partially managed with a prescription diet.
We will determine an estimated ideal weight for your pet. Studies have shown that keeping our pets lean will extend their life expectancy.
We are also happy to answer any questions you have about raw or “boutique” diets. Read More