Our Veterinary Blog in Granger, IN

At Kryder & Harr Veterinary Clinic, we meet a lot of first-time puppy owners in Granger who assume an indoor-only puppy can skip some vaccines. Indoor puppies do still need the full set of core vaccines, since several of the diseases they protect against can travel indoors on shoes, clothing, or hands, and rabies vaccination…

Most puppies need a series of three to four vaccine visits between 6 and 16 weeks of age before they are considered fully protected, followed by a one-year booster. From there, a dog vaccine schedule shifts into a simpler adult routine of annual and multi-year boosters. At Kryder & Harr Veterinary Clinic, Granger pet parents often…

Do dogs really need a rabies shot? Yes. Rabies is a fatal, legally regulated disease, and a rabies shot for dogs is one of the few vaccines required by law in Indiana. Beyond the legal requirement, rabies is a serious public health concern because it can spread from animals to people, which makes this vaccine…

How often do dogs really need vaccines? Some vaccines are needed every year, while others protect for up to three years at a time, so the honest answer is that it depends on the vaccine. Understanding what shots do dogs need yearly versus which ones run on a longer schedule helps you plan smarter, budget…

Before a senior dog wellness exam, avoid giving pain medication, supplements, or anything that might mask symptoms your veterinarian needs to see, and skip a strenuous walk or heavy exercise right beforehand that could hide stiffness or slow your dog down artificially. Aging changes a dog’s body in ways that are easy to miss day…

Yes, cats need a wellness exam at least once a year, and twice a year once they reach their senior years, even if they never set a paw outside. Cats are famous for hiding illness, often showing no visible symptoms until a condition has been building for months. A routine cat wellness exam is one…

A pet wellness exam typically runs between $50 and $250 depending on your location, the clinic, and what the visit includes, with basic exams on the lower end and visits that bundle vaccines or screening tests landing higher. Because pricing varies so much by region and practice, the best way to answer “How much does…

An owner books an appointment for her dog’s annual checkup, then calls back two days later when he starts limping, assuming it is the same kind of visit. It is not. A wellness exam checks a healthy dog for problems that have not caused symptoms yet, while a sick visit addresses something that has already…

A new puppy owner leaves the shelter with a wiggling eight-week-old bundle of energy and a folder of paperwork, unsure which parts actually matter right away. Near the top of that list: puppies need a wellness exam roughly every three to four weeks from about six to eight weeks of age until sixteen weeks old,…

A dog walks into the clinic wagging his tail, showing no sign of pain or illness, and fifteen minutes later his veterinarian has already spotted the beginning of a dental problem he would not have noticed for months. That is the value of a dog wellness exam: a head-to-tail checkup that includes a physical exam,…