“ANAL SACS” -Original Post Date: Sunday January 13, 2008
If your dog drags his hind end across the floor, he’s not practicing his latest trick for “Pet Star”. ‘Scooting’ can be a sign of clogged anal sacs. These two tiny sacs, located on the sides of the anus, are lined with numerous oil and sweat glands and secrete a fluid with an extremely strong, offending odor. Normal secretion, during defecation, keeps these sacs drained, but sometimes the ducts clog and the sacs fill. In this case, manual expression is necessary and a quick visit to your vet should take care of the problem. Some dogs require expression on a regular basis. If left untreated the sacs could rupture, leading to a costly surgery.
Visit your vet for relief of any or all of these symptoms.
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice. To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
When Fido “speaks” do you just about keel over and “Play Dead” from his bad breath? Unfortunately, plenty of dog (and cat) owners can probably answer yes to this question.
Bad breath can be caused by plaque (calculus) build up on teeth. (Periodontitis) Most pet owners never look inside their pets mouth to see the condition of the teeth. The mouth is a perfect incubator for bacteria to grow due to the significant nutrients present and the warm and moist conditions. As calculus builds, the toxins secreted by the bacteria can do significant damage to the delicate kidney, cardiac and brain tissue.
Pet owners can help prevent plaque buildup and subsequent calculus by offering hard, crunchy food composed of meat-based products, rawhide chew bones, nylon-bones, and daily teeth brushing. If Fido is beyond the “maintainance” stage, a visit to your vet for a scheduled teeth cleaning would be necessary.
Visit your vet today for a prompt diagnosis of your pet’s oral health.
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice.To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
We all know the benefits of an annual exam for ourselves. But do you realize that pets need annual exams as well?
Sure, most pet owners take their pet to the vet at the first clinical signs of it not feeling well. But even if nothing ails Fido or Fluffy, scheduled annual visits and vaccinations help maintain your pet’s optimal health.
After the age of seven, pets are considered ‘Seniors’ and their health should be carefully monitored. Each annual visit should include routine blood work which can reveal any early problems with the kidneys, liver, blood counts, and numerous other factors, enlightening your vet to some future problems which may arise. Some of these problems, if detected early, can be modified with either diet or medication.
Don’t wait another day. Schedule your pet’s annual exam today.
“MICRO-CHIP YOUR PET” - Original Post Date: Sunday, February 3, 2008
We all can imagine the devastation a pet owner feels when their pet is lost. Taking the immediate, appropriate, action to assure his safe return to you is very important. Notifying your local police, animal shelters, veterinary hospitals, dog “officer”, as well as posting signs (with a picture), all are worthwhile procedures.
But did you know there is something you can do ahead of time to assure he is returned to you even before he is lost? Micro-chipping your pet can do just that. A tiny, tiny chip is injected under your pets skin with a hypodermic needle. Each chip contains unique numbers which then get registered to you with your name and contact information. Chips are easily scanned (much like groceries are) using a hand-held device. Almost all shelters and vets have these little scanners. The number is obtained, entered into the data banks, and subsequently you and your pet are reunited.
Relatively inexpensive, and painless for your pets, micro-chipping is a preventative measure to assure your pet’s safety.
Don’t wait another day. Schedule your pet to be micro-chipped today.
If there is one thing that is recommended to a pet owner, it is to have your dog or cat either spayed or neutered.
Spaying or neutering procedures do NOT make a pet fat and lazy. In fact, there is firm medical research that indicates a dog spay performed before the first estrus cycle reduces the chances of mammary gland cancer later in life to nearly zero.
In turn, neutering your male dog or cat also reduces the risk of testicular cancer not to mention helping to control the animal population. Tens of thousands of unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats are euthanized every year. Spaying and neutering are the best means of curtailing this mass euthansia.
Don’t wait another day. Schedule your pet to be spayed or neutered today and help them to live longer, healthier lives.
Arthritis is common in dogs and a difficult disorder to manage. A general term for abnormal changes in a joint, arthritis can be suspected if Fido seems to be moving a little slower and is more careful about lying down and getting up.
If diagnosed, arthritis can be treated with NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs) such as Rimadyl or Deramaxx. Relief also comes with a manageable weight, exercise to improve joint movement and flexibility, and soft, cushioned sleeping conditions.
Schedule a visit to your veterinarian for diagnosis and relief for any or all of these symptoms.
“BLOAT” -Original Post Date: Sunday, February 24, 2008
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice.To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
An extremely DANGEROUS condition in dogs, IMMEDIATE veterinary care should be sought.
Characterized by a sometimes ‘distended’ stomach, restless pacing, attempts to pass stool, repeated retches and gags, and salivating, Bloat is the production of gas buildup in the stomach that is unable to be expelled.
There are two types of bloat, ‘Gastric Dilation’ and Gastric Volvulus (Torsion). Dilation, the expansion of the stomach, can sometimes be immediately relieved by inserting a large diameter needle into the stomach right through the abdominal wall. An audible hiss is heard as gases pass through the needle.
Volvulus, torsion, is where the stomach rotates (flips on its long axis) thereby twisting the esophagus and small intestine closed so there is no passage of stomach gas in or out. This condition receives TOP PRIORITY in any veterinary office.
Striking mostly, but not exclusively, barrel chested breeds, the prevention of bloat can be lessened by feeding two small meals a day rather than one large one, restricting exercise for two hours after eating, and not allowing the dog to drink large amounts of water at one time…keep it always available.
If any of these symptoms become apparent in your pet, it is vital to your dog’s life that immediate attention is sought.
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice.To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
Some animal’s nails, like people’s, need to be trimmed on a regular basis. Though some are kept filed down naturally through walking, others need to be cut.
With a good pair of pet nail clippers, clip the nail from underneath, not the top downward. Slide the opening of the trimmer over the tip of the nail, staying in the whitish part. The pink area of the nail, the quick, is where the blood vessels are. Give a good, smooth squeeze on the handle holding the trimmer steady.
If accidentally cutting into the quick, some bleeding may occur. Keeping some clotting powder on hand will help stop it. Dry or blot the bead of blood and quickly dip the nail into the powder and gently ‘pack’ it down with your finger tip. The bleeding should soon subside.
If unable to cut your dog or cat’s nails on your own,as a lot of animals don’t like to have their paws touched, a quick visit to your vet will have those nails trimmed in no time.
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice.To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
As Spring is approaching, it is the time of year when it’s recommended to have your dog tested for Heartworm and to start a preventative program. Heartworm, transmitted by mosquitoes, was at one time fatal to canines once contracted. Today, there is a cure, but it is a costly procedure. As with most illness, an ounce of prevention…
A simple once a month chewable tablet is all it takes to protect your dog during this upcoming mosquito season. Advised to test first before administering any preventative, it is quite inexpensive and can be done in-house, requiring a tiny blood sample and yielding immediate results.
Available through your veterinarian, there are a few Heartworm Preventative medications available…HeartGuard and Interceptor to name a few. Discuss with your doctor which preventative would be best for your pet as there are noted breeds with an intolerance to ivermectin, an ingredient in some of the available heartworm medications.
Schedule an appointment today to start your pet on its summer Heartworm Preventative Program.
All posts here are not meant to substitute for veterinary advice.To assure your pet’s health, visit your veterinarian regularly.
I think every dog owner that has ever had to deal with Fido’s ’skunk’ encounter knows, there is no other pungent, hard to remove odor.
Various home remedies such as dousing with tomato juice are well known to most. Not really delivering the results sought, there are stronger commercial items available. ‘Skunk-Off’,a two part shampoo and rinse system is available through your veterinarian, or possibly your local pet store. If skunk dealings are recurring situations, stocking up ahead of time might prove to be advantageous, especially if Fido meets “Pepe” at 2 AM!
Do all you can to keep your pet healthy and happy and visit your veterinarian regularly.
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