Tomorrow is the full moon. Give your monthly preventatives!
(NOTE: If you have another way to remember to give your preventatives, that’s okay too! Do what works for you. I thought it might be fun for us to all give it together.)
Let’s start with the not so fun stuff first. Last minute cancellations are difficult for us. Please, please, please, give us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel an appointment. This is particularly true of surgical appointments. Animals need to take premedications and fast from eating and folks often have to take time from work to get them here, they are difficult slots to fill, if I get a last minute cancellation. We understand if things come up at the last minute. (Cats have ESP and are especially fond of disappearing.)
Just be fair to me and the other pets that are in need of appointments. End of rant.
Since we are on stinky subjects, let’s talk poop!
“Why do I have to bring a fecal sample to my annual appointment every year?”
The answer is that dogs and cats get parasites that make them sick (weight loss, poor hair coat, diarrhea, vomiting, anemia). These parasites can also be shared with their people. I have been surprised at how many positive fecal samples we are seeing!
“Why does Dr Dana need two negative fecal tests before your puppy or kitten is six months?”
The answer is that puppies and kittens are often born with parasites, even if their mom is worm free. If mom has ever had parasites they encyst in her breast tissue and are passed to offspring when they nurse.
The following Information below is from the Center for Disease Control (my comments in bold):
How do roundworms harm people?
Roundworms enter the body when ingested as worm eggs that soon hatch into larvae. These larvae travel through the liver, lungs, and other organs of humans and pets. In most cases, these “wandering worms” cause no symptoms or obvious damage. However, in some cases they can cause damage to tissue. Sometimes they affect the nerves or even make their way to the eyes. In some cases, they may cause permanent nerve or eye damage, even blindness.
How do hookworms harm people?
Hookworm larvae typically move around within the skin causing inflammation and red, itchy tracks in the affected skin. This is called cutaneous (skin) larva migrans. One type of hookworm can make its way into deeper tissues and cause more serious damage to the intestines and other organs. One particularly gross picture I will always remember from vet school is a hookworm larva in a human eye. Don’t let this happen to you!
How can I protect my pets—and my family and myself—against worm infections?
- Have puppies and kittens dewormed by a veterinarian at an early age. Puppies and kittens may need to be dewormed more than once. Follow the veterinarian’s advice on how frequently puppies and kittens need to be tested and treated. We give an oral dewormer at each vaccine visit, which happens every three weeks from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. If clients are raising puppies, we begin deworming them at 2 weeks old.
- Start or keep your pets on a drug program that prevents, treats, and controls these worms. A veterinarian can recommend treatments to eliminate and help prevent these worm infections. Since these products are available in many forms, you and the veterinarian can choose which one works best for your dog or cat. Ask for the product that is most effective against the worms that are most common in your area. We are currently recommending Simparica Trio for dogs. It prevents both hookworms and roundworms and has new medications to which parasites are less likely to have developed resistance. It is an “all in one” flavored tablet/medication given once per month that prevents fleas, ticks and heartworm as well as hookworms and roundworms. We recommend Revolution Plus for cats. It is a topical product that deworms your cat and controls fleas, ticks, and ear mites. We give our preventions on full moons!
- Wash your and your children’s hands with soap and water after playing with pets or other animals, after outdoor activities, and before handling food or eating.
- Avoid touching soil, sand, plants, and other objects that might be contaminated by animal feces.
- Keep play areas, lawns, and gardens around your home free of animal feces. Bag and throw away pet feces at least once a week. Cover sandboxes when not in use.
- Obey leash laws.
“How does Dr Dana know my pet has worms? What does she do with all that poop?”
I put it in a little container. I put that container in a plastic bag with your pet’s info and send it off nightly to a diagnostic lab in NY. There, the poop is mixed with a salt solution and centrifuged. A coverslip is placed on top of the test tube and the worm eggs, being lighter than the salt solution, rise to the top of the tube and stick to the coverslip. This is then placed on a microscope slide where it is studied for worm eggs or larva. We typically receive the electronic results the next morning. One of my ace technicians will call/text you the next morning, hopefully telling you that your pet is worm free and your family is protected against parasites!
On a brighter and more pleasantly smelling note, my dahlias are blooming! I would love to see pictures of your dahlias, particularly if you picked up bulbs in the fall. Bonus points for pictures of pets and dahlias (while remembering that they are mildly toxic and pets shouldn’t eat them).
I feel like I have settled into a routine here at the hospital. Opening the business was exhausting. Everything was new everyday. Now half of my staff has been with me a full year. The other half has been with me for at least six months or more. They are all great! We are working as a team and providing great care and hospitality, which was what I hoped for when I opened the hospital. It left me thinking of a song I will share: Find Your People – Drew Honeycomb and the Neighbors
Our surgery technician is leaving early next year to have her second baby. After that she will stay home with her family. I am looking for a certified veterinary technician (CVT) with surgical and dental experience to join our team. Help me spread the word!
My birthday is today, July 20th. I am 55 and will celebrate with dinner out with family and friends!
Here at the animal hospital we have popsicles and pupsicles. We bought lots for a farm event at Pasquale’s Farm and Garden Center and have many left to share. Stop in for a happy visit and a cool treat.
Happy summer!
– Dr Dana