From the Editor
Woo-hoo! Spring is in the air and that being said, remember to protect your
critters from the horrors of fleas and ticks. Make sure your pets are wearing
the latest in all around flea and tick protection, and I don’t mean collars.
Remember, flea collars only protect the head and neck area from fleas and many
of said collars have toxic chemicals in them (well, yuck). The same can be said
for many over the counter flea products and if you haven’t heard, Hartz is
voluntarily taking some of its products off the market because they have had so
many reported deaths! That’s why Frontline is always our gold standard here at
All Kinds. But did you know there’s other new stuff? Check out the
Health Related Issues section of the newsletter for all the latest new
products. Remember, the girls and the doctors try all the latest products and
medications on their own pets and the hospital will only carry those that meet
our approval.
Speaking of warmer weather and what your pets are wearing, is your pet wearing a
microchip? Solomon and I have them and they’re all the rage, you know. For
those of you who haven’t heard about the famous microchip, let me enlighten
you. Very nifty little piece of technology…it really is a microchip, the size
of a grain of rice (really!). This chip contains a coded number and is injected
under the skin of your pet. This number is then registered to that particular
animal and in turn to the owner. So basically, the chip serves as a permanent
ID number for your pet. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like Lo-Jack in cars,
but instead all veterinary hospitals and shelters have scanners that read the
number and can trace it back to you, the owner. We here at All Kinds recommend
that ALL pets be microchipped, even those cats who never go outside. You never
know when they might decide to sneak out! It’s especially important to those of
you who travel with your pets. Summer at the Ocean, hon! Anyhoo, there’s good
reading in this issue, so without further ado…read on!
Regards,
Regards,
Lefty 
AKVH Staff News
If you haven’t been in
the hospital in the last several months, then you haven’t seen our new addition
or met our groomer, Jodi. We’re so fortunate to have Jodi with us and everyone
who has used her services is in agreement-she’s fantastic! Because she does such
a great job she is really getting booked up so remember to call 10-14 days in
advance of when you would like to have your pet groomed. Also, don’t forget
vaccines must be up to date as well. If we are not the vet that does your pets
vaccines you will need to provide proof that they are current before the
appointment can be made.
Don’t forget,
you can still purchase your St. Mary’s county dog licenses through the
hospital. We will file the paperwork for you and give you the tag. The cost is
$2 if your dog is spayed or neutered or $7.50 if it is not. Your dog must have
a current rabies certificate in order to get a license so if we did not
administer the vaccine here please make sure you bring a copy of the rabies
certificate with you. To increase compliance the county is not enforcing the
expiration of June 30th each year but rather each license will expire
1 year from the date it was issued.
And lastly…please remember to periodically check out our website at
www.allkindsvet.com. It’s full of information on new vaccines, products and
any upcoming events. Also, check out the survey located there. Compliments and
constructive criticism are welcomed so that we can continue to provide the best
care to you and your pets.
SMAWL Events
In addition to SMAWL’s regular adoption events at PetCo on the first and third
Saturdays of each month they are also gearing up for their 4th annual
Animal Fair on Saturday, May 10th. It is at the St. Mary’s
county fairgrounds from 10 am to 3 pm and pets are welcome! AKVH staff will be
there to do microchipping at a reduced cost of $38 so if your pets are not
already microchipped we strongly encourage you to bring them out for this quick
injection that will help reunite them with you if they ever get lost.
In Remembrance
This portion of
Lefty’s Ledger is dedicated to all of the beloved pets that have passed on.
Our thoughts are with your families as they try to adapt to life without you:
‘Shadow’ Terry**’Champ’ Gorham**’Scribbles’
Watson**’Shadow’ Thompson**’Missy’ Lumpkins**’Bertha’ Cole**’Lucky’
Carter**’Tails’ Latvala**’Sonya’ Isleib**’Chuckie’ Hose**’Isaac’
Bernard**’Lentel’ Diggle**’Lucy’ Carrese**’Boz’ Madel**’Mr.
Pickles’ Dempsey**’Hershey & Simon’ Boswell**’Heidi’ Russell**’Shadow’
Lusk**’Scout’ Jensco**’MooMoo’ Herath**’Midnight’ Crawford**’Puppy’
Sotelo**’Chelsea’ Connolly**’Sadie’ Moran**’Gus’ Gisriel**’Nipi’
Johnson**’Sam’ Dement**’Harry’ Overs**’Fish’ Harward**’Velvet’
Gott**’Kibbles’ Heindel**’ Indy’ Norris**’Jackson’ Edelblute**’Sonny’
Milstead**’Hen’ Cloud**’Shadow’ Dykhoff**’Princess’ Nash**’Lady’
Dobson**’Piccolo’ Austin**’Domino’ Wilde**’Maggie’ Raines**’Bootsie’
Vodzak**’Cluey’ Snyder**’Misty’ Darland**’Honey’ Besch**’Tabitha’
Raley**’Beau’ Worch**’Mocha’ Parvin**’KittyKitty’ Drury**’LittleBits’
Potts**’Scottie’ Metcalf**’Lazarus’ Moore**’Squeaker’ Long**’Pokey’
Crosby**’Shelby’ Curtin**’Isis’ Naley**’Spike’ Starks**’Junior’
Willyard**’FatFace’ Kogelman**’Slinkey’ Sweipzer**’Rosie’ Woolford**’Eowyn’
Diequez**’Scarlet’ Gallagher**’Nigel’ Koppe**’PeeWee’ Cakowski**’Spike’
Robertson**’Honey’ Rochester**’Buffy’ Lacey**’Bear’ Tiede**’Kerra’
Gallaway**’Gretel’ Belanger**’Pete’ Johnson**’Tru’ Dempsey
Health Related Issues
As Lefty said in his
little corner of the newsletter, there’s some new products here at AKVH. As
most of you know we always try to stay up to date with the newer merchandise on
the market. That being said, we will only carry those products we feel are of
benefit, we’ve tried ourselves and that actually do what they claim. While
there are many more out there, these are the ones we’ve chosen to carry:
1.
Advantage Multi for cats – this product is replacing Revolution for
cats. It is a once monthly topical solution to be used for the prevention of
heartworm disease and the treatment and prevention of fleas, ear mites,
hookworms and roundworms in cats.
2.
Comfortis – this is pill given once per month to kill fleas and
prevent infestations. It begins working in 30 minutes and continues to work for
30 days. Just a reminder, while this medication does kill fleas, it does
nothing to kill or prevent ticks, so we will rarely use it on it’s own but may
prescribe it in addition to Frontline if you already have a flea problem in your
home.
3.
Profender – this is a new topical solution used for the treatment
and control of hookworm, roundworm and tapeworm infections in cats and kittens
that are at least 8 weeks of age. Since the CDC recommends deworming cats who
go outdoors every 3 months this is a happier alternative to giving oral
medication to some “unhappy” cats!
4.
PhyCox – while some dogs do very well on joint supplements alone,
others with more pain require daily doses of NSAIDS. Still others fall
somewhere in the middle. This middle of the road group is the perfect candidate
for PhyCox. PhyCox, an all natural product, includes a compound made from
blue-green algae that has natural pain relieving properties. It works great!
However, if your pet is already on pain relievers it cannot be combined with
them.
5.
CardioPet – it is not uncommon for the doctors to find a heart
murmur on a routine physical exam. However, it is difficult to know if the
murmur is something to be concerned about. This new blood test is similar to
the cardiac enzymes run in a human hospital if you are suspected to have had a
heart attack. This blood test helps the doctors determine if your pet’s heart
is diseased and requires further medication or the need to see a veterinary
cardiologist.
6.
Genetic Testing – this blood test uses DNA to determine what your
mixed breed dog really has ‘in the mix.’ While this test may be just for fun in
some instances, those skeletons Rover has hidden in his closet may be able to
help the doctors determine certain problems for which your pet may be at risk.
Every breed has diseases it is predisposed to, so by learning what breeds your
dog is made up of, we know what to look for. Not to mention, isn’t it kind of
interesting to see what certain mixtures produce?
From the Doctor's Corner
Many of you who know us well, know
that all of our pets are rescues. Our latest addition is “Q”, a 10 year old lab
we adopted in June, 2007. Because he is already a senior dog, one of the first
things we did was run senior blood work on him--which we were happy to learn was
all normal. We had intended to take routine x-rays of him but as frequently
happens, we got busy and kept postponing it. One evening while playing fetch he
ran into a stick and cut himself pretty badly. We brought him up to the
hospital, sedated him and sutured him up. Since he was sedated we had no more
excuses not to do his x-rays. While we were happy to see that x-rays of his
hips were normal and he doesn’t have arthritis, x-rays of his belly were not as
good. We found a mass on his spleen about the size of a racquetball. We followed
up at the internist with an ultrasound to confirm there were no other
‘surprises’ and then we surgically removed his spleen. Once again, we were
blessed with good news when the biopsy said it was not cancerous! This story is
just a reminder of how important routine tests can be. Do you know that 70% of
senior blood work has at least one abnormality, even when the pet shows no
symptoms? As we take better care of our pets, they are living longer. However,
with age come a variety of ailments including arthritis (even in cats!), kidney
disease (2/3 of the kidney function is already gone by the time it will show on
blood work), dental problems and, unfortunately, cancer. Remember that the
earlier problems are identified, the faster they can be corrected or
controlled. Screening tests can be done at any age, but once your pet becomes a
senior (age 7 for most pets) we strongly encourage yearly blood work and urine
tests. By age 10 it’s a great idea to do routine x-rays of the chest and belly
to look for heart and organ problems. Most dogs and cats do not need to be
sedated for x-rays, although if you have particularly excitable pets a light
sedative may make it less stressful. If you have any questions about these
tests or if you feel any would be of benefit for your pet, please don’t hesitate
to ask us.
Drs.
Adam and Autumn Terry |
