Date Night

Every Thursday, starting December 2nd, we will be having "date night" here at the clinic. If you sign up for date night, you will recieve a discounted day board for your pet(s) ($7 per pet instead of $10) and you will also recieve a coupon good for 20% off dinner for two at Ricky Joe's in Germanton. The idea is that you can drop your pet off in the morning and then go to work (or whatever errands or shopping you need to do), but instead of rushing home to take care of your pets at the end of the day you will be able to enjoy a relaxing, delicious dinner at Ricky Joe's. You can then pick up your pet after dinner knowing that your pet was well taken care of and also had an exciting day instead of staying home alone like a normal day. This is a great way to change the routine for both you and your pets, and is also a great way to support business in your local community. To sign up for date night or to get more info, give us a call at 336-591-8250.

Why spay?

We performed several spays at the hospital this week, and since we have already covered the neuter, I figured I would go ahead and talk about spays today. Spaying has numerous benefits, so we highly recommend having your pets spayed. Just like neutering, having your female pet spayed helps decrease pet overpopulation and helps decrease the number of homeless pets euthanized each year. If your pet is spayed, you do not have to worry about unwanted pregnancy. Some people hesitate to spay their dog or cat in case they ever want puppies or kittens. However, there is the chance that the dog or cat could have difficulty delivering and require costly veterinary care in order prevent serious harm or even death to the mother. Even if the mother does have healthy puppies or kittens, caring for puppies or kittens from the time they are born until homes are found can require an immense amount of time and effort. Last of all, finding good homes for an entire litter of puppies or kittens can also be very difficult.

Other than preventing pregnancy, spaying has many health benefits. In both dogs and cats, spaying before the first heat essentially eliminates the chance of developing mammary cancer. But with each heat cycle, the chances of developing mammary cancer increases. However, even in an older animal with mammary cancer, spaying will slow the spread of mammary cancer, so we still recommend spaying in older animals. Spaying also prevents pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus. Many dogs are prone to developing pyometra in the several weeks following heat, and most often the only treatment is to spay the dog and remove the uterus.

It is also simply more convenient to have a pet that is spayed. Dogs that are not spayed usually come into heat every 6 months, and while in heat they often have a bloody discharge. They also attract many male dogs while in heat, which could allow them to be in the middle of a dog fight between males dogs. Female cats in heat can also display annoying and bizarre behavior, which could include screaming and yowling during the night.

Overall, there are many benefits to having your female pet spayed. We will spay dogs and cats as young as twelve weeks of age, and recommend spaying before the first heat if possible to have the lowest chance of mammary cancer.However, there still are many benefits to spaying at any age.

Why neuter?

This morning we performed several neuters here at the clinic, so I figured I would talk about the advantages of having your dog or cat neutered, and why we recommend it for your pets. One very important reason to have your pet neutered is to help reduce pet overpopulation. Each year, millions of animals end up at shelters in the US, and almost half of them are euthanized because there are not enough homes. So having your pet neutered is an easy way to help reduce the euthanasia of homeless dogs and cats.

Neutering also has several health benefits. A neutered dog is less likely to develop prostate enlargement and infections of the prostate gland. Neutering can also help prevent some types of cancer such as testicular cancer.

Last of all, neutering makes for a better behaved pet. Neutered cats are less likely to spray, roam and get into fights with other cars. Neutered dogs are less likely to roam, mark their territory (which includes your house), and mount inappropriate objects. Neutering also helps decrease aggression. So overall, there are many advantages to having your dog or cat neutered.

Here at the clinic, we neuter animals as young as twelve weeks of age, and we find that the younger animals actually recover better after the surgery. However, an animal can be neutered at any age after twelve weeks, and even older animals still have the same benefits of being neutered. For those of you who may be interested in the female side of things, we will definitely have a post in the near future about having your pet spayed.

Stray dog makeover!

A stray dog that was found wandering the streets was brought in to us this morning in desperate need of some TLC. When the small black schnauzer-mix came in, it was one giant hairball full of mats. We knew this dog desperately needed a bath and grooming to remove all the mats. The dog was definitely on the skinny side, but other than that appeared to be in good health. The little dog was extremely patient while we shaved and brushed all the mats out of his fur. He barely moved while being groomed, other than being a tiny bit sensitive with his face and feet. He had so many mats that by the time we were done grooming he only had a little bit of hair left on his face and feet. After his grooming session, we gave the dog a bath. We also tested the dog for heartworms (which was negative) and gave him a rabies vaccine. After enjoying a meal of canned food (porterhouse steak flavor), the dog is now napping in a warm cozy bed. We are now in the process of finding the little dog a sweater so he stays warm in this cold weather. We took before, during and after pictures of the little dog's makeover which we will post very soon.

Cold, rainy days and arthritis

As the temperatures start to drop, especially on a cold rainy day like today, some of you may be noticing that your older pet is walking slower and is having trouble standing up after laying down. This is most likely due to a problem that many dogs (and some cats too) develop as they age: arthritis. Arthritis is a degenerative disease that occurs in the joints (most often in the hips, shoulders, elbows, knees, stifles and spine). Arthritis develops when the cartilage in the joint is damaged due to an injury, excessive exercise, obesity or poor joint structure. Cartilage is a connective tissue that absorbs shock and weight thus preventing damage to the bone. But when the cartilage is damaged, there is less protection for the bone leading to pain and damage to the bone.

There are many signs of arthritis which include: limping; trouble getting up after laying down; stiff gait; difficulty climbing stairs or jumping into the car or onto furniture; and decreased interest in playing.

While arthritic changes to a joint cannot be reversed, there are many treatment options which can make your pet more comfortable and slow the further progression of arthritis. One very important aspect of treatment is weight loss. Excessive weight puts a lot of extra strain on the joints, and it is very difficult for a dog to carry around excess weight with arthritic joints. Weight loss allows a dog to move around easier without excess strain on the joints. Controlled exercise, especially low impact exercises such as swimming or walking, allows your pet to develop muscles which allow them to move around easier and maintain mobility. Another treatment is the use of supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. These supplements can decrease joint inflammation and support cartilage health. There are even prescription dog foods which contain these supplements. Another treatment option is prescription anti-inflammatory medications such as Rimadyl which decrease joint pain and inflammation. There are also injectable medications such as Adequan which contain ingredients that help prevent cartilage damage. Which treatment options are best depends on the individual needs of the patient and owner.

Even if your dog does not have arthritis now, it is very important to keep your dog at a healthy body weight and to allow you dog to have consistent exercise. This is especially important is you have a breed that is prone to arthritis such as golden retrievers and labs. If you have any further questions about arthritis, or think your pet may have arthritis and are interested in beginning an arthritis treatment program please contact us at the clinic, 591-8250.

Heartworms

Ever wonder why you have to give your dog heartworm protection every month, or wonder why we test your dog for heartworms every year? Today we are blogging about a very important subject: heartworms.


Heartworms are spread from dog to dog by mosquitoes. Since mosquitos are very common in this area, and we can have days warm enough for mosquitoes year round in this area, we must protect our canines from heartworm year round.

It is much easier to prevent heartworm disease than to treat it. Preventing heartworm disease involves taking an inexpensive monthly pill, while treating heartworm disease involves a series of expensive injections. While a dog is undergoing heartworm treatment its exercise must be extremely limited, otherwise a dying worm could break off and block a blood vessel in the heart or lungs which could lead to death. Additionally, most often by the time a dog has undergone treatment for heartworms, it already has permanent lung and heart damage from the worms.

Heartworm prevention pills contain a medication that kills heartworm larvae, thus preventing the heartworm from growing into the adults that cause damage. Each month when you give your dog a heartworm prevention pill, you kill any heartworm larvae that the dog has been infected with in the past month. Therefore, if you do not give the pill every month, then the heartworm larvae could grow into adult heartworms which are not affected by heartworm preventative.

So why test dogs before starting heartworm prevention and then anually? Some dogs that are heartworm positive can have a shock-like reaction to the medication in heartworm prevention. Yearly heartworm testing also ensures that the heartworm prevention is effective and will also find any dogs that have developed heartworm disease due to any laspes in heartworm prevention.