Posts in Category: Dog & Cat Care

We just wanted to briefly pinpoint some things that will help make your future veterinary appointments with us be as stress-free as possible for your pet AND you!

• Bring them Hungry! (unless diabetic or otherwise medically unadvised)

• • MORNING APPOINTMENTS: skip breakfast and wait until you return from your appointment
  • DAYTIME APPOINTMENTS: feed a reduced amount of their regular meal
  • EVENING APPOINTMENTS: wait until you return home to feed dinner!.  If your pet has dietary restrictions (ie: allergies), please bring approved treats with you or even some of your pets dry kibble to be used as treats while at their appointment.

• Carriers:  place your pet’s carrier in your living area as far in advance of your appointment as possible. We recommend that the carrier always be left as a fixture of your home to eliminate their reacting negatively to it when it is presented on appointment day. Cats carriers should be covered with a towel or blanket during the drive and when bringing into the appointment. If you need help getting your cat used to his/her carrier here is a great video to watch.

• Leashes: NO Retractable Leashes! Please leave retractables at home!  We will happily give you a leash to use during your visit if you do not have anything other than a retractable.  If you arrive with one, please keep it LOCKED and ask for a leash from the front desk.

• Waiting: If you feel your pet will be better off NOT waiting in the waiting area, please call upon your arrival and we can move your pet directly to an exam room or you may wait in your vehicle until a nurse is ready for you.

Remember, we want this to be a pleasant experience for your pet AND you!  The medical staff may decide to prioritize your pet’s care (ie: treat the ears but skip the nail trim) OR reschedule your appointment with a new treatment plan in order to keep their fear and anxiety level as low as possible. Visit the link for more information on Fear Free practices

We look forward to seeing you!

Your pet’s dental health is extremely important! Veterinary dental care is about more than just preventing “doggy breath” – regular dental care can help prevent serious diseases and infections. Routine dental cleanings are a vital part of your pet’s preventive health care plan.

Your pet has access to the latest veterinary dental technology at our hospital. We use digital dental x-ray equipment in order to better diagnose dental conditions. There are actually about a dozen steps to a veterinary dental visit. We will discuss many of them here.

Why Dental Care Is Important
Plaque and tartar build-up on your pet’s teeth can lead to gingivitis. Reddened, bleeding gums, difficulty chewing and bad breath are all signs of gingivitis. Gingivitis can cause periodontal disease, a bacterial infection that, if left untreated, can potentially damage your pet’s kidneys, heart, and other organs. Regular dental cleanings remove plaque and tartar and prevent gingivitis and periodontal disease.

Dental problems may cause your pet to suffer from:

• Prolonged pain
• Tooth loss
• Chronic infections
• Lowered resistance
• Possible heart, liver and kidney disease

Look for:

• Bad breath
• Drooling
• Yellow or brown discolorations on teeth
• Decreased appetite

We can provide complete and thorough dental cleaning in many pets with NO ANESTHESIA! Ask us about this special service for your pet.

Progressive Nature of Periodontal Disease

	Early Periodontal disease: Inflamed gumline — red, swollen and sometimes tender.Plaque is barely visible, but it is already present.
	Extensive plaque formation with tartar build-up. Inflamed gumline. Mouth is proabably sore with occasional drooling. Beginning of mouth odor.
	Thick tartar formation (creamy-brown hard masses on the teeth). Inflamed and partially receding gums. Periodontal disease well under way below the gumline. Mouth is sore and bad breath is present.
	Severe tartar formation. Inflamed and receding gumline is very sensitive. Advanced periodontal disease is present with infection, bleeding, tooth and bone loss.

By now, you may have heard about the Canine Influenza (flu) outbreak occurring in Northern Florida and Georgia over the past several weeks. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little about this disease as well as a few changes that we will be making at our hospital to help stop its spread.  The canine influenza virus was recently found in a dog here in Palm Beach County.  Apparently, a patient was infected during a recent dog event in Georgia, came home and then spread the infection to their housemate.  This patient was seen at one of our local emergency hospitals where the disease was confirmed via viral testing.  This means that any number of dogs in our community could now be exposed and possibly infected. Currently, we have 100 positive flu cases in the state of Florida; the most in any state so far.

There are two common strains of the canine flu, H3N8 and H3N2. The current strain of concern is H3N2 which is also contagious to cats. Canine flu is spread very similarly to human flu in that it can be transmitted on objects such as clothing, toys, and bedding for up to 24 hours. It also has airborne transmission up to 20 feet. Please know that this virus is easy to kill; normal washing of affected bedding and clothing, along with general cleaning with disinfectants will be effective. As with the human flu, you can expect pets that are affected to experience some or all of the following symptoms: runny nose, coughing, sneezing, lethargy, or lack of appetite.

If you suspect your dog may have been infected and showing symptoms of the canine flu, please do not bring them into the hospital without first calling and getting instruction from the hospital staff.  This includes our area emergency rooms or other veterinary hospitals.   Keeping your dog isolated from other dogs is the best way to stop the spread of this disease.  If your dog is seriously ill, they may need to be hospitalized for treatment and proper facilities and isolation protocols need to be enacted to try and minimize the risk to others in the hospital or emergency room.

We have been in contact with the University Of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, and we are following the recommendations that they have set forth for this current issue. We are recommending that all dogs that are at risk for contracting the flu be vaccinated These risk factors include pets that frequent dog parks, dog beaches, grooming salons, boarding kennels, daycare facilities, training facilities, or any other areas where a large number of dogs congregate with their owners. If your pet does not leave the yard or does not go anywhere outside of your home, then vaccination might not be for them; we are here to help guide you in this decision.

Please know that we are following this outbreak’s developments closely, as we wish to have the most up-to-date information in order to keep our patients happy and healthy. With that in mind, we have decided to institute a few changes within our hospital to better serve our community in helping to prevent this disease from spreading even more. As of August 1, 2017, we will be requiring the flu vaccine series to be started in all pets that are staying at our facility. These include boarding, grooming, non-anesthetic dentals, admissions to the hospital for surgery or any medical procedure that requires your dog to stay with us. We know this is a change to our policy and we will work very hard to make this transition smooth for both our facility and your families. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office directly.

We are currently vaccinating our patients with a bivalent killed vaccine that contains both strains of the canine flu (H3N2 & H3N8). The vaccine is a two-part inoculation, with the second booster occurring 3 weeks after the first. Immunity to the disease does not occur until 2 weeks after the 2^nd vaccination. Even though the flu can spread between both dogs and cats, there is no current vaccination for cats.

We will continue to do our very best to keep families informed as developments happen. Thank you for both your trust and assistance as we play our role in curbing the spread of this illness.