03/25/2021
New friends we got to meet this week!
With Spring coming up, make sure your furry friends are covered for flea, tick, and heart worm protection, as well as up to date on their vaccines!
Warm weather means more walks and adventures with potential to make new friends and if your pets aren’t up to date on their vaccines, they could contract a serious disease, some of which can be fatal very quickly.
🐾 Rabies is obviously one of the most important vaccines for dogs and cats. Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that invades the central nervous system, causing headache, anxiety, hallucinations, excessive drooling, fear of water, paralysis, and death. It is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Treatment within hours of infection is essential, otherwise, death is highly likely. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat or take your dog on hikes, or are frequently in the outdoors, make sure their rabies vaccine is up to date!!!
🐾 DHPP is also extremely important for dogs. This is the Distemper and Parvovirus vaccine. Parvo is contracted easily from grass, dirt, or feces/saliva from other infected animals and can be fatal very quickly. This vaccine can also be combined with Leptospirosis. See below for details on Lepto.
🐾 Bordetella is important or dogs also to prevent kennel cough. This vaccine is important and required if you plan on boarding your puppy in the future, attending group training classes, or using dog daycare services. Often, proof of this vaccination will be a requirement.
🐾Canine Parainfluenza vaccine aka the flu shot is one of several viruses that can contribute to kennel cough.
🐾 The Leptospirosis vaccine is not a core vaccine (required) for dogs, it is highly recommended for any dog that commonly goes outside, even just to go to the bathroom in the backyard. Pets can become infected through contact with urine of infected animals such as raccoons, skunks, rats, feral cats, dogs, and other animals. Often, dogs contract the disease by swimming in stagnant water or drinking contaminated water in puddles. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which means it is contagious to humans as well.
🐾 FVR-CP is very important for cats. This vaccine prevents the 3 most common airborne viruses which are rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.
The “FVR” refers to feline viral rhinotracheitis (feline herpesvirus 1 or FHV-1). This disease can lead to a severe upper respiratory tract disease (including rhinitis, sneezing and conjunctivitis).
The “C” in FVRCP stands for calicivirus (feline calicivirus or FCV). Similar to FHV-1, feline calicivirus typically causes upper respiratory tract disease and oral ulceration.
Finally, the “P” stands for panleukopenia (feline panleukopenia or feline distemper or FPV). FPV is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. It causes anorexia, vomiting, fever and severe diarrhea.
🐾 FeLV is the vaccine to prevent feline leukemia. Feline leukemia virus is a virus that infects only cats. FeLV depresses the immune system and tends to lead to persistent infection. FeLV is an important cause of anemia in cats and can cause cancers of several types. It is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids.
Other than vaccines, there are several important tests that should be done yearly to ensure optimal health for your pet.
🐾 Heart Worm Test
When your puppy is around 12-to-16 weeks, talk to us about starting a heartworm preventive. Though there is no vaccine for this condition, it is preventable with regular medication. We have several different options including Trifexis, Simparica Trio, and Bravecto. These are our 3 most common medications and are a simple once a month chewable treat that prevents fleas, ticks, and heart worm.
🐾 Flea and tick prevention is extremely important. Not just to prevent our furry friends from getting bitten by fleas (and their human companions), they can also infest your house and carry diseases.
-Lyme disease (or borreliosis) which is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete. an infected dog often starts limping, his lymph nodes swell, his temperature rises, and he stops eating. The disease can affect his heart, kidney, and joints, among other things, or lead to neurological disorders if left untreated.
FeLV/FIV Combo test-
We recommend this test for kittens before receiving the vaccine. Both FeLV and FIV can be diagnosed with a blood test that detects the FIV antibody and FeLV antigen circulating in the blood. It’s a simple blood test and we get results in 30 seconds.
