I'm supposed to look in THERE?

Most of us don't make a habit of looking at our pet's teeth on a regular basis.  This is unfortunate, since our pet's mouths can be a true source of discomfort and disease when not cared for properly.  Even my own dog's mouth can get worse than I imagine it is.  I cleaned my dog's teeth yesterday.  They were... you guessed it... worse than I imagined.  I knew my dog had bad breath and some tartar build up, but it wasn't until I cleaned his teeth that I realized how dirty they really were.  My technician and I spent a great deal of time scaling, scraping, and polishing until we finally cleared away the harmful tartar that had built up and addressed the gingivitis that would lead to horrible abscessed roots if left for much longer.  I'm pleased to report that we were able to avoid extractions this time, but in the future I'll be quicker to address the problem!  I encourage everyone to check their pet's mouth frequently and report to their veterinarian if they notice red gums or tartar building up.  Early intervention will save your pet pain and discomfort in the future.

They live WHERE?

There are so many parasites out there than can affect your dog and your cat.  When you visit the vet they rattle off all these names and it is truly confusing.  I wanted to refresh your memory about one parasite in particular – heartworms.  Yup – they live in the heart.  Technically, the adult worms live in the heart and the “babies” swim around in the blood stream. 

The heartworm is given to your dog or cat through an infective mosquito.  The heartworm has to be transmitted through the mosquito, but the bad news is that lots of mosquitoes carry heartworms.  Yes, people can get them, too, but it only happens in immunocompromised individuals.  Humans are not the natural host for these worms. 

We test your dog for heartworms by taking a sample of blood.  This test looks for adult worms that have established themselves in your dog’s heart.  These are the trouble-makers.  We also recommend you give your pet monthly heartworm preventative.  This monthly pill kills any new baby worms the mosquito may have given your dog or cat before they can grow up into dangerous adults.

Protect your pet from heartworms – they are highly prevalent in our region.