Miller Animal Hospital

07/04/2025

07/03/2025

06/26/2025

Heartworm Disease in Dogs-
Heartworm disease is a potentially fatal, but preventable, infection caused by a worm parasite, Dirofilaria immitis. The organism is transmitted by mosquitoes, which carry the heartworm larvae (called microfilariae) from an infected animal host to a new animal host. Once the larvae arrive in a new host, they grow into adult worms in several months and live in the blood vessels that serve the heart and lungs. In advanced infections, the heartworms enter the heart as well. The presence of parasites stresses the dog’s heart and causes inflammation of the blood vessels and lungs.
Common signs of heartworm infection include coughing, exercise intolerance, failure to grow, labored breathing, a blue or purplish discoloration of the skin and gums, spitting up blood, fainting, nose bleeding, and the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. The severity of the signs is often related to the amount of lung damage and the dog’s activity level. Active dogs (such as hunters and performers) will typically show more dramatic signs of infection than will less active dogs. Even though they may have many worms, sedentary dogs may show few or no signs. In addition, clinical signs can be seen as worms die or if blood clots or worm fragments block blood vessels.
Heartworm infection is preventable. Several medications that are both safe and effective at preventing infection are available from your veterinarian. Preventive treatment in dogs is recommended beginning at 6 to 8 weeks of age. No pretesting is necessary at this age. When beginning preventive treatment in dogs 7 months of age or older, an antigen test (to make sure the dog is not already infected) is recommended, followed by an additional negative test 6–7 months later (due to the 6-month development period of the worms) to ensure that the dog is not infected. Year-round preventive treatment is recommended for most dogs; however, you should check with your veterinarian about the best schedule for your pet.

The most important thing that pet owners can do to protect their companions from heartworm infection is to be absolutely sure their pet receives the prescribed dose of medication at the correct time.

06/21/2025

Celebrating National Selfie Day with our employees' pet's selfies. Send in your pet's selfies we would love to see them. 🐾

06/19/2025

National Adopt-a-Cat Month: Why June is the Purrfect Time

Every June, as shelters across the country fill with a wave of new kittens, we celebrate National Adopt-a-Cat Month - a time to shine the spotlight on all the incredible felines waiting for a second chance.
Can’t Adopt Right Now? You Can Still Help:
​🐾 Share our adoptable cats on social media
🐾 Foster to free up space for more rescues
🐾 Donate to support medical care, food, and shelter
🐾 Shop at stores that donate to our mission

06/17/2025

June is Pet Preparedness Month, and officials in Illinois are encouraging residents to have a disaster preparedness plan that includes not just themselves, but their four-legged friends as well.

Some important tips to remember that will keep you — and your pet — safe include:
• Having a recent photo of you and your pet on hand. If you are separated from your pet, rescuers will want proof that your pet belongs to you
• Create a pet preparedness kit with medications, non-perishable food and treats, water, bowls, cat litter and pan, waste bags, blanket, bedding for pocket/exotic pets (and perhaps a heat source), toys, first aid kit, and copies of medical records
• Have up-to-date identification on your pet
• Identify a safe area of your home where all can stay together during a shelter-in-place recommendation, and keep dogs on leashes and cats in carriers
• Coordinate with a trusted friend, relative, or neighbor to take care of pets and their disaster kits if you’re not home, then meet you a specific location
• Don’t allow pets to roam loose in a damaged home or neighborhood

06/12/2025

We all love spending the long, sunny days of summer outdoors with our furry companions, but it’s important to remember that like any season, summer comes with its hazards. To make sure you’re prepared for whatever comes your way this summer, check out this list of summer safety tips from our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC).

Visit the vet for an early-summer checkup. Make sure your pets get tested for heartworm if they aren’t on year-round preventative medication.
Give pets plenty of fresh, clean water when it’s hot or humid outdoors as pets can get dehydrated quickly. Make sure your pets have a shady place to get out of the sun, be careful not to over-exercise them and keep them indoors when it’s extremely hot.
Know the symptoms of overheating in pets, which include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, stupor or even collapse. Symptoms can also include seizures, bloody diarrhea and vomit along with an elevated body temperature of over 104 degrees.
Never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. Not only can it lead to fatal heat stroke, but it’s illegal in several states!
Know that animals with flat faces, like Pugs and Persian cats, are more susceptible to heat stroke since they cannot pant as effectively. These pets, along with the elderly, the overweight and those with heart or lung diseases, should be kept cool in air-conditioned rooms as much as possible.
Do not leave pets unsupervised around a pool. If you plan on spending time near a pool, lake or beach with your pet, make sure you give them fresh water and avoid letting them drink from the pool, or ingest ocean or lake water. When swimming, introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from their fur.
Keep all unscreened windows or doors in your home closed and make sure adjustable screens are tightly secured. Open unscreened windows pose a real danger to pets, who often fall out of them.
Feel free to trim longer hair on your dog but never shave your dog. The layers of dogs’ coats protect them from overheating and sunburn. Brushing cats more often than usual can prevent problems caused by excessive heat. And be sure that any sunscreen or insect repellent product you use on your pets is labeled specifically for use on animals.
Don’t let dogs linger on hot asphalt when the temperature is very high. Being so close to the ground, your pooch’s body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn. Keep walks during these times to a minimum.

06/10/2025

National Adopt a Cat Month_

Cats can make incredible companions and pets, offering friendship, emotional regulation, and even improvement of both physical and mental health. Sadly, each year in the United States, more than 3 million cats enter into a shelter, and many of them are not adopted into homes that will love and care for them.

National Adopt a Cat Month seeks to save the lives of felines across the nation by encouraging more families and individuals to adopt cats into their homes!

06/09/2025

Does your dog struggle with anxiety?

Join us for Managing Dog Anxiety, a special seminar presented by certified trainer Dacia Proper, CPDT-KA. Learn to recognize the signs of general, separation, and confinement anxiety—and how to help your dog cope with calm, confidence, and compassion.

Whether you’re living with an anxious dog or thinking about adopting one, this seminar offers practical tools and a supportive space to learn and connect.

📅 Wednesday, June 25 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM
📍 MHHS Community Room
💵 $10 per person
🐶 Humans only, please!

➡️ Learn more & register: mohawkhumane.org/seminar-series

06/05/2025

What’s the Point of Panting?
Sweat plays a very small role in cooling down your dog. Dogs rely on panting to control most of their temperature regulation. When dogs pant, moisture from their tongues, nasal passages, and the lining of their lungs evaporates, cooling them down as air passes over the moist tissue.

They also rely on vasodilation, which is the expansion of blood vessels (especially in their ears and face), to cool down. When the blood vessels expand, they bring the hot blood closer to the surface of the skin, which allows it to cool down before returning to the heart and helps regulate an animal’s internal body temperature.

Why does a brachycephalic (short nose) dog struggle to pant in the heat?
When it’s hot, dogs with a longer nose and more conventional face use panting to good effect, cooling themselves down quite efficiently. The shorter nose and smaller airways of brachycephalic dogs mean that they need to put much more effort into panting, which can lead to overheating and breathing difficulties.