Nail Trims.

September 30, 2013 by

Well, have you ever thought of trimming your own dog’s or cat’s nails?

It may seem pretty scary at first but you can do it! It is simple and something you can save some money on.

Firstly, get yourself some clippers. You can go to any local pet store and they should have them. We use trimmers that are the “guillotine” style. These are easiest to use in order to get a proper trim.

Next, you need to know where to trim and how far back you can go. If your dog has clear nails, you can see some pink in them. This is the “quick” of the nail. If you cut part of that, the nail will bleed so you will want to cut just before that part of the nail. The nail should be cut from underneath and not from the top down.

As a tip, you may want to trim a nail, wait a few minutes and trim the next one. You don’t have to do the whole paw in one sitting. As a first nail trim this would probably be a better approach anyways! Give your dog a small part of a treat after each paw or something like this to keep him or her interested somewhat.

Another tip for you (especially if your dog is a puppy), start rubbing his paws a bit just while you are holding him. Get him used to you touching his feet. Your pet’s feet tend to be pretty sensitive and most don’t like to be touched there! However, if you practice by rubbing his paws every once in a while he will get used to it and it will make your job that much easier.

It is important to keep your dog’s nails trimmed whether you do it yourself or we do it for you. If their nails get too long, dog or cat, they can get certain infections. It’s good to do at least once a month. (By the way, if you are interested in doing this yourself we can show you how at the clinic.)

Happy Trimming!

Should My Dog Use Certifect®?

September 23, 2013 by

There are so many tick, flea and lice products out there for your pet. We would like to tell you about a very effective one we like. Firstly, Certifect® is a product for DOGS ONLY. So, dog-owners, please read on.

Frontline® has been around for a very long time. Well, Certifect is a product of the makers of Frontline®.

What Certifect® does is very specific. It kills fleas, flea larvae and chewing lice. When it is applied it also detaches and kills ticks that are on your dog. It starts killing ticks within 6 hours of applying it to your dog.

Certifect® is great because it not only kills any existing pest situation, it also is a preventative. It prevents re-infestations of ticks and fleas. It prevents all flea stages from developing at all. It lasts for one month as a tick preventative and 3 months as a flea preventative. So, if you live in an area where your dog could potentially get ticks, you should apply Certifect® once a month. Otherwise, it is safe to say you can use this product every 3 months as a flea-only preventative.

You can use this product on your dog as long as he or she is 8 weeks old.

It is waterproof, but do not give your dog a bath within the first 24 hours of application. If your dog gets a bath or goes for a swim after the first 24 hours, he or she will still remain protected!

Click here to watch how to apply it. There is also a coupon the company gives out for you to bring in to your vet. Print yours and bring it in!

Love,

Day and Evening Pet Hospital Vets and Staff

E. Coli in Dogs

September 9, 2013 by

E.Coli is a type of bacteria and is most commonly found in puppies but can be found in older dogs. This bacteria generally resides in your dog’s lower intestine. (A disease caused by E. Coli is called Colibacillosis.)

The E. Coli bacteria is generally considered “benign” or not harmful. However, in some puppies and in other dogs, it can be harmful and your dog can get the disease mentioned above.

This bacteria can be passed down from mom to pup. For instance, if the mom is infected she can pass it to her puppies while being pregnant. The mom can also pass it through nursing her puppies with inflamed mammary glands. In this case, if the puppy is getting breast milk irregularly, the puppy will not get the sufficient nutrients he needs to protect him from certain diseases and infections. This predisposes the puppies to getting the bacteria which would, in fact, result in a disease.

If this disease goes untreated, it can form a type of blood poisoning because the bacteria actually spreads throughout your dog’s bloodstream.

Here are a list of some common symptoms linked with this disease:

Vomiting
Lack of apetitie
Fatigue
Weakness
Dehydration

A regular pet exam will help prevent such bacteria and disease. A simple blood test and urine and/or fecal sample will show if your dog has the bacteria or disease. If so, it is treatable!

Getting a regular pet exam is so important to your pet’s health! These simple tests show all kinds of things and signs of other things, saving you time and money later. Be assured of your pet’s health and get him or her an exam!

Love, Day and Evening Pet Hospital Vets and Staff

Pet Dentals

August 30, 2013 by

Getting your pet a dental check-up is one of the most important things you can do for your pet. It should be a regular part of any pet examination.

Firstly, just as it is for all of us, dogs and cats need to have healthy teeth and gums to continue to stay healthy. If your pet has plaque build-up, swollen gums or mouth sores, these are obvious signs of a dental problem. These circumstances can create varied amounts of pain for your pet to even eat. Plaque build-up may not be so so painful, but after the build-up, you get other oral problems that become worse and harmful for your pet.

If your pet does have a dental issue and it goes untreated, your pet can suffer from bacterial infections. Let’s say your pet has swollen gums or some open sores. Bacteria can get into these sores and easily enter the bloodstream. These bacteria then spread throughout your pet’s body through the circulation of their blood. You can imagine the health issues and costs of that kind of problem….

This blog is meant to inform you of the importance of getting a dental exam and having your pet receive at least a yearly dental cleaning.

Keeping your pet up-to-date on his own dentals can help your pet with:

Bad breath
Unnecessary teeth pulling
Low risk of any bacterial infection
A clean and whiter smile

The important thing to remember about getting your pet a dental is that it’s a major preventative step. There are so many different health problems that result from lack of dental care; therefore, it’s also a health maintenance step.

We offer extremely low-cost dentals at Day and Evening Pet Hospital. We charge $150. This does include the anesthesia and any antibiotics that may be needed for your pet. Please take advantage of this!

Love, Day and Evening Pet Hospital

Dog/Cat False Pregnancy

August 25, 2013 by

Helping your female dog or cat get through a healthy pregnancy can be very fun, exciting and enjoyable! You are helping to bring new puppies and kittens into this world. New families will be able to have new pets! However, this blog is not how to get your pet through a healthy pregnancy.

If your female dog or cat is not spayed, please read on.

Your pet can experience a false-pregnancy (poor thing!). We want you to know the symptoms, what happens, and why your pet may be acting not-so-normal so you won’t think she is in fact pregnant when she isn’t.

The exact cause for this condition is unknown. Some studies show that in some female dogs they had hormonal imbalances. If your pet gets a false pregnancy, it would generally occur a month or so after a heat cycle and could last a few weeks. Some symptoms include:

Enlarged mammary glands
Lactating
Nursing, self-nursing
Slowness
Loss of appetite

The above symptoms are part and parcel for any actual pregnancy, so if you see these symptoms in your pet, she could be pregnant. This cannot be 100% ruled out (especially if you let your pet roam) without getting a physical exam. Dr. Adney will give a thorough examination to ensure all possibilities of pregnancy are non-existent.

So, your pet could be showing signs of pregnancy without really being pregnant. If you didn’t want new puppies or kittens this month, don’t be too quick to get stressed—it could in fact just be a false pregnancy!