 |
||||||
 |
||||||
|
||||||
Lyme - A tick borne infection causing arthritis, fever and possibly kidney, heart or neurological disease. The first Lyme vaccine is given in a two shot series, two to three weeks apart. The vaccine is then administered once per year.
A
Word on Pet Insurance If
you are interested in the benefits of
pet insurance, it is important to do
careful research. Make sure you clearly
understand what is and is not covered,
if coverage is full or partial and if a
deductible must be met.
Understand what paperwork will be
needed and how you will be paid.
Do your homework and get any and
all information about the insurance
company.
There are many unproven, upstarts
that do not provide the same customer
care as some of the longer standing
companies.
Prioritize your insurance needs. In
most cases, what pet owners really want
and need is some sort of “major
medical” coverage.
This coverage is meant to kick in
during a catastrophic injury or illness,
and generally won’t be in effect for
minor, simple or uncomplicated medical
treatment or routine care such as
vaccinations, spaying/neutering and
dental cleanings.
Having this type of plan allows
you, the owner, to focus on the medical
care at any critical moment rather than
the cost of the medical care. The
best advice for owners of new puppies,
kittens or any new pet is to start a
self insurance fund.
To accomplish this, you put the
money that would have been spent on a
pet health insurance premium into a
savings account for the pet.
Most pet health insurance
premiums are $50 - $70 per month, so put
that money in the bank!
In a year you will have $600 to
$840 to draw on for any unexpected pet
medical bills that may arise.
In two years you will have $1,200
– $1,680!
The down side of this plan is
there is no money available right away and
you have to be disciplined to pay
yourself!
If you are starting out with a
new pet, plan on starting your fund by
matching the initial cost of the pet
with a contribution to the self insured
fund.
This overcomes the initial
availability problem.
The benefits of this plan are
that you cannot be turned down by an
outside insurance company, you are in
control of when and where the money is
spent, and, in the end, the money is
still yours. So
be ready. Get “major medical”
coverage or start and stick with a self
insurance plan.
Your pet will thank you and you
too will be thankful that you planned
ahead. Get a clean container (old Tupperware, paper cup, pie plate, etc). Make sure the container is rinsed thoroughly of soap residue, and dried. Put your dog on a short leash (NOT the retractable kind). Take the dog for a walk. Be prepared for how your dog urinates. Most females will squat and you need to get your catch container underneath her. Most males will lift a leg and you will have to catch from the stream. Put a lid on the container or put the container or liquid in a sealed Ziploc bag. Sufficient sample sizes are from about a teaspoon to a tablespoon in volume. Fresh samples yield the most reliable results, so please get the sample to the animal hospital within 2 hours and protect from heat or sunlight.
Multiple methods for collecting urine from a cat will be reviewed here. The most consistent method involves leaving the cat in the animal hospital for 8-24 hours to catch urine. If the cat is misurinating on hard surfaces (bathtub, tile floor), a new misurination can be collected with a Speci-Porter that you have gotten from us. This involves using the sterile Speci-Porter sponge to soak up the urine and returning it to us. A common problem involves not having enough urine to sufficiently wet the Speci-Porter sponge. Alternatively, if the cat is misurinating on the same surface (bed, pile of laundry, bathtub), you can try putting plastic wrap in that location and hoping the cat leaves enough urine on the plastic wrap that you can carefully fold up the plastic wrap and bring us a sample of about a teaspoon in volume. In multiple cat households it becomes important to isolate cats long enough to be sure who is the misurinator. This will mean limiting one cat to a bathroom, laundry room, or other space long enough to prove he is the culprit or clear him. The isolation space is preferably a small room with hard floors, no rugs, and food, water and a litter provided. Also, report the type of misurination. Is it a puddle on the floor, drips of urine outside the box, or urine sprayed on a wall and dripping down to the floor. While the cat is in isolation, it is a good time to catch a urine sample. In a thoroughly cleaned litter box, put in foam packing peanuts or plastic, non-absorbent litter, or nothing. When the cat urinates in the box, the urine sample can be poured into a Ziploc or other container. (Throw away the foam or plastic litter.) If the cat refuses to use the abnormal litter and urinates on a hard surface, you may use the previously described Speci-Porter technique.
Kennel
cough is a general term for an
infectious cough of dogs.
The infecting agent can be
bacterial, as in Bordatella infections,
or viral, as in Adenovirus
and Parainfluenza infections. A
dog with kennel cough has a harsh,
honking, hard, and often persistant
cough that may be associated with
gagging up phlegm or even vomiting. Most
cases of kennel cough are very mild and
many do not require treatment. However,
kennel cough can cause significant
illness , hospitalization or even death
especially in very young puppies,
geriatric pets, or dogs with preexisting
cardiopulmonary disease such as heart
murmurs, chronic bronchitis, COPD, or
congestive heart failure. Boarding
facilities, groomers and dog trainers
frequently request or require that dogs
attending their facilities be vaccinated
against Kennel Cough. This is a wise and
reasonable request that has
significantly cut down on the
transmission of this annoying cough at
places where dogs gather. Kennel Cough is not the same as Canine Influenza or CIRD, which are much rarer, but potentially much more serious causes of cough or cold symptoms in dogs. Xylitol
and Chocolate A
toxic dose is as follows: THE
DARKER THE CHOCOLATE THE MORE DANGEROUS
IT IS TO YOUR DOG!! Microchipping Exercising Your Pet What are worms?
YUCK! How does my pet get them? Can I
get them too?! GROSS! Keep in mind
puppies and kittens are the most common
victims of worms. Hunting animals and
animals that eat unknown, outdoor,
uncooked foods are also at risk. Animals
recently adopted, particularly those
that travel to us from warmer climates,
are also more likely to be harboring
parasites.
Fleas are also a source of
transmission of worms to your pet. And
just walking on ground contaminated by
the stool of a parasitized animal may
potentially transmit parasites to
your pet. Parasitized pets my
have poor haircoats, diarrhea with or
without blood, gas, weight loss or poor
weight gain or may appear perfectly
healthy! Diagnosis of parasites is
generally based on the fecal floatation
(stool check). Please understand, one
negative stool sample does not guarantee
a pet that is totally free of parasites!
Pets are generally infected with
worms from their dam (mother), prey
sources or previously infected
grass/soil. People get worms from their pet by fecal-oral contact
(accidentally getting pet stool on your
hand and bringing your hand to your
mouth) but also may get certain types of
worms through infected grass/soil. To keep your human family safe: Always practice good hygiene- wash your hands before eating and after petting or bathing your pet, working outside, cleaning the litter box or taking out the garbage. Teach your children to do the same. Keep your lawn free of pet stool. Pick up droppings as soon as possible, ideally in less than 24 hours. Check new pets for parasites and treat appropriately, then take preventative measures and strategically deworm your pets. Use appropriate flea prevention products for your pet. Clean all indoor
accidents by wearing gloves, disposing
of the stool appropriately (garbage or
sewer), then disinfecting the area. To keep your pet family safe: Check new pets for parasites and treat appropriately, then take preventative measures and strategically deworm you pets. Use appropriate flea prevention products for you pet. Keep your lawn free of pet stool. Pick up droppings as soon as possible, ideally in less than 24 hours. Strategic deworming
involves the use of Heartworm
preventions (like Heartgard) for
dogs and periodic deworming of
outdoor, hunting cats. Strategic
deworming is used to keep parasite loads
low to nonexistent in at risk animals. Most
Common Digestive System Parasites: Roundworms (Ascarids)
– very common in puppies and kittens,
typical “sand box” worm Tapeworms –
very common in hunting animals or
animals exposed to fleas Whipworms –
less common but causes a vile, sustained
diarrhea and can contaminate soils for
years Hookworms – less common but can cause serious disease and can cause exposure through skin contact with ground
Pets
Most Likely To Need Emergency or Costly
Care Dogs
over 55 lbs. |
Meet the Doctors-- Our Facility-- Directions and Hours-- Our History-- Contact Us-- What's New
Medical-- Diagnostic-- Surgical-- Preventative Care-- Massage-- Boarding
Frequently Asked Questions-- Exercising Your Pet-- Links
24 Hour Emergency Information-- General Emergency Information-- Pet Lost and Found
Home Page
Copyright 2009, 2010 Delmar Animal Hospital
910 Delaware Ave.
Delmar, NY 12054
518 439-9361
