What to Expect When You’re Expecting…a Fur Baby!

What to Expect When You’re Expecting…a Fur Baby!

               The excitement of bringing home a new puppy is unrivaled to most, but there can be a lot of uncertainty and questions for new pet parents or if it has been awhile since a new four legged fur baby has been in your home!

               Puppies and kittens make frequent veterinary trips in the first few months of their life to ensure lifelong health. Booster shots, food nutrition, learning about safety precautions and training are all things that new pet owners should understand, and talking to your veterinarian is the best place to start.

               It can be scary for your new fur baby their first few nights at home, and in order to make them feel safe it is important to give them their own space in a quiet, warm area to relax. It is also important to get them in for their first exam within the first week of adoption. We will break down the different core vaccines for both puppies and kittens as well as other simple treatments to guarantee pet health.

Puppies:

• Bordetella
•  Bordetella bronchiseptica is the most common bacterial agent responsible for kennel cough in dogs.  This vaccine is required for boarding but is highly recommended for all dogs.  This vaccine is given one time after 8 weeks of age and some clinics will booster it 3 weeks later.
• Distemper (DHPP)
• This vaccine integrates multiple defenses against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and parainfluenza. Vaccine is a series of 3 boosters, each given 3-4 weeks apart.
• Leptospirosis
• Lepto is bacteria that is spread through stagnant water where small rodents, wildlife will live and urinate. This can be lethal to dogs and should be given especially when living in cities or by  forestry preserves. This vaccine is a series of 2 boosters, given 3-4 weeks apart.
• Rabies
• This vaccine is mandated by law! This is a one-time vaccine that is given is on or after your pet is 16 weeks old and is good for 1 year.
• Influenza
• Yes, dogs can get the flu like humans. Although this is not considered a “core” vaccine it is better to be safe than sorry if your pets daycare, boarding facility, groomer (etc) were to have a flu outbreak. Vaccine is a series of 2 boosters, given 3-4 weeks apart.
• Lyme
• The prevalence of ticks in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. In addition to flea/tick preventatives, this vaccine is an extra defense mechanism. And yes, it should be given even if you live in a city. Ticks can travel from wooded areas to alley ways on the bodies of little critters! Vaccine is a series of 2 boosters, given 3-4 weeks apart.
• Fecal Test
• This is done once a year to check if your puppy has any intestinal parasites. But before you get nervous, they are very common and easily treated! It is best to get this done once a year, or if you notice your pet having loose stool.
• Heartworm Test
• This is a simple blood test done to check if your puppy has been exposed to heartworm. If positive, you and your vet will talk about treatments for your pet. If negative, ask your vet about heartworm preventatives that might fit your pet and lifestyle the best.

 Kittens:

• FVRCP
• This vaccine protects against the 5 most common cat viruses that they can be exposed to. Vaccine is boostered 3 times, each given 3-4 weeks apart.
• FELV
• Protects against feline leukemia. Vaccine is boostered 2 times, 3-4 weeks apart.
• FELV/FIV Test
• This is a simple blood test that will be run on your kittens first vet visit to see if they are negative for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus.  
• Fecal Test
• This is done once a year to check if your kitten has any intestinal parasites. But before you get nervous, they are very common and easily treated.

That was a lot of information, but once these boosters are done your pet should only have to come in for their annual exam and annual vaccines! It is important to educate yourself on what your pet needs to stay healthy and keep track of when the boosters for each vaccine are due. In addition to these core vaccines, there are some preventatives for fleas and ticks as well as heartworm so that your pet is not at risk of contracting heartworm or lyme disease from infected mosquitos or a flea wrecking havoc on your pet’s skin.

It may seem like a lot for a tiny four legged animal, but if you start out your pet’s health journey on the right foot, you will have many happy years with your new pet!

Written By: Dr. Megan Moser, Companion Animal Hospital Wicker Park

Heartworm - it's not just a summer threat!

Why is it so important to keep your pets on heartworm preventative year round? Check out this video to learn just what heartworm is and the importance of year round prevention!

Zoonotic Disease: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

A Zoonotic disease, is one that, by definition, “is transmissible from animals to humans under natural conditions and can also be an infection or disease that is transmissible between animals and

humans”. This is particularly important as the strength of the human-animal bond continues to grow and develop between ourselves and our companion animals.

Studies have shown that not only do people in the community lack general knowledge about the scope, importance and prevalence of zoonotic disease, but more alarmingly, a survey of physicians themselves, has found a lack adequate knowledge and awareness of zoonotic disease as well as general discomfort in addressing and communicating these public health threats and concerns to their human patients.

In contrast, accredited veterinary schools are required to provide instructional education about zoonotic disease to veterinary students as a requirement of being recognized as an accreditated school.  In particular, courses highlighting the importance of epidemiology, zoonoses, food safety, the complex interrelationship of animals and the environment and the overall contribution of veterinarians to general public health is a curriculum requirement for most, if not all, veterinary students. No such accreditation requirement exists in U.S. medical schools.

So, how does this affect you, the pet owner?

Well, considering over 50% of all US households have one or more pets, the potential risk of contracting a zoonotic disease is a clear and present concern.

What are some examples of Zoonotic Diseases? 

The list is exceedingly long, but here are some of the more well-know examples of zoonotic diseases: HIV, Ebola, Bubonic plague, Rabies, intestinal parasites (giardia, roundworms, tapeworms, etc), ringworm, salmonella, Lyme Disease, influenza, E. Coli, Dirofilariasis (heartworm disease), chlamydia, bartonella, anthrax, leprosy, tuberculosis, West Nile, Zika virus, eastern/western/venezuelan encephildes and the list goes on and on.

So what can you do to lower the risk of contracting a zoonotic disease?

1.      Ensure you are properly handling, storing and cooking all food intended for human   consumption. The importance of this has been highlighted with the recent Raw Food pet   diet trend (not to mention this is NOT a nutritionally complete nor well- balanced   approach to meeting your pet’s nutritional needs).

2.     Good personal hygiene and hand-washing practices.

3.     Ensuring all pets are on monthly, year-round flea, tick and heartworm prevention.     Protecting yourself against insect vectors is also extremely important.

4.     Prompt yard clean up/litter box maintenance practices.

5.     Maintaining your pet’s annual/semi-annual immunizations. Maintaining your immunization status is equally important.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Companion Animal Hospital’s friendly and knowledgeable veterinary staff members. Additional reading materials, a complete list of zoonotic diseases and references for this article can also be found at www.cdc.gov.

Written By: Dr. Christine Tuma

Companion Animal Hospital Round Lake

What is heartworm?

Veterinary staff talk about heartworm prevention frequently when you bring your pet to us for care, but do you know exactly what heartworm disease is? 

Heartworms are parasites.  They are approximately 1 foot long, slender, white worms that live in the heart, lungs, and nearby blood vessels.  Altering the normal function of the heart and lungs, they can cause heart failure, lung disease, as well as affect other organs.  Dogs are the natural host for the parasite, but it can affect many other mammals, including cats.  In cats, heartworm is hard to diagnose because the worms often do not mature into adults.   The current tests available detect adult heartworms. 

The mosquito is a necessary part of the development cycle of heartworm.  The mosquito does not simply move baby heartworm (microfilaria) from one mammal to the next, but rather, a phase of heartworm growth happens in the mosquito.  The mosquito is the only insect that can carry, grow, and transmit heartworm disease as infective larvae. 

The cycle of heartworm starts with a mammal with adult worms producing microfilaria (baby worms).  Those microfilaria are picked up during a mosquito bite, and days later, are deposited into the next mammal.   It will take six months for that exposure to grow to adult worms in the heart.  Heartworm preventatives eliminate larval stages of the parasite before they can develop into adults.  Heartworm preventative is ineffective on adult worms. 

A reservoir of potential heartworm carriers exist within our countryside and community.  Considering the nearby wild population of fox and coyote, as well as stray, relocated, or neglected dogs, the opportunity for exposure to heartworm constantly exists. 

Prevention of this serious disease is far easier than treatment.  Heartworm can be treated but long term effects on the heart and lungs may remain.  The current recommendations of the American Heartworm Society is year around preventative.  Maintaining a pet on year around preventative takes any guesswork out of the wide seasonal variations even the northern climates may have, accounts for mosquito adaptations to tolerate colder climate, and possible overwintering of mosquitoes.  Many preventatives also have a de-wormer for intestinal parasites as an added benefit.

The American Heartworm Society website has information for pet owners, including incidence maps and the answers to many questions you may have.  https://www.heartwormsociety.org/   As always, feel free to contact Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital if you have any questions or concerns regarding the health of your pet. 

Source:   https://www.heartwormsociety.org/

article written by:

Laura Rau-Holl, DVM

Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital, Kenosha, WI

Heartworm Disease in Cats

Heartworm affects cats too.  Largely thought of as a dog parasite, heartworm occurs in cats as well.  Moreover, 1 in 4 cats diagnosed with heartworm infection live indoors.

Heartworm is a worm that lives in the right side of the heart or pulmonary arteries in many species, including dogs, cats, ferrets, coyote, fox, wolves, and sea lions.  Some of the wild carriers of this parasite live and thrive in this region.

Cats are not a typical host of heartworm, therefore heartworm infection behaves differently in the cat.  While a dog could have more than 30 worms, a cat will generally have less than 3. Heartworms often do not mature to adults in cats, and because current tests evaluate for adult worms, infections in cats can go undiagnosed.  The early signs of heartworm infection in cats include coughing, asthma-like signs, vomiting, and poor appetite.  Over time, the worms die and send fragments to the lungs.  More serious signs such as collapse or sudden death can occur due to lung injury. 

The treatment that is used to effectively eliminate adult heartworm infections in dogs is not safe to use in our feline friends, underscoring the need for prevention.  Monthly preventatives are effective and highly recommended for cats.  An added benefit is that some also protect against fleas and intestinal parasites.  If infected, medications can be given to manage the signs that heartworm causes, but the cat is faced with the task of naturally clearing the parasite over time—usually 2 to 3 years.    

Our understanding of this parasite continues to evolve.  Cats, in their unique style, react to this infection in their own way.  We would expect nothing less of them. 

The American Heartworm Society Website has great information about heartworm in dogs and cats and was the source for the information contained in this article. 

https://www.heartwormsociety.org

article written by:

Laura Rau-Holl, DVM

Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital, Kenosha, WI