Cobb Veterinary Clinic

Sweet Bailey has officially started hydrotherapy. Owners are not sure what happened but Miss Bailey had an unexpected onset of paralysis in her hind end. Dr. Fernanda is working tediously to give her the best shot possible at walking again. What Is Hydrotherapy? Hydrotherapy literally means water therapy and can refer to any therapeutic use of water to aid or improve health. Exercising in water has the benefit of providing both buoyancy and resistance, making it possible to strengthen and condition muscles and build endurance without placing stress on joints. Bathing in hot water can also dilate blood vessels and relax joints and muscles, easing aches and pains and aiding in healing of injuries. For dogs, hydrotherapy usually consists of either swimming or walking in water. Water therapy can also be beneficial in treating: • Neurological problems • ACL injuries • Other orthopedic injuries or conditions • Post-surgical healing and recovery • Weight loss • Metabolic conditions, such as Cushing’s Disease and diabetes, which can cause muscles to atrophy • Spinal injuries etc. Hydrotherapy doesn’t always need to be done in a clinical setting BUT please consult with your veterinarian before beginning any Hydrotherapy. Recreational hydrotherapy for exercise and conditioning, such as swimming or walking in water, can be done at home in a swimming pool or in a larger body of water. We recommend always using a correctly fitting flotation or buoyancy jacket with pets while in the water, in case they get tired or need assistance. It’s also important not to force dogs who don’t enjoy swimming or water sports. It may result in injury for the pet or the person or both. If signs of stress are observed, the activity should be stopped immediately. Pets that are anxious or stressed may experience increased blood pressure and increased heart rates. Others may panic and flail about in water, which may create back muscle pain. The goal of hydrotherapy is gentl

🪱 Heartworm Prevention 🪱 Heartworm Prevention is so important for dogs because heartworms are spread by mosquitos and can be life threatening. In West Texas, we have maybe 2 months out of the year that mosquitos are not active. Even then, we have days that are warmer than others. It is best to keep your pet on heartworm prevention all year around and treating heartworms is way more expensive than preventing heartworms, so keep that in mind. Not only is it expensive, but it’s also taking off work multiple times for multiple trips to the vet, its long needles that are injected near your dog’s spine, its months and months of kennel confinement, and some dogs must take medications to help keep them calm during the duration of the treatments. As owners, you also need to understand that mosquitos can enter inside your home when you walk through the door, so just because your dog is an “inside dog” doesn’t mean that they do not need heartworm prevention. All it takes is one 3 second bite for an infected mosquito to transmit heartworm larvae into your pet’s bloodstream. We all know it takes more than 3 seconds for your dog to go potty outside. Signs your dog may have Heartworms. • Soft, dry cough • Shortness of breath • Weakness and listlessness • Loss of stamina • Fatigue after moderate activity • Decreased appetite • Weight loss • Shallow and rapid breathing • Distended chest • Collapsing or fainting If you are not good at remembering to give your dog monthly heartworm prevention, we do have an injectable medication called ProHeart. ProHeart can be given at your dog’s annual vaccination appointment and your dog will be protected up to 12 months. Did you know that if you give your pet Heartgard, ProHeart, or Nexgard Plus when you are supposed to and your pet contracts heartworms, the company that makes these products will pay for the entire heartworm treatment? That is how confident they are that their products work. Please lo

Let’s see em! Ready set go!

Heartworm Treatment

Below you can see Dr. Fernanda injecting heartworm treatment. Heartworm treatment for dogs can involve a series of injections along with oral medication. For example, a veterinarian might give a dog a series of injections to kill adult heartworms. The veterinarian will determine the injection schedule based on the dog's condition. The first injection is given 30 days after the end of doxycycline treatment, followed by a second injection 30 days later, and a third injection one day after the second. This treatment is a long and stressful process, not to mention multiple trips to the vet. Not only does your pet go through multiple medications along with injections, your pet will not be able to act like a typical dog. During the treatment you will need to keep your dog calm: Avoid running up and down stairs, long walks, and games of chase Crate your dog: Crate your dog 80 percent of the time to minimize zoomies, excitement, jumping on and off furniture. Limit jumping: Minimize how much your dog jumps up and down off furniture or people. Rest: Your dog should not engage in strenuous exercise for at least eight weeks after treatment. In a positive note…………This pet is now testing negative for heartworms, which means the treatment is doing its job!

The 🐍 (Rattlesnakes) are out and on the move! Please keep a close eye on all your animals! Call the clinic to get your dogs and horses scheduled to get their rattlesnake vaccines! We have seen positive results for dogs who have been bitten and have already received the vaccine. Unfortunately, we have also seen negative results from dogs who have been bitten, with no vaccine. The vaccine works by creating protective antibodies that help neutralize venom, so dogs experience less pain and swelling after a snake bite. It also allows you more time to get to the clinic. Dogs that are bitten may also require less antivenin, which can be fairly costly and may produce side effects. Factors that can influence the effectiveness of the vaccine include the location of the bite, the type of snake, and the amount of venom injected.

Does your cat 🐈 shake their head or maybe scratch at their ears a lot? Ear mites could be the culprit🥴 ✅Check out those ear mites under our microscope 🔬 that we found yesterday! 🫨 Ear mites are extremely contagious ‼️They move from one cat to another on close contact and eventually making their way to the ear. Infestation is most common among outdoor cats, whether they're brawling or cuddling up affectionately. Ask ❓us about treatment and prevention options!