Common Questions

The first line of defense against fleas in your home or even your outside environment is the use of the once monthly topical flea medications for your pet. These medications are controlled by the FDA and the EPA and should only be purchased from your veterinarian as is intended by the manufacturer to ensure effectiveness and safety. There are many choices of preventatives which not only kill and prevent fleas, but depending on the product it may be indicated for ticks, heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, earmites, and sarcoptic mange. These preventatives are the best first line of defense. Once an established flea infestation is noted, then the use of approved treatment sprays/aerosols is important. These aerosols are applicable for indoor as well as outdoor areas. It is best to use a product which contains an IGR (insect growth regulator). This additive specifically inhibits the young life stages of the fleas from developing to their older form. In addition to these products, it is important that you vacuum the areas where your pet lives. You should either throw away the vacuum bag (place in garbage container outside of your house) or thoroughly clean the bagless vacuum canister. The treatment of both your pets living areas as well as your pet specifically will aid in the resolution of the fleas which you are seeing. Please contact your veterinarian for further recommendations.

First a bit of terminology relating to neutering, referring to the female the term is spaying and for the male it is castrating. The term neutering relates to the sterilization of either a female or a male. There is strong medical evidence to support the importance and need for neutering of both dogs and cats. For female dogs, the research strongly suggests that by spaying them prior to 6 months of age greatly reduces the occurrence of certain reproductive and mammary based cancers and for the male there is a reduction of risk for prostatic disease. There is also evidence that neutering your pet will help to alter some types of aggression. There is no evidence suggesting that a neutered pet has any increased risk for being overweight. Those neutered pets which carry additional weight are simply pets which are consuming too many calories, not exercising enough, or potentially may have a hormonal imbalance. It is generally recommended that all puppies and kittens be neutered between the ages of 12 weeks and 20 weeks.

Dogs generally on average will first come into heat around 6 months. Some dogs depending on their maturity may enter a heat cycle as early as 4 months or as late as 8 months. For some dogs, their first heat cycle may be “silent” which means that they enter their cycle but do not exhibit outward signs of estrus. The length of the normal estrous cycle is 3 weeks. During the first week, dogs will exhibit vaginal swelling, the second week—vaginal discharge, the third week—regression of swelling and discharge. It is routinely recommended that pets are not neutered during their estrous cycle.

As you are aware by walking down any pet food isle at your grocery store, the choices for manufacturers and types of pet foods are numerous. This does allow for much confusion on the behalf of the pet owner; however, there are a few points to consider when selecting your pet’s food.

It is strongly recommended that you select a manufacturer with a long standing and national reputation of high quality product. It is important not to be taken in by marketing schemes on the bag which offer more benefit than which any food could really provide. Many stores focus on a particular manufacturer as they have some link or incentive—based program to sell that particular pet food type. As the pet owner, you must not allow the store employee to simply recommend, it is important that you question the quality of the nutrients, the history of the manufacturer and any data they have on the studies of the feeding of the food.

Your pet needs a certain number of calories each day which is dependent on their general level of health and activity. Your veterinarian can provide you with this exact data. All pet foods are different, thus the recommended feeding amount will vary by product. You should discuss the feeding amount as well as the recommended product with your veterinarian.

In regards to feeding treats, it is important to use high quality treats. It is also important to remember that these treats should be considered sources of caloric intake, so for those pets needed to lose a few pounds, all treats must be counted into their daily calorie count. We do recommend that the feeding of rawhide is not acceptable, as these products have repeatedly been linked to stomach and intestinal obstruction.

There are many dog breed clubs in American and for that matter the world. You are encouraged to visit the club’s website and make the selection which is best for you and your pet. All of these clubs have an application process which is simple. There are certain restrictions which must be completed as well. Some clubs do require that your pet be micro-chipped, so you must review the application process thoroughly before you decide which club to register with.

AKC (American Kennel Club): www.akc.org
UKC (United Kennel Club): www.ukcdogs.com
CKC (Canadian Kennel Club): www.ckc.ca

The basic reason for micro-chipping your pet is for their health and protection. Those pets which are micro-chipped have a greater chance of being recovered after being lost, as well as, with the current programs available have the ability to have emergency medical data linked to their chip. This allows for taking care of any medical issues when the animal is found and is waiting to be reunited with their family.

The micro-chip itself is a safe product which has never been shown to cause any medical problem once placed in the pet. The process for implanting the chip is as simple as an injection which you would see for your pet’s immunizations.
You are encouraged to visit the Home Again website for further details: www.homeagain.com

It is important to sanitarily collect your pet’s feces and bring it to your veterinarian’s office. The sample will be submitted for a microscopic examination to identify the particular parasite which you may have been seeing. Based on the parasite identified, your veterinarian will prescribe a specific medication which will eliminate this parasite from your pet. It is important to understand that the sanitation of the environment is crucial to parasite prevention as well. By picking up and discarding feces from your pet at the time of their voiding will allow for a “cleaner” and safer area for all people and pets which pass through the area after. It is also important to remember that certain parasites like tapeworms are contracted by your pet by either eating fleas or small wildlife like rabbits. By ensuring that your pet is flea free or that they do not eat small wildlife, you can drastically decrease the threat of this infection. There are many parasites which are zoonotic (those which may be passed to humans). Some of the most common parasites seen in our dogs and cats, like roundworms, can cause permanent injury/damage to a human if they were to contract a roundworm infection. It is for this reason that puppies and kittens undergo two fecal examinations during their early wellness visits and that adults have annual fecal examinations. The use of monthly heartworm preventatives which also protect against many of these intestinal parasites will aid in the reduction of the risk of these zoonotic parasite infections.

Just as with people, anytime your pet is sick or having a repetitive problem for greater than 2 or 3 days, it is important that your pet see a veterinarian. Examples of emergency issues would be automobile accidents (hit by a car), penetrating wounds, breathing problems, drowning, electrocution, eye injuries, poisonings, bleeding, or birthing issues.

Theobromine and caffeine are found in chocolate and can be toxic to dogs. The different forms of chocolate contain different concentrations of theobromine. Baker’s chocolate (dark unsweetened chocolate) is the most concentrated form of chocolate. Signs of toxicity may include: increased thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, and restlessness. These signs may progress into increased urination, rapid breathing, ataxia (stumbling when walking), tremors and seizures. It is important to remember that chocolate poisoning in dogs can be fatal. Less than 1 oz of milk chocolate per pound of body weight or less than 0.1 oz of baking (unsweetened) chocolate per pound of body weight is potentially fatal to dogs. If your dog ingests chocolate, you should contact your veterinarian for treatment recommendations. Depending on the weight of your dog and the amount and type of chocolate ingested, there may be no treatment indicated; however, if potentially toxic levels have been consumed, then emergency treatment is indicated.

Parvo is a specific virus which is very contagious and unfortunately yields a very high percentage of severe sickness and death. The virus infects the cells of the upper small intestine and destroys them. By doing so, the dog cannot absorb nutrients as well and the bacteria which routinely live in the intestines have an easier means to get into the blood stream. For these reasons, the fate of infected dogs is usually death if left untreated. As with any virus, there are no specific medications to destroy the virus, thus treatment is directed to supporting the body and ensuring that further infection does not proceed. Most infected dogs are young, less than 6 months, but any dog which has not have proper immunization may develop a parvo viral infection. It is important to realize that a puppy which has been vaccinated recently may still develop a parvo infection, as the level of immunity may not be enough to prevent the disease. The common signs include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and anorexia. The best preventative against a parvo viral infection is immunization.

The use of OTC flea medication yields several potential problems and health issues. First and foremost is the safety of your pet. Most of these OTC products are of an insecticide class known as pyrethrins. These insecticides are extremely potent and have a very narrow safety range. If too much of the insecticide is used, then serious even fatal problems can be encountered. It should also be known that if some of these insecticides are used on cats, there is a definite risk of fatality from their use. Another concern is the basic efficacy of these products. These insecticides have been used for many years and with that fleas have become resistant to these products. Thus their efficacy against fleas is limited and even though you may see dead fleas on the first or second days, soon after the product will not be effective and the fleas will return. Unfortunately this may lead you to apply another dose, and with that dose, you may cause a toxic overdose.

There are many safe and very effective products available through your veterinarian. You are encouraged to use these, in fact, many of these come with warranties of efficacy from the pharmaceutical company.

This finding has no known medical relevance. There are many healthy pets with dry noses just as there are sick pets with them as well. If you are noticing dry crusty exudates from the nose or around the nose, you should consult with your veterinarian as this may be the sign of a medical problem.

Many times you will see your pet eat grass if they have an upset stomach. The make-up of the grass may cause them to vomit and thus rid their stomach discomfort. Also, it is widely accepted that dogs and cats will eat grass for purely a behavioral purpose—they enjoy the chewing on the grass and the texture of the grass. If the grass is free of any lawn chemicals or pesticides, there should be little concern for them eating the grass.

Certainly cats enjoy drinking milk. There is no specific medical reason for cats not to be drinking milk. The most common side effect of milk consumption may be the development of diarrhea. This GI upsetness is usually short-lived and is of no significance. It should be noted, that all pets which receive a complete and balanced diet, do not need additional food types such as milk.

It is hard not to feed a stray cat which comes around your home. However, by doing so and exposing your own cats to this stray cat, you are risking your cat’s health and wellness. Stray cats unfortunately never receive the appropriate medical care which you provide your cats. In addition these stray cats are exposed to a greater population of cats and thus at a greater risk for infection. In particular, stray cats have a higher risk of Feline Leukemia (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FAIDS), upper respiratory infections, bite wounds and parasitic infections just to name a few. By exposing your cats to the stray cat you are certainly increasing the risk that your cats may contract one of these diseases. It is recommended that if you want to help these stray cats, you should work with local humane societies and animal control shelters to capture them and to have them neutered, vaccinated and relocated to a home environment. There welfare is extremely poor if they continue to live as a stray.

Tail docking usually occurs at 1 to 3 days of age.

In regards to ear cropping, the usual age is approximately 3 months. It is important to understand that ear cropping serves no purpose for the animal and is purely a cosmetic procedure which is for people not for the animal. If someone wants to have their dog’s ears cropped, it should be done only by a veterinarian who has a great deal of experience doing this procedure. Also, any dog which has this surgical procedure must benefit from excellent pain management via pain medication.

In this region of the United States, our climate is such that there are multiple time period throughout the year in which the infective stages of heartworms can survive in mosquitoes. This leaves your pet (dog, cat, or ferret) susceptible to acquiring a heartworm infection. It is important to remember that the current heartworm medications also offer protection from the most common intestinal parasites. This is very important as most of these have zoonotic potential, thus by offering the heartworm preventative throughout the year; you are ensuring that your family is also at a lessened risk of acquiring a zoonotic parasitic infection from your pet.

Your pet’s teeth are exactly like our teeth. Your dog has 42 teeth as an adult and your cat has 30 adult teeth. These teeth need daily preventative care just as your teeth do or they will become diseased. These teeth will develop plaque and tartar if not brushed routinely with at a least an annual professional dental cleaning. If left uncared for, your pet’s teeth will develop additional more significant dental disease such as gingivitis and periodontitis. This is inflammation of the gums and of the support structures of your pet’s teeth respectfully. Once your pet exhibits gingivitis, then there will be discomfort and at times pain while chewing. The increasing plaque and tartar contain large amounts of bacteria which are continuously shed via the blood stream to other organs of the body which cause serious infection to these body systems. As the state of the health of your pet’s mouth worsens, then dental treatment may be needed which could include root canals or even tooth extraction. These treatments can easily be avoided by routine at-home brushing of your pet’s teeth. There are even dental diets which specifically work to remove tartar from your pet’s teeth over time. It is important to stay ahead of your pet’s oral health care by completing the at-home practices your veterinarian advises you. The need for routine professional cleaning is a must as well, just as it is for our mouths. By following your veterinarian’s recommendations, your pet should enjoy a life of happiness and a full mouth of teeth.

The laboratory analysis of your pet’s blood may seem costly; however, in relation to the great amount of information gained by this evaluation, it is very economical. Routine blood work includes a Complete Blood Count (CBC), a Chemistry panel, and a urinalysis (UA). The CBC is a procedure which counts the exact number of all types of blood cells found in your pet’s circulatory system. It is also includes a microscopic exam of these cells to identify any form of structural defect. The chemistry panel looks at the enzymes, electrolytes, and by products of your pet’s normal metabolic processes. This panel will look at indicators from all of your pet’s body systems. This information is a great means by which early trends may give insight to a developing problem. The UA is a direct evaluation of your pet’s urine. This procedure allows for the identification of irregular substances in your pet’s urine as well as your pet’s kidneys ability to complete their specific tasks.

All of this information allows the veterinarian to have a snapshot look inside the inner workings of your pet’s body. Early identification of a problem can lead to a quicker resolution of this problem and most importantly may aid in maintaining your pet in the best health possible for as long as possible.

In the city of Evansville, your dog/cat does in fact need to be licensed. You can ask your veterinarian’s staff to provide you with the appropriate form to be completed and filed with the city.

Feline Leukemia is caused by a specific virus which is of the class known as retroviruses. These retroviruses, like those in the human world, can be difficult to identify. This virus can “hide out” in the body. This makes it necessary to complete repeated feline leukemia virus tests as a kitten or for the first time an adult cat is seen. For those cats which have outdoor exposure or who live exclusively outdoors, it is imperative that they be tested annually for the feline leukemia virus. These cats are at the greatest risk for the infection, thus the need for the annual retesting. After discussing your cats exposure risks your veterinary health care team will be able to best advise you on the need for this diagnostic testing.