Mill Valley Vet Clinic

02/04/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐚 (𝐇𝟓𝐍𝟏) 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬??
Due to recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza, owners are understandably concerned about what this can mean for their beloved furry family members! Dr Palanchian put together some key points highlighting potential risks, read below!

**𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐇𝟓𝐍𝟏?**
Preliminary information suggests both dogs and cats can contract H5N1, but it is much more rare in dogs. Both domestic pet cats and wild cats (mountain lions, tigers, leopards and bobcats) have contracted the virus.

**𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬?**
The main two ways dogs and cats can contract the virus are:
1. Eating sick or dead infected birds they come in contact with outside
2. RAW DIETS (uncooked/undercooked meat) containing poultry such as duck, turkey, or chicken that were contaminated with the virus.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐥-𝐭𝐨-𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐢𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭-𝐭𝐨-𝐩𝐞𝐭), 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨.

**𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝟓𝐍𝟏 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬?**
-Loss of appetite, lethargy, and fever
-Ocular or nasal discharge
-Increased respiratory rate/effort
-Neurologic signs (seizures, tremors, weakness, stumbling)
-Sudden death
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐯𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.

**𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝟓𝐍𝟏 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝?**
-Refrain from feeding your pets any uncooked meats or unpasteurized dairy
-Thoroughly cook all meat before feeding
-Keep cats indoors to prevent contact exposure to infected birds
-Avoid contact with sick or dead birds yourself

𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝟓𝐍𝟏 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝! 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞.

Sources for information: AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)

01/28/2025

Dr Purdy and Dr Mullen are down in Orlando, FL representing MVVC at the VMX Veterinary Conference this week ☀️🌴 While we are jealous of their warm weather, we can’t wait to hear about everything they’ve learned when they get back 😍

01/28/2025

01/18/2025

WELCOME TO MILL VALLEY VET CLINIC! 🐶Here is the highly requested video tour of our new clinic! 😍

We left out a few spaces that are still being set up/unpacked, but don’t worry you will get to see everything at our open house this spring! 🤩

We are beyond grateful to every single person who helped make this dream become our reality! With this new and improved facility, we strive to continue providing the best care to our furry friends 🐩🐈🫶🏻

01/12/2025

Excited to welcome everyone tomorrow!

01/09/2025

We are very excited to announce that starting this coming Monday, we will be located at our new clinic!!! The new building is located two doors down from our current location, at 270 Mill Valley Rd.

We will be closed for appointments for the next two days (Friday and Saturday) as we move. But we will be available for emergencies and time sensitive matters!

Thank you in advance for your patience with us as we go through the process of our move. We are so beyond excited!!

12/23/2024

Happy Holidays from your team at MVVC!! ❤️🎅🏻🎄

12/16/2024

How well do you know your MVVC vets?!
Can you guess which pet belongs to which doctor? Comment your guesses below! 🐶🐈

12/13/2024

This video was taken earlier this fall when our staff got their first sneak peak of our new clinic!!

We are SO excited to announce that our doors to the new clinic will be opening very soon!! Stay tuned for the official date!

12/06/2024

Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to celebrate local shops and services in your area 🏬🛒. In honor of this occasion, we have been featuring some amazing local businesses across social media. If you haven't seen our previous posts today, check them out now!

The next business we'd like to introduce you to is ⭐Mill Valley Veterinary Clinic⭐, which offers quality veterinary care for cats, dogs, horses, livestock, and other animals, both large and small! 🐴 Check out their website at https://millvalleyvet.com and give them a follow on social media.

11/21/2024

Did you know that a horse with a moderate hair coat starts requiring additional calories for body temperature regulation when the outside temperature drops to approximately 50°F?

As the temperatures start to drop, especially overnight, it's important to remember that cold weather prompts special considerations for your horse's diet and care. This is particularly important when it comes to the older members of the herd; consult your primary horse doctor to formulate a plan to keep your horses happy and healthy this fall and winter!

11/15/2024

Veterinarians are seeing a rise in ma*****na exposure in pets. AVMA President Dr. Sandra Faeh and Dr. James Harris, at the Elmhurst Animal Care Center, joined WGN TV's Dana Rebik to discuss symptoms of THC intoxication in pets and what to do if you believe your pet ingested ma*****na. Read the story here: https://bit.ly/3UKaWUE

10/27/2024

Uh-oh, there’s a lion in the clinic!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ‼️ 💀 🎃 👻

We want to see all of our patients in their Halloween costumes!

If your pet has an appointment with us this week, we would absolutely love to see them dressed up for their appointment!!❤️

If we don’t have the privilege of seeing your pet this week, feel free to drop a picture in the comments of them wearing their costume!!

Our favorite costume will get a special shout out at the end of the week 😁👻

10/24/2024

Have you ever been curious as to why your pets’ rabies vaccines are so important? Specifically indoor-only cats? Dr Purdy explains below!

* First off, what is rabies? *
Rabies is a viral disease that can be fatal to animals and humans. It is most commonly found in wild animals like raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes, but any mammal can become infected if exposed. Rabies spreads through saliva by bites from infected animals. This viral infection is fatal in all species, including humans.

Rabies vaccination is important to protect cats AND their owners, and as a bonus it is also required by law in Massachusetts! Even indoor cats must be vaccinated for rabies by your veterinarian. Why? “Inside” pets have been exposed to rabies when they have run outside, or when rabid animals have entered a home (most common example: bats).

* So when do we do it? *
Kittens are usually given their first rabies vaccination at 16 weeks of age! After the initial vaccination, cats typically need a booster shot one year later. Both a 1 year and a 3 year vaccine are available.

* What’s the difference between the 1 year and the 3 year feline rabies vaccine? *
Very rarely (1 in every 10,000 cats), cats can develop cancerous tumors called sarcomas at vaccine injection sites. This is thought to be a reaction to the adjuvant (mixer) used in vaccines. Because of this, a cat specific rabies vaccine called “Purevax” was created, this is a non-adjuvanted vaccine for cats and kittens that decreases the risk of injection site sarcoma formation. The 1 year rabies vaccine we carry is the “Purevax” vaccine. The 3yr rabies vaccine we carry is the original dog/cat rabies vaccine, which does have an adjuvant and therefore carries a very small risk of injection site sarcoma formation. Additionally, Choosing the 1 year vaccine ensures that your pet receives an annual physical exam to identify any hidden problems and check for unintended weight gains or losses!

* Possible exposure? What does the law say? *
-Outdoor cats that receive ANY wound from an unknown source (but are not showing any abnormal neurologic symptoms) must receive a booster vaccine ASAP. Even if the cat was already up-to-date on its Rabies vaccine, it still must be boostered and quarantined inside for 45 days. Massachusetts state law also requires the treating veterinarian to inform the town public health officer of the incident and that person will contact the owner concerning the quarantine.
-Unvaccinated cats with neurologic symptoms should be assumed to have rabies even if they were indoor cats. The state lab can run a postmortem test to identify the presence of the virus. Persons exposed to a potentially rabid animal should contact their physician and receive post exposure vaccination.

In conclusion, keep your cat's vaccine up-to-date to protect both your cat and your family!

10/24/2024

Very interesting case! Props to these doctors for a job well done!

10/19/2024

As vet tech appreciation week comes to end once again we want to thank our amazing team for all of their hard work, love, and compassion they show every day 🐶🐱🐴🐏🐈🐎🐐🫏🦮 Shoutout to our amazing technicians - Abby, Alyssa, Camie, Carly, Colleen, Fia, Marie, Matthew, Megan, Morgan, Renee & Sarah ❤️❤️ Take a peek at our post below to see all the things our vet techs do for your pets every single day✨

10/15/2024

Today is - a day to bring awareness and educate about healthy lifestyles for our beloved pets.

Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your pet’s risk of disease and injury and gives them the best chance of a long, healthy, quality life. Your veterinarian can help you determine whether your pet’s weight is healthy and can work with you to develop a weight management plan based on your pet’s individual needs. Find tips for reducing your pet's weight here: https://bit.ly/47BhIkW

10/13/2024

Our team spent today celebrating some birthdays this week 🥳💕 If you see Dr Sugrue or Alyssa, make sure to wish them a happy birthday!