This is now a legal requirement after the introduction of new dog laws by local government and will be enforced as of 2015. For further information on what the new laws mean for you, please contact your local council. Micro chipping is a quick and easy procedure which can be done in a regular consultation with the vet. The chip is implanted under the skin via a needle (similar to a vaccination.) Each chip has a unique number which is linked to your contact details on a national register. The chip becomes a permanent form of identification, unlike tags on collars that can fall off or fade overtime. Microchips can greatly increase the chance of your pet being returned home should they ever get lost.

Heartworm is a parasite transmitted to dogs through mosquitoes. These worms lodge in the heart and vessels feed on the surrounding blood, they can grow up to 30 cm in length! Heart worm prevention should be started at 12 weeks of age and continued for life. We recommend Pro heart – a once a year injectable heartworm preventative, which can be done in a regular consult with our vets.

Alternatively monthly medications, either tablets or spot-ons products such as Sentinel, Interceptor and Advocate can be used.

Contact our reception nurses for further information and advice about which product best suits your pets situation

Regular worming is recommended to protect your dog against roundworm, whip worm, hookworm and tapeworm. These parasites can be passed onto other animals as well as people. Young puppies should be wormed every two weeks, and adults and seniors should be wormed every three months. Intestinal wormers can be purchased over the counter at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital.

Fleas cause your dog to scratch, these little parasites can cause an allergic reaction (flea allergy dermatitis) and they can pass on tapeworm. To protect your dog against fleas we recommend using Advantage every month. This can be purchased over the counter at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital, we stock a variety of other flea products including Sentinel, Advocate, Frontline and Revolution. Please call our nurse receptionist for advice for your particular dogs situation.

It is important to ensure your dog is fed a well-balanced diet. A diet lacking in some of the essential vitamins and minerals can cause growth and development problems. Young dogs require a puppy diet, this is formulated to assist with their rapid growth and should be fed until they are between 9 – 12 months of age. We recommend Hills Science Diet and it is available in small, medium & large breed varieties.

Adult dogs still need to have a balanced diet and Hills Science Diet has a built in dental defence which helps protect your dogs teeth from plaque and tartar build up and also contains DHA, essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to help maintain healthy skin and coat and promote brain function.

When feeding senior dogs it is important to consider that if they are less active, then their food requirement may be less as well.

As our dogs age they can develop arthritis and associated joint pain. If your dog is being over fed and gains weight, this excess weight can add to the amount of joint pain experienced. Hills Science Diet have diets available specific to mature dogs and have included ingredients such as glucosamine to help maintain joint health.

When compared on a day by day cost basis these diets compare favourably with lower quality diets and ALL premium food sold at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital comes with a 100% money back guarantee.

This is a surgical procedure in which the reproductive organs are removed. There are many benefits of desexing that should be considered such as: prevention of unwanted pregnancies, prevention of undesirable behaviour (urine marking, aggression), prevention of certain disease (prostate disease and testicular tumours in males, uterine infections and mammary tumours in females.) Dogs reach sexual maturity between 6 to 12 months and we usually recommend sterilisation at around 6 months of age prior to them developing dominant or aggressive behaviour or the females coming into season.

Puppies require vaccinations from 6-8 weeks of age, again at 10 – 12 weeks and then at 16 weeks to finish the initial course. An annual booster is required at 15 months of age. These vaccinations protect against canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine hepatitis and canine cough.

Regular worming is recommended to protect your cat against roundworm, whip worm, hookworm and tapeworm. These parasites can be passed onto other animals as well as people. Young kittens should be wormed every two weeks, and adults and seniors should be wormed every three months. Intestinal wormers can be purchased over the counter at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital.

Fleas - As well as causing your cat to scratch, these little parasites can cause an allergic reaction (flea allergy dermatitis) and they can pass on tapeworm. To protect your cat against fleas we recommend using Advantage every month. This can be purchased over the counter at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital, we stock a variety of other flea products including Advocate, Frontline and Revolution.

It is important to ensure your cat is fed a well-balanced diet. A diet lacking in some of the essential vitamins and minerals can cause growth and development problems. Young cats require a kitten diet, this is formulated to assist with their quick growth and should be fed until they are between 9 – 12 months of age. We recommend Hills Science Diet and it is available in biscuit & wet food varieties. Adult cats still need to have a balanced diet and Hills Science Diet has a built in dental defence which helps protect your cats teeth from plaque and tartar build up and also contains DHA, essential omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to help maintain healthy skin and coat and promote brain function. When feeding senior cats it is important to consider that as cats age they can develop age related conditions such as reduced kidney function and arthritis. Hills Science Diet have diets available specific to mature cats and have included ingredients such as glucosamine to help maintain joint health. When compared on a day by day cost basis these diets compare favourably with lower quality diets and ALL premium food sold at Spearwood Veterinary Hospital comes with a 100% money back guarantee.

This is a surgical procedure in which the reproductive organs are removed. There are many benefits of desexing that should be considered: prevention of unwanted pregnancies, prevention of undesirable behaviour (urine marking, aggression), prevention of certain disease (as well of the reducing the chances of any reproductive tumours, it can reduce the incidence of diseases such as feline leukaemia and feline immunodeficiency virus, these diseases are generally passed on from cat to cat during fights, and usually linked to unsterilised males and females wandering,) cats reach sexual maturity around 5 months of age, this is when we recommend having your cat desexed.

Each chip has a unique number which is linked to your contact details on a national register. It is a quick and easy procedure which can be done in a regular consultation with the vet. The chip is implanted under the skin via a needle (similar to a vaccination.) This becomes a permanent form of identification, unlike tags on collars that can fall off or fade overtime. Microchips can greatly increase the chance of your pet being returned home should they ever get lost.

Kittens require vaccination at 6-8 weeks of age, 12 weeks of age and 16 weeks of age. Adult and senior cats require an annual booster. These vaccinations protect against feline enteritis, feline respiratory disease (cat flu), feline leukaemia virus and feline immune deficiency virus.