Day & Evening Pet Hospital

Veterinarian Palm Harbor

Call: 727-785-7200
511 Magnolia Ave
Palm Harbor, FL 34683

Your Dog Could Just Itch or Have Allergies

by

All dogs get to itching from time to time.  It’s important to know when that itch is a medical situation or just “an itch.”

Only a vet can determine if an itchy dog has is having an allergic reaction to something.  It is also possible an itch can be from a parasite or infection.  However, only a vet can tell you for sure.  For these reasons alone, it really is important to know what a constant itch is coming from–it’s important to find the source of the problem.

Bring your dog to us if you see any of the following:

  • Foot chewing
  • Hair loss
  • Changes in skin areas such as sores or darkened spots
  • Redness of skin
  • Excessive licking, chewing, biting or scratching
  • Excessive rolling
  • Excessive rubbing

There are definitely at-home remedies you can “google” to help relieve some of the above conditions.  However, they may not get to the real source of the problem and may only give short-term relief.

At Day and Evening Pet Hospital, we love Apoquel® for allergic reaction type-itching.  It gets to the source.

Unlike other medications for allergies, Apoquel® is not a steroid and therefore doesn’t have the same type of side effects steroids can give.  (In fact, Apoquel® has close to zero side effects.)  It also means it’s good for long-term use, where steroids are not.

Apoquel® reduces itching and decreases inflammation giving your dog real relief.

If your dog is experiencing any of the above listed reactions, please schedule an appointment with us.  Let us help you discover the source of your dog’s annoying, itchy pain!  Please call us at 727-785-7200.

National Check Your Chip Day

by

According to the American Humane Association, only about seventeen percent of lost dogs and two percent of cats ever find their way back from shelters to their original owners. Almost 9.6 million pets are euthanized every year because their owners can’t be found. There are ways to beat these odds though, and they involve using name-tags, collars, and microchips.

Only micro-chipping is permanent. Tags and collars can become loose and fall off, but a microchip will stay in place for the lifetime of your pet!

Sadly, we get lost pets brought to the clinic on nearly a weekly basis.  We always post on Facebook with photos when this happens.  As a community, we do a really great job of sharing these photos so the owner can be eventually found but even those percentages aren’t great.  However, if each pet was chipped, we could very simply scan the chip and call the owner immediately.  The pet wouldn’t need to feel lost, confused or scared.

A microchip is a tiny computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice that is inserted under the pet’s skin between the shoulder blades.

At the Day and Evening Pet Hospital, we use 24PetWatch Microchips. As soon as the chip is implanted in your pet, we register that number here at the clinic. That number goes in to their national database, where your information is linked to your pet.

Microchipping is a very inexpensive form of identification that provides owners with peace of mind.

Call us today to schedule an appointment! 727-785-7200

For those of you who already have a chip in your pet, come on by and get a free check to make sure your chip still scans with the correct name, address and phone number!

Dental Cleanings Can Make Your Vet Bills Cheaper

by

Believe it or not, dental cleanings for pets are needed for some of the very same reasons they are needed for humans!

Good oral care and dental cleanings are very important to the healthy lifestyle of your pet.  Many diseases and illness originate from having poor teeth, gums, etc.

A quick summary of what can happen is:

  1. Plaque builds up on your dog’s teeth.
  2. Bacteria in the plaque leads to gum inflammation.
  3. Inflammed gums let bacteria to enter your pet’s bloodstream.
  4. Harmful bacteria now flow through the body and negatively effect organs like the heart, liver and kidneys.

Outward signs of this cycle you can notice for yourself are:

  • Bad breath
  • Yellow or brown crust on teeth
  • Bleeding gums
  • Tooth loss
  • Drooling

If any of these signs are present, your pet needs a thorough dental cleaning right away.

You can prevent these signs from occurring by getting your pet regular dental cleanings.  We recommend one every 6 months.  By doing this, you will save money on your pet health bills later on down the road.  Your pet will live a much more healthier and happy life.

We offer dental cleanings at a special price of $155 for dogs and cats under 90 pounds. Our special cleaning includes anesthesia, cleaning, fluoride treatments, polishing, an in house antibiotic injection, and antibiotics to take home.

Please call us today at 727-785-7200 to make an appointment!

Pet Health Awareness Events – August 2019

by

National Immunization Awareness Month

Itchy Pet Awareness Month​

August 4th-10th:
International Assistance Dog Week

August 8th:
International Cat Day

August 15th:
National Check the Chip Day

August 22nd:
National Bring Your Cat to the Vet Day​

August 26th:
National Dog Day

Laser Therapy is Not Always Expensive

by

We believe in the power of laser therapy.  We see daily results of this incredible technology.

Most people believe this form of therapy is too expensive before considering the benefits of this service.

Treatment protocols are unique to each pet and condition.  For this reason, treatments vary in time, complexity and cost.

In short, laser therapy is a surgery-free, drug-free and non-invasive treatment to reduce pain, reduce inflammation and, most importantly, to speed healing.  It uses a beam of laser light to deeply penetrate tissue without damaging it.

The laser light is delivered through a noninvasive handpick to create the affected area.  Your pet may feel a gentle and soothing warmth.  Most treatments take only a matter of minutes.

Laser therapy is used to enhance other treatment plans recommended by one of our vets.  For example, laser therapy has been proven to be successful in treating post-surgical pain and many acute and chronic conditions such as:

Actue Conditions:

  • wounds
  • allergies
  • infections
  • cuts/bites
  • inflammations
  • tooth extraction pain relief
  • sprains, fractures
  • post-surgical healing and pain relief

Chronic Conditions:

  • Degenerative Joint Disease
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Periodontal Disease
  • Lick Granulomas
  • Geriatric Care
  • Hip Dysplasia
  • Feline Acne
  • Tendonitis
  • Arthritis
  • Otitis
  • And much more

We love this form of therapy.  Feel free to ask us any questions you may have.  This form of therapy has proven to be less expensive in the long-run because of how many health benefits your dog receives as a result of this therapy.