Animal Health Clinic
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Mon. - Fri.: 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Sat. - 9:00 AM to Noon

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DENTAL PREVENTATIVE IN OUR PETS

January 19th, 2012 by

Preventative dental care for our pets’ teeth is as important as yearly wellness visits and vaccines. As the tarter builds-up on Fido’s teeth, bacteria collects on the surface and will cause inflammation of the gumline, gingival recession, and eventually loose and infected teeth. The bacteria in that tarter will also get into the bloodstream and affect the health of your pet’s heart, liver, and kidneys.

Some very basic preventative dental care steps are to feed your pet a dry food daily to help scrape off any tarter build-up.  Also to supply chew toys for both enjoyment and again to aid the health of the teeth. Veterinary dentists recommend training your pet as a puppy or kitty to get use to having their teeth brushed. You will need to use a specially formulated pet toothpaste and clean the teeth daily for optimal outcome. Of course, you CAN teach an older pet to accept brushing of the teeth so it is never too late to start!

Eventually, due to advanced age and the individual genetics of each pet, enough tarter and plaque will build up no matter what preventative steps are taken. At that time your veterinarian will recommend a dental cleaning while under anesthesia. This allows the veterinarian to remove all the plaque, assess the health of the teeth, and remove any loose or infected teeth.

February is Pet Dental Health month. Call now for an appointment to assess your pet’s dental health or schedule that dental cleaning your veterinarian has recommended.

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Canine Influenza

December 16th, 2011 by

In 2005, a new strain of influenza emerged in racing Greyhounds that spread throughout the Southeast.  It received wide-spread attention and alarm, but has not appeared in the upper Midwest to any degree.  Dogs that become infected have a fever, runny nose, lethargy and cough.  This is different than “kennel cough”, in which the dog does not usually have a fever.  Diagnosis is based on detecting antibody levels, which may take days to measure, so the most important care is controlling the cough, preventing dehydration and reducing the fever.  Antiviral medications may be used in severe cases, but most do not need them.  Most dogs recover with just hospitalization. Although death can occur, it happens in less than 5% of the dogs that contract influenza.  While the chance of your dog getting canine influenza is very low, you should have your pet checked if they start coughing for any length of time.

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Finding Mushrooms in Yards

August 17th, 2011 by

Mushrooms are making an appearance in our yards again. Our canine, or feline, companions may find these little treasures and determine they would make a perfect snack. While some mushrooms are obviously harmless, a majority aren’t. Some of the “less toxic” mushrooms can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, imbalance, agitation and hallucinations. These symptoms usually occur within 4 hours of ingestion. A longer onset of signs is more common with the more toxic mushrooms which can cause liver failure, renal failure or red cell destruction.

The bottom line is, unless you’re an expert in differentiating the mushroom species, it is best to remove them from your yard to minimize any risk of exposure to our pets.

If your pet does ingest a mushroom, please contact our office to determine the best course of action.

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