Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Top 10 Medical Conditions

Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, CA released the 2010 top 10 medical conditions from a data search on insurance claims on nearly a half million pets.
For Dogs:
1. Ear infection
2. Skin allergy
3. Skin Infection
4. Vomiting/Gastritis
5. Diarrhea/Enteritis
6. Arthritis
7. Bladder infection
8. Soft tissue trauma
9. Non-cancerous tumor
10.Hypothyroidism

For Cats:
1. Lower urinary tract disease
2. Vomiting/gastritis
3. Chronic kidney failure
4. Hyperthyroidism
5. Diabetes
6. Skin allergy
7. Enteritis/diarrhea
8. Periodontitis/dental disease
9. Ear infection
10.Upper respiratory infection

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

April Things


Easter lilies are highly poisonous to cats. In a communique from the Pet Poison Helpline released April 4th to the media and veterinarians they warn that all parts of the plant are toxic- the petals, leaves, stem, and even the pollen. Cats that ingest as few as one or two leaves or even a small amount of pollen while grooming their fur can suffer severe kidney failure. Symptoms start within six to 12 hrs. after exposure. Clinical signs include loss of appetite, lethargy and dehydration. As symptoms worsen some cats will have disorientation, staggering and seizures. Since there is no antidote veterinarians attempt to lessen the toxic effects with drugs to inhibit intestinal absorption and i.v. fluids to flush the poison through the kidneys.

April 15 was the traditional date in Iowa (earlier south of us and later north of us)to start dogs back on heartworm preventive. Now, most heartworm preventives also contain drugs to control intestinal parasites and year round prevention is recommended. It's only an additional three months of the year anyway and it also protects dogs from exposure of a very late or very early mosquito hatch. Remember also that heartworm preventives don't kill the heartworm larvae until they have been in the body from a mosquito bite for six to eight weeks. That's why we give it until very late fall or early winter. If your dog hasn't been on heartworm preventive or if you have interupted the monthly preventive you should test now. If your dog has been on continuous monthly preventive you should test one year after the last test regardless of what time of year it was.

Its also time to restart flea and tick control if you haven't been using something year around. There are some new products this year. Stop by the office for more info.