Care Animal Clinic Lakeland

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Care Animal Clinic Lakeland

At Care Animal Clinic, we provide top-notch care for dogs and cats. Our compassionate team is dedicated to offering personalized care for every pet.

From routine check-ups and surgery to boarding and grooming, we ensure your pet’s health and happiness. Welcome to Care Animal Clinic . Care Animal Clinic offers over 40 years of trained and experienced doctors and staff to give your pet the highest quality care at our state of the art medical and surgical facility. Wellness Focused - Client orientated - Striving for continual improvements to help

pets. Care Animal Clinic offers comprehensive medical and surgical care for dogs and cats of all life stages. We strive to provide complete care for our animal friends. We have put a lot of passion into making sure our procedures are the latest practices that ensure the best results for your Furry Friend. Every furry baby matters to us as if it was our own. Diagnostic based medicine, and a results oriented approach. Over 40 years of experience and a loving ,caring ,knowledgeable staff .Wellness Focused - Client orientated - Striving for continual improvements to help pets.

25/04/2025

🤔Hypothetical Question: My cat sneezes and coughs in fits and seems to struggle to breathe. He does this periodically and doesn't seem to have any other problems other than these episodes. Sometimes it worries me, should I bring him in?

👨🏻‍⚕️Advice: Your cat sounds like it may be affected by feline asthma. By itself, asthma is a manageable disease for cats. As in humans, there is no cure for it, but the severity of the life-threatening episodes can be controlled. The exact cause of asthma in cats is not known but the reason cats are susceptible is due to increased muscles in the walls of the bronchioles and higher numbers of mucus secreting cells. The muscles spasm and the muscles cells secrete and close off the smaller airways causing these fits, obviously, if enough airways are closed off then possibility for suffocation exists. Multiple medical managements are available.

Give us a call today at (863) 251-5887 or visit us online to schedule an appointment: www.careanimalclinicfl.com

21/04/2025

Our Dignity At Home service allows pet owners to choose the comfortable surroundings of home to say their last goodbyes. We take care of everything for you to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety this decision can cause for many pet owners. Your pet’s ashes are returned to you in a wooden urn with name plate, hair clipping, and paw print you can display to honor your beloved pet.
We can help you make the best end of life decision for your pet. Give us a call at (863) 251-5887to speak to our professional staff or visit us online at www.athome-dignity.comfor more information on our services.

18/04/2025

🤔Hypothetical Question: My dog is shaking her head and scratching at its ears. Is there anything I can do?
👨🏻‍⚕️Advice: Ear disease due to any cause has three common clinical signs. You have already mentioned two of them. The third one is discomfort progressing to pain. The good news is that there is a treatable and correctable cause. The mainstay of treating ear disease is identifying the responsible agent using microscopic analysis. Second, in order for medication to be applied to the ear, exudates and waxy debris must be removed otherwise you would be medicating wax balls. A clean ear canal enhances chances of success when dealing with ear disease. Finally, video otoscopy has taken much of the guesswork out of my treatments and diagnosis of ear disease.

Schedule your appointment today:
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

14/04/2025

Have you noticed your dog paying a lot of attention to a spot on their body? Are they licking, scratching, or chewing on one area? If so, this may lead to a hot spot. While hot spots are very common, it’s important to identify, diagnose and treat them quickly before they get worse.
Hot spots (also called acute moist dermatitis or pyotraumatic dermatitis) are usually caused by your dog over-licking, scratching or biting their skin. This leads to the skin becoming damaged. Bacterial infections can develop quickly once bacteria invade the area of damaged skin. You need to find and treat the resulting hot spot and whatever caused your dog to focus their grooming attention on that area in the first place.
The good news is that most hot spots will resolve in under a week with proper and prompt care. Get to your veterinarian quickly so you can stop the progression of the hot spot and ease your dog’s discomfort. They’ll perform a physical exam, and other diagnostic tests like cytology and a skin scrape to identify the underlying cause of the irritation. Once the reason for the hot spot has been identified, your dog will be started on an appropriate, individualized treatment plan.
Treatment of the hot spot itself generally includes shaving, cleaning, and disinfecting the area (with topical treatments). Your vet will instruct you to give topical or oral antibiotics, topical or oral medications to control the itch and relieve inflammation, and keep the area clean. You will also need to put your dog in an Elizabethan collar to keep your dog from licking/chewing/biting at the affected area as the skin heals.

📞(863) 251-5887
🔍www.careanimalclinicfl.com

11/04/2025

Motion-based nausea is an occasional complaint to vets. In fact, this is a hurdle for some owners presenting pets for medical or maintenance care. There isn’t a database with statistics related to the prevalence of these symptoms. There is, probably, greater than half of the time an underlying cause for pets vomiting in cars. These underlying issues are not typically dangerous as much as frustrating. Common remedies are available and generally considered effective. Please call us at (863) 251-5887 for more information or to book an appointment.

07/04/2025

Whether they’re indoor-only, outdoor, or a combo of both, cats are at risk of catching some nasty diseases. Vaccines can help by stimulating your cat’s immune system to produce antibodies against preventable diseases, so they don’t needlessly suffer or pass those diseases on to other cats.
These vaccines are recommended for all cats based on their risk of exposure, the severity of the disease to be prevented, and the risk the disease poses to humans.
🐱Feline viral rhinotracheitis: This is a herpesvirus that causes upper respiratory infections or pulmonary infections in cats. This goes far beyond a cat cold, since once a cat is infected, they are infected for life. The disease can be dormant in the cat’s system — but due to stress or other illnesses, it may be reactivated, at which time signs of disease will be more noticeable. It’s highly contagious and can cause death due to pneumonia in kittens and immunocompromised adult cats. Mild cases can be treated at home, but severe cases can last for weeks, require hospitalization, lead to loss of vision, or become a chronic disease with stress.
🐱Feline calicivirus: This is a highly contagious virus that causes upper respiratory infections in cats as well as oral disease (inflammation and ulcers on the tongue and gums). Some strains can cause painful lameness in the cat’s legs as well. Cats can become re-infected with this virus, so prevention is the key to keeping cats well.
🐱Feline panleukopenia: Also called feline parvo or feline distemper, this is a highly contagious virus caused by the feline parvovirus that invades and can kill rapidly by dividing cells in a cat’s bone marrow and intestines. The disease, which used to be the leading killer of cats, is now uncommon due to the highly effective vaccine. This is an important reason to continue vaccinating against it throughout your cat’s life.
🐱 Feline leukemia virus: FeLV is a retrovirus that weakens a cat’s immune system, meaning it changes the DNA of a cat’s cells, making them vulnerable to other diseases that can result in death. It’s transferred between cats through saliva or nasal secretions. Cats infected with FeLV may develop infections and cancer.
🐱 Rabies: Likely the most recognized on the list, rabies is a preventable viral disease that infects the central nervous system when a mammal is bitten by a rabid animal. The disease can infect any mammal, but it is most notable in raccoons, foxes, bats, and skunks. Cats (indoor and outdoor) can become infected when they have been bitten or encountered the saliva of an infected animal. The ultimate result is death. This disease can be transferred to humans, and pet vaccination is mandated by law in some states.

Schedule a visit today:
(863) 251-5887
www.careanimalclinicfl.com

04/04/2025

🤔Hypothetical Question: My cat is chewing and clawing at his hind end and has lost hair and developed sores in this area. It seems this is all he does now. What is going on?
👨🏻‍⚕️Advice: Based on your description this is consistent with fleas allergy. While it is one thing for a pet to have fleas, it is an altogether different and worse clinical disease if an animal is allergic to the flea saliva. A flea allergic animal has a severe inflammatory reaction to the saliva of the flea after only one bite. The treatment is a vacation from fleas and depending on the severity of the sores an antibiotic may be needed. Often it is necessary to use two flea products at the same time to provide the vacation. One product is directed to the adult flea while the other is inhibiting the development of immature fleas.
Schedule your appointment today:
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

31/03/2025

Why Dogs Get Yeast Infections?
Your dog’s skin normally has small amounts of yeast. Generally, this naturally occurring, non-spore-producing fungus doesn’t cause illness unless there is an abnormal skin overgrowth, otherwise known as a yeast infection.

There is always an underlying or pre-existing condition that causes the overgrowth, resulting in a yeast infection. An overgrowth can occur due to changes in the protective skin barrier and normal microflora of the skin, due to skin inflammation such as from allergies or as a result of a suppressed immune system.

It’s important for your veterinarian to perform diagnostic tests to verify your dog has a yeast infection and identify the underlying cause. Otherwise, the risk of flare-ups will be likely in the future.

The treatment for the yeast infection may include topical and/or oral anti-fungal medications. If only one or two areas of the skin are affected, your veterinarian may prescribe a topical spray, mousse, or cream to be applied daily.

Concerned about yeast infections? Contact us today:
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

28/03/2025

🤔My vet always comments that my dogs teeth aren’t in the best shape but never recommends what to do to fix this problem.
👨🏻‍⚕️As a dog owner and a veterinarian, I recognize that human animal bond required closeness – my dogs are always in my face. During these times my dogs breath the outward appearance of his teeth and gums are indictors of oral health. I know he doesn’t brush and so I have to maintain his teeth for him. If his teeth are yellow to brown colored and his breath stinks I clean them. The reason is that tarter is from bacteria are then picked up in the blood- stream and allowed to “visit” major internal organs this scenario which over a lifetime can lead to a slow deterioration of major organs.

📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

24/03/2025

Do Cats Really Need Baths?

In most cases, no, you really don't need to give your cat a bath. Cats do an extremely good job of keeping themselves clean and their coat and skin benefit from natural oils you don't want to wash away. However, there are times when it may be helpful or even necessary to bathe your cat.

😺As cats get older, or if they have physical limitations, they may be less able to self-groom.
😺Some longhair breeds may need bathing to keep fur from matting, like Persians, Himalayans, and Ragdolls.
😺Cats with specific skin conditions may need baths to soothe or treat the skin.
😺If your cat gets into something they shouldn't ingest, you'll want to bathe them for safety reasons to remove any residue from their coats.
😺If your cat picks up bugs in their fur (like fleas, ticks, mites, or lice) bathing — and medical treatment — may help prevent irritation, infection, and disease.
😺There may be litter box incidents or other messy situations that need a little clean-up.

A cat bath doesn't have to mean they're fully submerged in water — a wet cloth may be all you need for some situations. There are also cat-specific cleansing cloths on the market, which are great for dirty spots like feet or the backend, as well as a light all-over wipe down after a roll in the dirt. Cat-appropriate waterless shampoo can also be helpful to break up fur soiling before wiping. Make sure any product you’re using is designed specifically for cats, as human products should not be used unless directed by your veterinarian.

📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

21/03/2025

Heartgard Plus is a beefy chewable that your pet takes once monthly to prevent heartworms and treat intestinal parasites. As one of the oldest preventions, it has proven to be a very trustworthy product, which is shown in Merial’s Heartgard Plus Guarantee. Merial states, “The Plus Guarantee remains in force only when you obtain Heartgard Plus from a licensed veterinarian with whom you have a valid doctor-owner-pet relationship. If you are not satisfied with the performance of Heartgard Plus against heartworms, hookworms, and/or roundworms, all or a portion of treatment costs may be covered.” That confidence and the ease of administration of the product makes Heartgard a very popular prevention. Call us at (863) 251-5887 to discuss heartworm prevention today.

17/03/2025

Are you looking for a new way to exercise your dog and provide mental enrichment at the same time? Look no further than sniff walks! Sniff walks are an excellent alternative, or addition, to hikes, runs, or even more formal scent training, providing your dog with a unique and fulfilling experience. You'll be surprised by how much energy your dog can burn off just by following their nose.

Dogs "see" the world through smell. A sniff walk allows them to explore the world through their most prominent sense — just as if we went on a walk and followed the path that looked the prettiest or most interesting to our eyes. Sniff walks are best done on long leashes (10+ feet long) to allow for more natural movement and freedom to roam. However, you should make sure your dog is trained to recall upon your command before allowing them to walk on a long leash. This will ensure that they will return to a “heel” position in case of any emergency and will keep you and them safe.

Care Animal Clinic
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

14/03/2025

🤔Hypothetical Question: My cat sneezes and coughs in fits and seems to struggle to breathe. He does this periodically and doesn't seem to have any other problems other than these episodes. Sometimes it worries me, should I bring him in?
👨🏻‍⚕️Advice: Your cat sounds like it may be affected by feline asthma. By itself, asthma is a manageable disease for cats. As in humans, there is no cure for it, but the severity of the life-threatening episodes can be controlled. The exact cause of asthma in cats is not known but the reason cats are susceptible is due to increased muscles in the walls of the bronchioles and higher numbers of mucus secreting cells. The muscles spasm and the muscles cells secrete and close off the smaller airways causing these fits, obviously, if enough airways are closed off then possibility for suffocation exists. Multiple medical managements are available.

Give us a call today at (863) 251-5887 or visit us online to schedule an appointment: www.careanimalclinicfl.com

10/03/2025

This scenario happens to the best of us: You walk out of our veterinary appointment and realize you don’t fully understand what you were just told. Maybe it was a stressful time, and you were focused on your pet instead of asking questions. Perhaps the language was overwhelming. Or it may have made sense in the moment, but now that you’ve had to process what you heard, you have questions or don’t quite get it. This is incredibly common.
You can get a little (or a lot) mixed up when our veterinarian explains a condition, a procedure, or after-care instructions. Whether it’s a term you don’t know, or they’re directing you to do something you don’t know how to do, like giving your pet medication or changing the dressing on an incision, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your vet wants you to understand what’s happening with your pet. The more you know, the more informed your decisions will be and the better care you can provide.
You can always call and leave a message for your veterinarian to call you back when they have a moment. The front desk person may also be able to direct you to a technician or someone else on the team who can help.

Need help? Contact us today:
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

07/03/2025

🤔How come, when I call to get heartworm prevention for my dog a veterinarian office may refuse my request?
👨🏻‍⚕️This is standard policy if that veterinarian has never examined the dog. This activity is regulated by federal and state statutes that extend beyond heartworm prevention. The statues state, in short, it is illegal to prescribe medication without a “valid veterinarian/client/patient relationship". It is a $4000.00 fine to prescribe without establishing this relationship. There is a medical reason, in the case of heartworms too. Giving preventives to dogs that have heartworms can uncommonly lead to anaphylactic shock and death is possible. Since it is against the law and has the slightest chance of harming an animal, veterinarians avoid this activity.

Need to schedule a visit?
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

03/03/2025

There are several helpful tips that can be done before and during a car ride to minimize or prevent car sickness in dogs. You may need to use one or multiple methods to help relieve your dog's signs.

🐶Delay Feeding: A dog with an empty stomach is less likely to vomit. Avoid feeding your adult dog for up to eight hours before the car ride. For puppies younger than four months of age, avoid food two to three hours before the ride. If your dog is on medication that requires food, giving a small amount of food at that time is OK. Keep in mind you want to make sure your dog still has access to fresh water in the car if possible.

🐶Cold Temperatures: Open a window just a bit to bring in some cold, fresh air. If the day is warm, make sure there is plenty of air conditioning to keep your dog cool.

🐶Positive Smells: Dogs have an amazing sense of smell, so use this super-sense to help keep your dog calm in the car. Options include bringing the smell of home to the car, such as a favorite mat, toy, or clothing with your scent. Alternatively, about 10 minutes before leaving, spray the car seat, carrier, or crate with a canine pheromone, which has a calming scent that only dogs can smell.

🐶Toys: Some dogs love toys. Let them play with their favorite toy or a new toy on car trips. This can help them associate travel with something positive.

🐶Safety Restraints: Dogs who are nauseated may pace, hide, or even try to escape from the car. This behavior is unsafe for your dog and for you as a driver. Ensure your pup is safely restrained in the car using a carrier, crate, or harness. The Center for Pet Safety crash tests pet car restraints so you know which are the safest options for your pet in case of an accident.

🐶Cautious Driving: Drive carefully. This is not the time to brake quickly, speed around curves, or take the scenic route. Your dog will appreciate it if you drive directly and gently to your destination.

🐶Medication and Supplements for Car Sickness in Dogs: Proactively talk to your veterinarian about the signs your dog displays on car trips. Your vet will get a better history and do a physical examination to determine whether they think your dog has motion sickness and determine the best way to treat your pet.

Need help? Contact us today:
📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

28/02/2025

🤔Why does my cat keep sneezing?
👨🏻‍⚕️Irritants and allergens are all common when you find your cat sneezing more often than not. If your cat only sneezes once, it might just be an irritant that caused it. If you're worried though, look for patterns in your cat's sneezing. Does it occur after you light a candle? Is it when they leave the litter box?
The most common examples of potential irritants and allergens include:
• Cigarette Smoke
• Perfume
• Pest Sprays
• Cat Litter
• Cleaning Agents
• Candles
• Dust
• Pollen
• Mold
If sneezing persists, it might be time to schedule an appointment with us to confirm it's only allergies or irritants and not an infection of some kind. Give us a call at (863) 251-5887 to schedule your appointment today.

24/02/2025

Diarrhea in dogs isn’t normal — so if you notice that something’s up, it’s best to take your dog to the vet. Remember, dogs can get dehydrated with diarrhea and it can be a sign of a more serious problem.

See a veterinarian immediately if your dog has any of these signs:
❌Very lethargic
❌Not eating and/or drinking
❌Cannot keep food or water down
❌Frequent watery diarrhea (every one to two hours)
❌Diarrhea lasting a few days
❌Blood in the p**p
❌Poop is black or dark red (tarry)

Whether you’re going for an emergency visit or scheduling a visit to your veterinarian for your dog’s diarrhea, collect a fresh stool sample to take with you. Wear gloves and seal the sample in a plastic container.

📞 (863) 251-5887
🔍 www.careanimalclinicfl.com

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Opening Hours

Monday	07:30 - 17:30
Tuesday	07:30 - 17:30
Wednesday	07:30 - 12:30
Thursday	07:30 - 17:30
Friday	07:30 - 17:30
Saturday	08:00 - 12:30

Website

http://careanimalclinicfl.com/

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Care Animal Clinic offers over 40 years of trained and experienced doctors and staff to give your pet the highest-quality care in our state-of-the-art medical and surgical facility. Care Animal Clinic offers comprehensive medical and surgical care for dogs and cats of all life stages. We strive to provide complete care for our animal friends. We have put a lot of passion into making sure our procedures are the latest practices that ensure the best results for your furry friend. Every furry baby matters to us as if it was our own. Diagnostic based medicine and a results-oriented approach.