We know that being a pet owner comes with a lot of questions — about wellness, costs, symptoms, surgeries, and everything in between. Below, we’ve answered some of the questions we hear most often from families across Rialto and the Inland Empire. If yours isn’t here, give us a call. We’re always happy to help.
General Veterinary Questions
How often should my dog or cat see the veterinarian?
Most healthy adult pets benefit from a wellness exam once a year. Puppies, kittens, senior pets, and pets managing ongoing health conditions often need more frequent visits — typically two or more per year.
Annual exams help us catch problems early, when they’re easier (and often less expensive) to treat. During wellness visits, we evaluate your pet’s overall health, talk through your family’s lifestyle, review vaccines and parasite prevention, and answer any questions you’ve been saving up. For all pets, and especially our seniors — who age much faster than we do — yearly bloodwork (sometimes more for our seniors), parasite testing, and regular monitoring become especially important.
How much does a veterinary exam cost?
Exam costs depend on the type of visit and your pet’s specific needs. Here’s what to expect at Rialto Animal Hospital:
- Wellness/annual exams = $78 (vaccines, parasite testing, and other services are additional)
- Sick or urgent care exams = $88 (treatment is additional)
- Emergency exams are priced based on severity and the care required
How much do vaccines cost?
Canine
- Rabies = $31.75
- DA2PPL (Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, and Leptospirosis) = $41.75
- Bordetella = $28.75
- Influenza (H3N2/H3N8) = $42.00
- Leptospirosis = $29.75
Feline
At Rialto Animal Hospital and Rialto Cat Hospital, we proudly use the PUREVAX® feline vaccine line whenever possible because it is adjuvant-free. Unlike traditional vaccines that contain additives linked to inflammation and a rare cancer called Feline Injection-Site Sarcoma (FISS), PUREVAX® uses advanced recombinant technology to provide effective protection with less inflammation, fewer injection-site reactions, and a lower risk of vaccine-associated sarcomas.
- Rabies = $39.90
- FVRCP (Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia) = $29.50
- Leukemia = $39.50
We believe in transparency, so we’ll always walk you through our recommendations and the associated costs before moving forward. No surprises.
Why are veterinary visits sometimes delayed?
Just like in human medicine, veterinary teams sometimes encounter emergencies that require immediate attention. Even when the lobby looks quiet, our medical team may be caring for hospitalized patients, assisting with surgery, or handling a critical case behind the scenes. We work hard to stay on schedule — but when we need to prioritize a pet in crisis, we know you’d want us to do the same for yours. Thanks for your patience.
Puppy & Kitten Questions
When should puppies and kittens get vaccines?
Both puppies and kittens typically begin their vaccine series around 6–8 weeks of age and continue every 3–4 weeks until approximately 20 weeks old. Puppy vaccines protect against parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, rabies, and canine influenza. Kitten vaccines protect against feline distemper (panleukopenia), upper respiratory viruses, rabies, and feline leukemia (depending on lifestyle and risk). We tailor every vaccine plan to your pet’s lifestyle, exposure risk, and overall health.
When should I spay or neuter my pet?
The ideal timing depends on your pet’s breed, size, lifestyle, and health. Many pets are spayed or neutered between 6 and 12 months of age, though larger breed dogs may benefit from waiting longer for orthopedic reasons. Spaying or neutering can reduce the risk of certain cancers, infections (like pyometra in females), and behavior concerns — and helps prevent unwanted litters. During your pet’s exam, our doctors will help you decide on the best timing for your individual pet.
Should my pet have one litter first?
No — there’s no medical benefit to allowing a pet to have a litter before being spayed or neutered. In fact, spaying before the first heat cycle can significantly reduce the risk of certain mammary tumors and uterine infections. Our team is happy to talk through the specifics for your pet.
Sick Pet Questions
Why is my dog throwing up?
Vomiting in dogs can be caused by a wide range of things — from eating something they shouldn’t have to infections, parasites, pancreatitis, foreign object obstruction, or organ disease. Occasional mild vomiting may not be serious, but repeated vomiting, blood, lethargy, refusal to eat, or abdominal pain should be evaluated promptly. When in doubt, call us.
Why does my dog have diarrhea?
Diarrhea can result from stress, dietary changes, parasites, infections, food intolerance, or more serious medical conditions. Puppies, seniors, and dogs with vomiting or low energy should be seen quickly, since dehydration can develop fast. Our veterinary team may recommend fecal testing, bloodwork, imaging, dietary changes, or medications based on what we find.
Why is my cat not eating?
When a cat stops eating, things can escalate quickly — much faster than in dogs. If your cat hasn’t eaten in 24 hours, give us a call. Loss of appetite in cats can be caused by a variety of things, including dental disease, stress, gastrointestinal illness, kidney disease, infection, pain, or respiratory issues. The sooner we evaluate, the better.
Why is my dog itching so much?
Itching is one of the most common complaints we see — and Southern California’s climate makes it worse. Common signs are itching and biting, rubbing their face/ears, licking paws, odor, and hair loss. Common causes include environmental allergies, fleas or other parasites, food allergies, skin or ear infections, and dry skin. We understand how frustrating this is for your pet AND you, so we work hard to explain what we find and how to manage and/or treat your pet for optimal, ongoing relief. We build customized allergy management plans that may include medications, medicated baths, ear care, diet trials, supplements, allergy testing, or long-term management — because temporary relief isn’t enough.
Dental Care Questions
Does my dog or cat really need a dental cleaning?
Yes — and probably more than you might think. Dental disease is one of the most common (and most underdiagnosed) health problems in pets. Bad breath isn’t just unpleasant; it’s often a sign of infection and inflammation beneath the gumline. Left untreated, dental disease can lead to pain, tooth loss, difficulty eating, and even complications affecting the heart, liver, and kidneys.
Just as importantly, a true professional dental cleaning requires anesthesia. While non-anesthetic dental cleanings may make teeth appear whiter, they only address the visible surface of the teeth and do not allow for cleaning beneath the gumline—where the most damaging disease occurs. Anesthesia allows your veterinary team to safely perform a thorough oral examination, take dental X-rays, clean below the gumline, and treat painful disease that would otherwise go undetected.
At Rialto Animal Hospital, every professional dental cleaning includes a comprehensive oral examination, full-mouth dental radiographs (X-rays), ultrasonic scaling, polishing, and individualized treatment recommendations to help keep your pet healthy, comfortable, and smiling for years to come.
How often should pets get dental cleanings?
It depends on your pet’s breed, genetics, and home dental care. Some pets need cleanings every 6 months, while others can go longer between visits. Small-breed dogs and certain cats are especially prone to dental disease and often benefit from a regular 6-month schedule. Our doctors evaluate dental health at every wellness exam.
Emergency & Urgent Care Questions
What counts as a veterinary emergency?
Get help immediately if your pet is experiencing: difficulty breathing, seizures, collapse, severe vomiting or diarrhea, trauma or being hit by a car, toxin ingestion, trouble urinating, significant bleeding, a bloated or distended abdomen, sudden paralysis or weakness, heatstroke, or eye injuries. If you’re not sure whether your pet needs urgent care, call us — we’ll help you figure out the safest next step.
Do you offer urgent care appointments?
Yes — we offer same-day urgent care during business hours, prioritized by medical need (similar to a human urgent care). Depending on your pet’s condition and our hospital’s capacity, we may recommend drop-off care, a same-day evaluation, or referral to a 24-hour emergency hospital. We do our best to accommodate every urgent case. When we can’t, we’ll never just turn you away — we’ll take your information, offer to call you back if a spot opens up, schedule the soonest available appointment, or help connect you with the right emergency resource.
Cat-Specific Questions
Why do cats hate going to the vet?
Cats are deeply sensitive to unfamiliar environments, sounds, smells, and travel — which can make routine visits feel overwhelming. That’s why we use gentle, low-stress handling techniques and have invested in being a Cat Friendly Practice. For families who want a truly cat-focused experience, we also operate Rialto Cat Hospital — our feline-exclusive practice located right next door.
Is it normal for older cats to lose weight?
No — unexpected weight loss in older cats should always be evaluated. Common causes include hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, diabetes, dental disease, gastrointestinal disease, or cancer. Early diagnosis often leads to better outcomes, so don’t wait if you’ve noticed your senior cat slimming down.
Preventive Care Questions
Does my indoor cat really need vaccines?
Yes. Even cats who never leave the house can still be exposed to disease — through an unexpected escape, a visiting pet, an open window, or even germs that hitch a ride home on our shoes. We tailor vaccine recommendations to your cat’s lifestyle and risk factors.
Does my dog need flea prevention if I don’t see fleas?
Absolutely. Southern California’s climate lets fleas thrive year-round, and many pets with flea allergies can have severe reactions to just a few bites. Consistent monthly prevention is the safest and most effective approach.
Should pets have yearly bloodwork?
Yes. Routine bloodwork helps us to establish a normal baseline to compare to if/when your pet gets sick. It also helps us to detect disease early — often before symptoms appear. Annual or semiannual testing is especially important for senior pets, pets on long-term medications, pets with chronic conditions, and pets preparing for anesthesia.
Surgery Questions
Is anesthesia safe for my pet?
Modern veterinary anesthesia is very safe — especially when paired with proper monitoring and pre-anesthetic screening. At Rialto Animal Hospital, we recommend pre-anesthetic testing, use individualized anesthetic protocols, and rely on trained team members and advanced monitoring equipment throughout every procedure. As with human medicine, no anesthesia is entirely risk-free. But our team works hard to minimize risk and provide attentive, conscientious care from start to finish.
What is TPLO surgery?
TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) is an orthopedic procedure used to stabilize a dog’s knee after a cranial cruciate ligament (CCL/ACL) tear. It helps restore mobility, reduce pain, and slow the progression of arthritis. We offer TPLO surgery in-house through a highly skilled mobile veterinary surgeon — which means your dog can receive advanced orthopedic care without traveling to a specialty center.
Visit & Policy Questions
What are your hours?
We’re open Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We’re closed Sundays and major holidays. We are not a 24-hour facility. For after-hours emergencies, please visit our Emergencies page for resources and contacts.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, ScratchPay, and CareCredit. Payment is due at the time services are provided.
Do you board pets?
Yes — we offer boarding for our clients’ dogs and cats, with the added comfort of being cared for by a trained veterinary team. If your pet needs medical support during their stay, we’ve got it covered.
Still Have Questions?
Every pet is different, and online information can only get you so far. Call us at (909) 875-6161 or request an appointment online. Whether your pet needs wellness care, urgent care, surgery, dentistry, or just a thoughtful conversation about their health, we’d love to be the team you trust.