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Nov 30, 2012
what is pet insurance ?
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Nov 22, 2012
World of Animals Veterinary Hospital
World of Animals is now a designated donation Drop Off location for the Red Paws Emergency Relief Team
World of Animals Veterinary Hospital The team says they are in especially in need of cat food and litter
Benefits of Neutering your pets
Benefits of Neutering
A long-term benefit of spaying and neutering is improved health for both cats and dogs. Spaying females prior to their first heat cycle nearly eliminates the risk of breast cancer and totally prevents uterine infections and uterine cancer. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and enlargement of the prostate gland, and greatly reduces their risk for perianal tumors.
- Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases. - Neutering provides major health benefits for your male.
Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age. - Your spayed female won't go into heat.
While cycles can vary, female felines usually go into heat four to five days every three weeks during breeding season. In an effort to advertise for mates, they'll yowl and urinate more frequently—sometimes all over the house! - Your male dog won't want to roam away from home.
An intact male will do just about anything to find a mate! That includes digging his way under the fence and making like Houdini to escape from the house. And once he's free to roam, he risks injury in traffic and fights with other males. - Your neutered male will be much better behaved.
Neutered cats and dogs focus their attention on their human families. On the other hand, unneutered dogs and cats may mark their territory by spraying strong-smelling urine all over the house. Many aggression problems can be avoided by early neutering. - Spaying or neutering will NOT make your pet fat.
Don’t use that old excuse! Lack of exercise and overfeeding will cause your pet to pack on the extra pounds—not neutering. Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake. - It is highly cost-effective.
The cost of your pet's spay/neuter surgery is a lot less than the cost of having and caring for a litter. It also beats the cost of treatment when your unneutered tom escapes and gets into fights with the neighborhood stray!
Client Questions
Q - Isn't it wrong to deprive an animal of the natural right to reproduce?
A - No, it’s wrong to allow these animals to reproduce millions of unwanted offspring that are eventually killed because there aren’t enough responsible homes.
Q - If I find homes for my pet's litters, then I won't contribute to the problem, right?
A - No. Only a finite number of people want pets. So every home you find for your pet’s offspring takes away a home from a loving animal already at a shelter.
Q - Shouldn't every female pet have at least one litter before being spayed?
A - No. In fact, your pet will be healthier if she never goes into heat.
Studies show that as many as 60% of the castrated males show a decline in unprovoked aggression toward other dogs. In addition, one study showed a decrease of 90% in the tendency of neutered dogs to roam. Animal behavior experts sum up the effects of neutering on pet personality by noting that the procedure causes no basic personality changes except in the cases of roaming and aggression. Activities such as playfulness, activity level, watchful barking and affection-seeking are not changed at all by the neutering.
If you have more than one pet in your household, all the pets will generally get along better if they are all neutered.
Nov 18, 2012
Nov 10, 2012
Nov 7, 2012
Ten Tips to Keep Kids and Pets Safe
Parents love both their children and their pets. Many pet owners even call their pets fur children. But it is important to create a safe and healthy environment for both children and pets. We especially worry about parasite and bacterial transmission from animals to people, although the reverse can occur as well. The following are some ideas to keep children and pets safe.
1. Take a pet’s stool sample to your veterinarian at least twice yearly to check for parasites. This is a routine test, but some parasites are “sneaky” and won’t show up in every sample.
2. Make sure all your dogs and cats are on monthly parasite preventatives. Some of the heartworm preventatives will also prevent some intestinal parasites that can infect people. Discuss with your veterinarian which preventative medications are effective for which organisms.
3. Do not ever feed raw meat to your pets. Uncooked meat can harbor parasites and bacteria that are dangerous to both people and pets.
4. Keep your cats as indoor-only pets. Cats that are allowed to roam can eat mice or other animals that can give them parasites such as Toxoplasma, which then can be transmitted to people.
5. Reptiles can be fun to own but they are frequently found to harbor Salmonella. There is no method to determine with certainty which reptiles have this bacteria or any way to clear them of the organism. It might be best to not allow small children to own reptiles until they are old enough to understand that hand washing is imperative after handling.
6. Do not have a sand box in your yard or allow your children to play in one. Roaming cats love these as they think sand boxes are a great big litter box. Serious parasites can be transmitted from the cat’s stool to kids for months or even years after the sand is contaminated; the eggs can even survive freezing and hot weather. These parasites can cause blindness or organ damage.
7. When your dog goes outside to defecate, pick up the stool immediately. Parasites will have less time to become infective. If the stool is allowed to sit on the yard, the parasites are spread into a wider area by rain or water from sprinklers.
8. You should deworm puppies and kittens even before you bring them home. It is best to obtain medicine from your veterinarian for this, as the dewormers used by breeders are usually less effective over-the-counter medicine.
9. Wash food and water bowls daily. A recent study showed that hand scrubbing and then washing in a dishwasher was the only effective method of cleaning. Each method done separately did not provide good sanitation.
10. A different topic is keeping kids safe from bites. Do not let your child run up to a strange dog. Teach your children what to do if approached by a dog: don’t run, don’t put your hands out, and don’t stare into their eyes. If the child is able, they should back up slowly. If in danger, they should roll into a ball on the ground and protect their head.
Pets and children are wonderful, they give us so much joy and are very important members of the family. They may be initially uncertain around each other, but with some knowledge and precautions we can keep everyone in the family happy and healthy
http://www.bethayresveterinary.com/
1. Take a pet’s stool sample to your veterinarian at least twice yearly to check for parasites. This is a routine test, but some parasites are “sneaky” and won’t show up in every sample.
2. Make sure all your dogs and cats are on monthly parasite preventatives. Some of the heartworm preventatives will also prevent some intestinal parasites that can infect people. Discuss with your veterinarian which preventative medications are effective for which organisms.
3. Do not ever feed raw meat to your pets. Uncooked meat can harbor parasites and bacteria that are dangerous to both people and pets.
4. Keep your cats as indoor-only pets. Cats that are allowed to roam can eat mice or other animals that can give them parasites such as Toxoplasma, which then can be transmitted to people.
5. Reptiles can be fun to own but they are frequently found to harbor Salmonella. There is no method to determine with certainty which reptiles have this bacteria or any way to clear them of the organism. It might be best to not allow small children to own reptiles until they are old enough to understand that hand washing is imperative after handling.
6. Do not have a sand box in your yard or allow your children to play in one. Roaming cats love these as they think sand boxes are a great big litter box. Serious parasites can be transmitted from the cat’s stool to kids for months or even years after the sand is contaminated; the eggs can even survive freezing and hot weather. These parasites can cause blindness or organ damage.
7. When your dog goes outside to defecate, pick up the stool immediately. Parasites will have less time to become infective. If the stool is allowed to sit on the yard, the parasites are spread into a wider area by rain or water from sprinklers.
8. You should deworm puppies and kittens even before you bring them home. It is best to obtain medicine from your veterinarian for this, as the dewormers used by breeders are usually less effective over-the-counter medicine.
9. Wash food and water bowls daily. A recent study showed that hand scrubbing and then washing in a dishwasher was the only effective method of cleaning. Each method done separately did not provide good sanitation.
10. A different topic is keeping kids safe from bites. Do not let your child run up to a strange dog. Teach your children what to do if approached by a dog: don’t run, don’t put your hands out, and don’t stare into their eyes. If the child is able, they should back up slowly. If in danger, they should roll into a ball on the ground and protect their head.
Pets and children are wonderful, they give us so much joy and are very important members of the family. They may be initially uncertain around each other, but with some knowledge and precautions we can keep everyone in the family happy and healthy
Common Feline Skin Conditions: Protect Your Feline
Common Feline Skin Conditions: Protect Your Feline
Cats can suffer from a variety of different skin disorders, including feline acne, allergic dermatitis, mites and ringworm. If your cat is frequently itching, scratching or licking his skin beyond normal grooming, a skin condition may be the cause.
The first step to treating a skin condition is diagnosis of the specific problem. Many skin conditions share similar symptoms, such as dry or flaky skin. Depending on your cat’s symptoms, a veterinarian may begin by ruling out the most common skin problems.
A veterinary dermatologist is trained to diagnose and treat different skin disorders. Prompt treatment will help prevent secondary infections or complications and keep your feline healthy.
Source:
American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD)
Cats can suffer from a variety of different skin disorders, including feline acne, allergic dermatitis, mites and ringworm. If your cat is frequently itching, scratching or licking his skin beyond normal grooming, a skin condition may be the cause.
The first step to treating a skin condition is diagnosis of the specific problem. Many skin conditions share similar symptoms, such as dry or flaky skin. Depending on your cat’s symptoms, a veterinarian may begin by ruling out the most common skin problems.
Fleas
Even if your cat is an indoor pet, another pet in the household may have exposed your cat to fleas. Fleas can trigger allergic dermatitis and cause a host of skin problems. Flea allergy dermatitis is characterized by small bumps covering the inner thighs, base of the tail, and back of the rear legs. A single flea bite can trigger a reaction that lasts for days! Good flea control is essential to preventing allergic dermatitis.Feline Acne
Feline acne is one of the most common feline skin conditions. That’s right; even cats can suffer from a bad case of pimples! Everything from poor grooming to an allergic reaction may be the underlying cause. For most cats, feline acne will simply clear up by itself. However, if your cat’s acne persists, a medicated shampoo or a prescription ointment will help. If the acne is associated with an allergic reaction, than removing this allergen from the cat’s environment is essential to preventing future skin outbreaks. A veterinary dermatologist can work with pet owners to identify possible allergens.Dermatitis
Red skin, bumps or inflamed skin are signs of contact dermatitis. Like some cases of feline acne, an environmental trigger causes contact dermatitis. Possible triggers could range from cleaning chemicals used on carpets or floors to rubber or plastic feeding dishes.Mites
Not all skin problems are confined to a cat’s fur. Mites can also affect the ear. Symptoms of ear mites include constant itching, scratching at the ear, and shaking the ear. Cats with ear mites may also have excess brown wax in the ear canal. Without proper treatment, the constant scratching and itching may lead to a secondary skin infection. With prompt treatment, mite-killing ear drops can clear up the primary problem before secondary infections occur.A veterinary dermatologist is trained to diagnose and treat different skin disorders. Prompt treatment will help prevent secondary infections or complications and keep your feline healthy.
Source:
American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD)
Nov 6, 2012
Dr. Tanya Kameneva
Dr. Tanya Kameneva
Education:V.M.D. - University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia PA
Emergency and Internal Medicine Internship Training - Angell Memorial, Boston MA
Surgical Specialty Internship Training - Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services, Oxford Valley PA
http://www.vetcentercity.com/
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