Thanksgiving Concerns

As we all know dogs and cats can be trouble makers when they want to be. We want to remind everyone of this prior to Thanksgiving. This is the day with all the great smells filling up the house that it seems like our pets always get into more trouble than we expect. We ask you to be cautious of your pets around the Thanksgiving Day food, bones, and everything else that would normally not be out. The link below shows this past years x-ray winners from Veterinary Practice News. Some of the images are graphic, so please only look if your stomach can handle it! If you do follow the link, you will see all of the abnormal things some pets ate. The thing to focus on is that two of them ate knives, so keep a close eye on the carving knife after you cut the turkey. 

http://media.animalnetwork.com/channelmedia/vpn/TheyAteWhat_2013.pdf

 

Be well and have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We at PVAH are thankful for all of our great clients and furry friends.

Halloween Candy & Tips

Halloween Candy – to feed or not to feed: 

Halloween is just around the corner. Remember to watch your pets around all the candy. When animals eat something other than their normal diet, it can cause diarrhea. The diarrhea can be associated with mucus or even blood. On top of having an upset stomach, chocolate in larger quantities, especially baking chocolate, can be dangerous for your pet. Keep the candy up high & your pet safe! 

Another Halloween tip is to be cautious of scary masks around your furry friends. These can scare your pet and even in some cases result in abnormal behavior such as biting. 

YEARLY HEARTWORM TESTING JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT MORE IMPORTANT:

We always get asked why heartworm testing is needed for pets that are on prevention monthly. The American Heartworm Society recommends pets are tested annually. Early detection of heartworm disease minimizes the damage to the heart and lungs. The importance of yearly testing has always been that heartworm prevention is not 100% and there is a risk of exposure.  We have always had concern for pets not eating the whole chew or vomiting the tablet after getting it, and therefore not being protected, but now there is concern for resistance to the heartworm preventions. 

Most of the manufacturers of heartworm prevention offer a guarantee with their medication if you have your pet tested annually. If your dog has a positive heartworm test while on their prevention, they will pay for 100% of the treatment to eliminate the disease. Otherwise, the treatment can be very costly.

Heartworm prevention should be given minimally April 1^st to December 1^st in this area, but year round treatment is better. 

Leptospirosis

The risks, symptoms, and preventative measures for Leptospirosis: 

We have been hearing many questions the last couple of weeks about Leptospirosis (or lepto for short). Lepto is zoonotic, meaning that is can infected both humans and animals. Lepto is a bacterial infection that is spread by the urine of wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, opossums, squirrels, rodents (mice/rats), and even deer. The bacteria (leptospires) gets into water and soil and can survive there for weeks. Humans and pets get infected through contact with contaminated urine (or other body fluids, except saliva), water, or soil. The bacteria can enter the body through skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), especially if the skin is broken from a cut or scratch. Drinking contaminated water can also cause infection. Infected wild and domestic animals may continue to excrete the bacteria into the environment continuously or every once in a while for a few months up to several years.

The clinical signs of lepto vary and are nonspecific. Sometimes pets do not have any symptoms. Common clinical signs have been reported in dogs. These include:

• fever
• vomiting
• abdominal pain
• diarrhea
• refusal to eat
• severe weakness and depression
• stiffness
• severe muscle pain
• inability to have puppies.

Generally, younger animals are more seriously affected than older animals.

Get your pet vaccinated against lepto if you live in or frequent “high risk” areas. The vaccine does not provide 100% protection, because there are many strains (types) of lepto, and the vaccine does not provide immunity against all strains. It is important to get your pet vaccinated again even if it gets leptospirosis because it can still get infected with a different strain of leptospires.

Remember to watch your pet close when you are out to make sure he/she does not drink from small streams/ponds/etc.