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Does your pet have allergies?

Spring often see increased occurrence  of skin reactions and hypersensitivities.

Don’t forget to wash those hands.

Veterinarians practice hand washing throughout their day.  Common habits can help keep you and your pets healthy.  The CDC has a video to help show common places we come into contact with germs.

 

Health Certificate for Your Pet’s Travel

author:  Caroline Montgomery, DVM

You may have a business that requires shipment of an animal(s) for profit, dog shows or horse shows.  Others move to a foreign country for pleasure, have a job transfer, or are a member of the Armed Services. These departures can be for such a period of time as to consider bringing ALL family members along.  And, of course, we are talking about the pets.

Traveling with your pet is not as simple as buying an airplane ticket or letting the airline know your carry-on luggage is a pet carrier.  Below are some points to ponder and plan.  And plan you must, long in advance of your departure.

Things to know if you and your pet are moving to a foreign country:

• Number 1:  You will need a health certificate filled out by your Veterinarian.
• Number 2:  Your pet will need a microchip.
• Number 3:  This process can take as long as 6 months- and this is before you get on the plane!

Each country has different requirements to allow entry of your pet (or farm animal, or horse, etc) within their borders, and some countries may not even allow any animals from certain countries! Even traveling between the different states in America requires a health certificate – although, these certificates do not require as long a preparatory time and your local veterinarian probably has the necessary form in the clinic.  (Hawaii and Alaska may have a different requirement from the contiguous 48 states.)

If you even suspect you may at some point want/need to take your animal to a foreign country, go ahead and get that microchip placed.  It is the only form of identification that is accepted.

As soon as you know you are going to be moving, call the destination country and ask about a Veterinary Certificate to bring your ____(fill in the blank: dog, cat, pig, horse, ferret, bird, cow, snake, etc….).  There are different forms:  domestic vs. nondomestic; commercial vs. noncommercial; or type animal.

Your take home is:  Don’t wait until the last minute to decide to take your pet with you.  It will not be possible.

Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendations.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

Disclaimer: The information contained here is intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information contained here is neither intended to dictate what makes up reasonable, appropriate or best care for any given health issue, nor is it intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgment of a veterinarian for any given health issue.

Peanut the Pythium Wonder 

author:  Dr. April Andrews

Late summer 2011, Allison Lash and I started on a yearlong adventure trying to save her horse Peanut.  Peanut was presented to our practice with a preputial abscess that, initially, appeared uncomplicated and similar to past cases I’d treated.  Little did we know we were about to embark on a quest to save Peanut’s life.  Instead of resolving, this abscess stopped healing and actually started getting larger.  I had this sinking feeling that Peanut may be infected with Pythium.  We tested Peanut and, sure enough, he had it!
Peanut became a biology lesson for unusual organisms that can infect our pets.  Pythium, similar to a fungus, produce spores and grow best in wet environments.  Once in the body, these spores grow and form fingerlike projections that invade surrounding tissues making treatment difficult.  To make things more difficult, cure rates vary due to the lack of drugs that are effective against Pythium.  There is a vaccine that is often an effective treatment for Pythium; however, Peanut did not seem to improve after receiving his vaccination.  Peanut began to lose weight and his overall health began to suffer.  To make every effort to save Peanut, we used an old school treatment, organic iodine, against Pythium. It worked!

Due to the aggressive nature of the Pythium organism, further reconstructive surgeries were used before total clearing of the disease was gained.  Peanut completed his course of veterinary treatments and has had no reoccurrence of Pythium!  There were several times throughout the course of treatment that the Lash’s and I had serious conversations about Peanut’s overall health and whether we would be able to save him from this horrible disease.  A good veterinarian-client-patient relationship and diligent care saved Peanut’s life!  

Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

Disclaimer: The information contained here is intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information contained here is neither intended to dictate what makes up reasonable, appropriate or best care for any given health issue, nor is it intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgment of a veterinarian for any given health issue.

Pet Dental Check-ups Pay Off

Happy New Year to You and Your Pet

author:  Dr. B. Taylor

Daily, I am greeted home by 14 pounds of wagging tail and 3 cats crisscrossing the front door for attention.  Most pets share their loyalty and affections unconditionally.  Does your stress level drop, like mine, after sharing time with pets?  Make a resolution to dedicate more of your New Year to animals.  Costs have risen in recent years, including pet care; however, a little planning can limit cash losses.

Be *A*W*A*R*E

• Ask your local vet – about animal issues, health promotions and preventive care.
• Watch for signals –  (behavior) pets may show to voice their problem or need.
• Always verify: – not everything you read on the internet is true, or safe.
• Report animal problems – you encounter to your local veterinary clinic.
• Educate yourself, – share good news with others and support community businesses.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan.  Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

 

Veterinary Dentistry:

author:  Dr. B. Taylor

Can you see the broken off tooth on the upper, left side of this photo?

Scaredy Cat broke this tooth earlier this year. If my tooth broke in a similar way, I would stop eating, constantly complain of pain and rush to the dentist. This two year old, rescue/barn kitty showed none of these clinical signs. Animals often hide any weakness, as a survival instinct, to avoid stronger animals preying upon them. A complete physical exam, during annual vaccination, allowed discovery of this injury.

Your personal veterinarian is able to give you options that allow you to make medical and surgical decisions when unexpected injuries, diseases and needs occur.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan. 

Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

More on Scaredy Cat’s story can be found by clicking: Veterinary Dentistry page.

 

 

The video below was filmed in the Northeast of the United States, but has application here in the Southeast.  Thanks to Pfizer Animal Health for sponsoring the production of videos on how to avoid common problems seen with pets and ways to become more involved with the animals around us.

 

 

The video below discusses some foods humans enjoy and may be less tolerated by our dogs and cats.  Help avoid stomach aches, and other digestive upsets, as you plan your Thanksgiving dinner.

Don’t Risk

Your Dog’s Health:

author:  Dr. B. Taylor

Sometimes, relating things to myself allows me to apply it to my pets (animals).

Germs are microscopic things that surround us and want to take up residence in a living, breathing entity.  Some of us prefer to forewarn our body and prepare for threats; others prefer to allow their body to “take it as it comes.”

O’kay, I am talking about the pros and cons of vaccinations.  You and your local veterinarian should make medical decisions based on:  (1) risk of developing a specific disease, (2) cure rate should your pet come down with the disease, (3) effectiveness & precautions of the vaccine against disease and (4) affordability of treating active disease versus preventing any disease at all.  Negative side-effects can occur with any of the above considerations.

 

Ask your personal vet to help you understand risk factors for the diseases seen where your pet lives.

• Dogs who share the rural Alabama woods with wildlife and other domesticated animals have a higher chance to encounter parvo, leptospirosis, distemper and other diseases.
• Dogs who live in a back yard will have limited exposure to others carrying diseases.
• Dog parks and doggy day cares will increase the amount of a stranger’s germs exposed to.

 

• Owners should answer these questions:  What diseases are common in the surrounding wildlife?  What diseases have an increased ability to kill my pet?  Or, if my dog is unlikely to come head-to-head with a diseased animal, do I really need to vaccinate against it?

I hope you are able to see the larger benefits that vaccines offer.  Take your pet to your personal vet for routine wellness exams every 6-12 months.  There is more to this story and a wellness exam is a great time to discuss your dog’s individual needs.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan.  Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

Disclaimer: The information contained here is intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information contained here is neither intended to dictate what makes up reasonable, appropriate or best care for any given health issue, nor is it intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgment of a veterinarian for any given health issue.

 

Mosquitoes

Last evening I was outside playing with my pets and swatting at mosquitoes.  Ouch, the mosquitoes are swarming – increased rains and high temperatures allow these blood feeders to reproduce without much difficulty.   These pests are not only a nuisance, but the mosquito can carry many diseases:

              

Heartworm disease to our small pets (dog, cat, ferret)

West Nile disease and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (horses, people)

All of these diseases have killed animals here in Alabama and should be taken as an immediate threat.  Veterinarians are able to provide medications and help protect your pets.  Prevention has a higher rate of success than treating the disease once infected.

There are many types of heartworm preventatives available:  monthly pills, monthly topical or semi-annual shot.  Dogs have the highest incidence of heartworms, but cats and ferrets have fallen victim to this disease too.  Talk with your personal vet to see which medication can assist your pet.

Vaccinations are available for Eastern Equine Encephaltitis and West Nile disease for our horses.  These two diseases commonly cause severe neurologic problems and death to unvaccinated horses that have been bitten by an infected mosquito.

No medication is 100% effective; however, it is uncommon for there to be failures when done under a veterinary/client/pet relationship.  Pharmaceutical companies have confidence in their products and the veterinarian who is directly assisting you with veterinary care.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan.  Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

    
Disclaimer: The information contained here is intended solely for the general information of the reader. It is not intended to diagnose health problems or to take the place of professional medical care. The information here is not intended to be used as a substitute for the independent judgment of a veterinarian for any given health issue.

 

 

Pet health discussion about blood analysis:

Fleas and Mosquitoes and Ticks, Oh My!

author: Caroline Montgomery, DVM

The coming of warm weather really brings out the insects that can transmit various parasites and bacteria to our animals. Though, truth be known, mosquitoes and fleas are more of a year round problem here in the Southeast. Intestinal, skin, blood, joint, and other body systems can be affected depending on the parasite that is transmitted.   Many of these parasites can cause problems to humans, too (this is called zoonosis).  There is also the problem of allergic reactions, whether just at the site the insect bites or causing allergic reaction affecting the body.

In this article, we will discuss the flea. Look for future articles about mosquitoes and ticks.

The flea life cycle has four stages:

1. The adult flea lives its entire life on the host (cat, dog, mouse, rabbit, ferret, opossum, raccoon, etc….). When two fleas meet and breed, they can lay up to 2,000 eggs in their 6 week life span.  As they feed, they must also poop. The dark specs you see on your pet could be the feces of the flea, which is digested blood.  If you put a drop of water on the dark spec and it starts turning red, you can be assured that your pet has fleas, whether you see the adult flea or not.
2. This brings us to the egg: the egg and the feces do not stay on the animal.  As your pet wanders around your house, or sleeps on the sofa or your bed, the eggs and feces are dropping into the environment.  Some call this the “salt and pepper effect” (eggs: white; feces:black).
3. The egg hatches into the larvae form after a few days to a few weeks.
4. The larvae go through three growth phases that take one to three weeks then start spinning into a cocoon or pupa.  This pupae stage can lay dormant in your environment for 3-6 months while waiting for the perfect conditions to hatch out as the adult flea.

The egg, larvae, and pupae do not cause the problems like the adult flea does. But they are important to know about.  Without treating the environment, and only getting rid of the fleas on your pet, you will be faced with potential continual infestation.

The egg and larvae are easily killed with insecticides, especially those containing IGR or Insect Growth Regulator.  The pupae stage is not!  And remember, it can stay dormant in the environment (your carpet, your sofa, under the floor molding, beds, the yard, etc….) for 3-6 months.  What this means is that if you only apply a flea kill product for 1-3 months, and then you see fleas, it is probably not the product that failed, it is the pupae stage that is finally hatching out.

The way to get rid of the pupae stage is to physically remove it from the environment by washing, vacuuming, and mopping, or if necessary, getting rid of  something like bedding, cat tree, rug, etc…

The flea preventatives that your veterinarian recommends usually contain not only something that kills the adult flea but sterilize it so that any eggs that may be laid before the flea dies will be sterile.

If you do not continue the flea prevention after you think you have controlled the adults, then when that pupae stage hatches out, it will seek a furry friend to land on and feed, start laying eggs, and the cycle starts again.

Be careful of over-the-counter products.  Many products may contain ingredients that aren’t effective for a month and would be toxic if applied more frequently, especially to cats.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan.  Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

How about those Ticks?

author: Dr. B. Taylor

One of my favorite adventures is spending time in our woods. I enjoy spending time with my dog and horse, which means trips in the woods are common. Unfortunately, ticks are often waiting in those woods in hopes of finding a host to feed on. Ticks feed by embedding their mouth into its host to feed on blood. Feeding on a host’s blood allows direct access for transmitting diseases the tick may be harboring. Often some products sold to repel and/or kill the ticks can also cause dangerous side effects. A veterinarian can help you find safer options for the protection desired for your pet.

(Warning: Many flea and tick preventatives have life threatening consequences for our cats. Have you thought about asking your veterinarian about which products he/she uses on his/her pet?)

Ticks can be found anywhere tall vegetation, brush or trees are located. Ticks grasp to animals passing, feed and travel on animals before falling off to continue their life cycle. Dog, cat, deer, small rodents or raccoon – What tick carrying animals might pass through your backyard, the Dog Park or Rest Stop along the highway? The threat from ticks is more than blood lost and the damaged skin from feeding.

 Often ticks removed from a pet have no immediate visible signs of destruction. When the tick feeds on your pet’s blood a disease like Ehrlichia or Anaplasmosis can pass from tick-to-pet. The Companion Animal Parasite Council record cases of Ehrlichia in Alabama. (You can study other ticks and the diseases they spread at an interactive website produced by Idexx Laboratories, Inc.)

 

The best offense is a good defense: Veterinary medicine wants to control parasites and prevent their spread of diseases, while still limiting the negative effects from parasiticides.

Avoid an expensive emergency pet care visit and work toward preventive health plan.  Your Vet knows your Pet and will be the best one to make the appropriate recommendation through the year.  Call your personal veterinarian today and make an appointment.  If you do not have a regular veterinarian, please enter your zip code in the designated area on the Vet Finder page of this site to find veterinarians near you.

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