At one point, it was not uncommon for cats to develop tumors at the injection site of certain vaccines, and McCord said the drug companies have improved their product to the point that these are now very rare. Those improvements of course, have also come at a price. Ruch-Gallie added that the federal regulations a vaccine company must meet to market a vaccine have gotten significantly more complicated and more expensive in the past several years.
Low-cost clinics, while convenient, may not have the latest vaccine formulations, which can put your pet at risk. Low-cost vaccination clinics are becoming more and more common these days, but while it may sound good to get a discount, experts say there are trade-offs to that lower price. For one thing, a low-cost clinic may not be paying for the most up-to-date formulation of vaccine available. The other advantage to taking a pet to a full-service clinic is the extras.
Many owners will bring a pet in for a routine round of vaccines, and while the pet is on the exam table, take the chance to ask about a new behavior or other health question. Although a full examination does add to the cost of the visit, it can mean the difference between catching a health issue in early stages and letting it progress.
An examination is especially crucial for puppies and kittens, whose health status may be changing from week to week. McCord believes that low-cost clinics do have their place in the veterinary world, even though some practitioners are skeptical of them. For one thing, they provide an outlet for struggling recent veterinary school graduates to get experience and begin paying off their school debt. For another, the clinics can ensure that pet owners can provide for their animals, even if they fall on hard times.
They do a good thing in that respect, but you do wonder how they keep their costs down. Healthy stool in as little as 24 hours. My sister has a new pet dog and wanted it to grow up healthy. My mom suggested going to the vet, then, have it vaccinated and shared this article with her. There is no cure, but doctors can treat the symptoms. COVID is not thought to be a health threat to dogs, and there is no evidence it makes dogs sick. Signs include most GI symptoms, including loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Doctors can keep a dog hydrated, warm, and comfortable, and help alleviate nausea, but no drug kills coronaviruses. When your puppy is around to weeks, talk to your vet about starting a heartworm preventive. Though there is no vaccine for this condition, it is preventable with regularly administered heartworm medication that your veterinarian will prescribe. The name is descriptive — these worms lodge in the right side of the heart and the pulmonary arteries that send blood to the lungs , though they can travel through the rest of the body and sometimes invade the liver and kidneys.
The worms can grow to 14 inches long and, if clumped together, block and injure organs. A new heartworm infection often causes no symptoms, though dogs in later stages of the disease may cough, become lethargic, lose their appetite or have difficulty breathing. Infected dogs may tire after mild exercise. Unlike most of the conditions listed here, which are passed by urine, feces, and other body fluids, heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes. Therefore, diagnosis is made via a blood test and not a fecal exam.
Also known as infectious tracheobronchitis, kennel cough results from inflammation of the upper airways. It can be caused by bacterial, viral, or other infections, such as Bordetella and canine parainfluenza, and often involves multiple infections simultaneously. In rare cases, it can be deadly. It is easily spread between dogs kept close together, which is why it passes quickly through kennels.
Antibiotics are usually not necessary, except in severe, chronic cases. Cough suppressants can make a dog more comfortable. Unlike most diseases on this list, Leptospirosis is caused by bacteria, and some dogs may show no symptoms at all. Leptospirosis can be found worldwide in soil and water.
It is a zoonotic disease, meaning that it can be spread from animals to people. When symptoms do appear, they can include fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, severe weakness and lethargy, stiffness, jaundice, muscle pain, infertility, kidney failure with or without liver failure. Antibiotics are effective, and the sooner they are given, the better. Lyme disease or borreliosis is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused by a type of bacteria called a spirochete.
Transmitted via ticks, an infected dog often starts limping, his lymph nodes swell, his temperature rises, and he stops eating. The disease can affect his heart, kidney, and joints, among other things, or lead to neurological disorders if left untreated.
If diagnosed quickly, a course of antibiotics is extremely helpful, though relapses can occur months or even years later. Parvo is a highly contagious virus that affects all dogs, but unvaccinated dogs and puppies less than four months of age are at the most risk to contract it. The virus attacks the gastrointestinal system and creates a loss of appetite, vomiting, fever, and often severe, bloody diarrhea. Extreme dehydration can come on rapidly and kill a dog within to hours, so prompt veterinary attention is crucial.
There is no cure, so keeping the dog hydrated and controlling the secondary symptoms can keep him going until his immune system beats the illness. Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that invades the central nervous system, causing headache, anxiety, hallucinations, excessive drooling, fear of water, paralysis, and death.
It is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Treatment within hours of infection is essential, otherwise, death is highly likely. Mixed infections, for instance with parvovirus, may intensify the disease. Diarrhea is sudden in onset, accompanied by lethargy and decreased appetite. The stool is loose, mushy with a strong odor, and red-orange tinted. It may contain blood or mucus. As with most viruses, there are no medications to treat this disease, it will run its course in a few days.
Antibiotics are used because secondary bacterial infections are common. Withholding food until 24 hours after the diarrhea has ceased and gradually reintroducing it may be sufficient. Dehydration may occur and must be corrected with intravenous fluids. It is best to seek veterinary assistance in treating this disease. Vaccination of puppies should begin at six weeks-of-age and be repeated every two to four weeks until 16 weeks-of-age.
Vaccination Minimum age — 6 weeks: Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease affects the blood, liver, or kidneys. Canine leptospirosis is a bacterial disease which attacks the kidneys and the liver, causing uremia, jaundice, and death. The disease is highly contagious. It is carried by many species of wild and domestic animals, including rats.
It is transmitted to dogs and people via contact with infected animals or through contaminated drinking water. Ingestion of infected urine is the most common means of transmission, but some forms of the bacteria can penetrate damaged or very thin skin.
The incubation period is usually days. Cats are extremely resistant to leptospirosis. Many infections go undetected, but other cases can be life threatening. There are three main forms of the disease: hemorrhagic bleeding , icteric liver , and renal kidney. In the hemorrhagic disease there is high fever with lethargy and loss of appetite. Multiple small hemorrhages occur in the mouth and on the whites of the eyes. Bloody diarrhea and vomiting may occur.
This form is often fatal. The jaundice form begins much like the hemorrhagic form, and many of the signs are the same. It differs in the presence of a yellow color in the mouth and whites of the eyes. In severe cases in dogs with white hair, the skin will turn yellow.
The renal form causes kidney failure. These dogs are very lethargic, anorectic, and experience vomiting. Their mouth may have a very bad odor, and the ulcers often develop on the tongue. This form may be fatal, but recovered dogs often have chronic kidney disease.
If medical treatment is begun promptly, antibiotics are reasonably effective. For dogs that are extremely sick hospitalization for treatment with intravenous fluids, is necessary.
The vaccine for leptospirosis should be included in the routine vaccination program by veterinarians. This usually results in lethargy for several days and possibly loss of appetite. These dogs recover and are then protected against the disease. The Bordetella organism causes inflammation of the tubes in the lungs and bronchi, making infectious bronchitis a much better term. This air born virus attacks the upper respiratory tract and is passed from dog to dog.
If you plan to board your dog, the kennel may require this vaccination. Several viruses and bacteria may cause it. These include the adenovirus type-2 virus, the parainfluenza virus, and the bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica Bb. The infection, an extremely contagious respiratory disease of dogs spreads rapidly from dog to dog in kennels, grooming shops, shows and training classes.
The disease is spread by direct contact and via airborne transmission. Other symptoms include discharge from the eyes and nose, swollen tonsils, wheezing, lack of appetite, and lethargy. Although coughing is usually mild, it may persist for several weeks.
Bordetella vaccine is given once yearly, except for the first time when it is given injections, two to four weeks apart until 16 weeks-of-age, and then once a year for life. Intranasal drops in the nose vaccines give faster and better protection than do injectable vaccines. The disease is treatable but may last for up to eight weeks, during which time the affected dog is highly contagious to other dogs. If untreated, the disease can progress to pneumonia and death.
At TLC we only use the intranasal in the nose type of kennel cough vaccine as it is quicker and more effective than injectable. We recommend this vaccine to all dogs, especially for dogs that are to be boarded within a week or so of vaccination and thus do not have enough time to get the two bordetella injections three to four weeks apart with injectable.
Dogs in their own back yards that never may leave are still susceptible up to yards from an infected dog. The virus easily carries on the air current infecting the animal. Viruses must run their course, which may take weeks. Antibiotics are useful against the bacteria involved, although some resistance to some antibiotics has occurred. Cough suppressants are used to break the cycle of coughing.
Epidemiological evidence shows that the isolation of Bordetella bronchiseptica Bb from cats is frequently associated with the presence, in the same household, of dogs with recent respiratory tract disease. Bb infection in cats has been reported following outbreaks of kennel cough in dogs within the same households.
There have been cases that prove molecules from both cats and dogs were shown to be identical. This suggests that infectious bronchitis may be transmitted between dogs and cats.
Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that attacks the brain. It can affect any warm-blooded animal, including dogs and humans. It is almost always fatal. It is primarily transmitted from animal to animal and from animal to man through the bite of an infected animal. In order to control the spread of rabies, all pets must be vaccinated routinely.
Rabies is a viral disease which affects all species of warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, and humans. It is transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal that has rabies virus in its saliva.
Rabies virus travels in the nerves from the site of the bite to the brain and spinal cord. Rabid animals undergo personality changes during the course of the disease; these changes may include aggression and biting or increased friendliness and affectionateness. Rabies is ever present in the South West in wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, and bats. Law in all states requires rabies vaccination of dogs. Rabies vaccination of cats is not, but should be, because there are more reported case of rabies in cats than dogs, which also expose more humans to the disease.
Puppies and kittens should be vaccinated against rabies at four months-of-age. The absolute minimum age is 16 weeks. If in doubt about the exact age of a puppy or kitten, wait until tooth eruption indicates that the patient is at least 16 weeks-of-age.
Dogs and cats that are under one year-of-age when they receive a rabies vaccination will be protected for only one year. The next rabies vaccination must be given one year after the initial one. Dogs and cats that are over one year-of-age when they receive a rabies vaccination will be protected for three years. There are three stages of the disease. The first is the prodromal phase in which there is a marked change in temperament. The quiet dog becomes agitated, and the active dog becomes nervous or shy.
Other symptoms include dilated pupils, excessive drooling, and snapping at imaginary objects. After days, the second phase begins.
It is called the excitatory phase. There is an exaggerated response to any stimulus. Dogs may experience changes in appetite including eating and swallowing sticks, stones, and other objects. The dog may roam aimlessly, inflict trauma upon himself, and have a change in voice. There will often be vicious, aggressive behavior, even towards his guardian. Seizures may occur. His mouth may gape open with the tongue protruding.
A progressive paralysis sets in resulting in total body paralysis. There are a number of diseases that can cause some of the signs of rabies. A few conditions can be very similar. Confirmation of rabies can only be made with special tests performed on brain tissue. This requires that the dog be euthanized and its head sent to a special diagnostic laboratory. Rabies is only transmitted by the bite of a rabid animal to another mammal. But even then, the virus is present in saliva of the infected animal for a limited time.
If you are bitten by any animal of which you do not know the rabies vaccination status, you should immediately wash the wound with soap and water.
Try to establish who owns the animal and whether the pet is currently vaccinated for rabies. In any case, seek the advice of your physician. Post-exposure rabies treatment with serum or vaccine may be recommended. This is very successful when begun quickly. Rabies vaccines are very safe and very effective. It is recommended for all dogs, and, required by law in many locales. The public health concern is so significant that even totally indoor dogs should be vaccinated.
Vaccination for rabies is usually performed at three to four months of age, and then every one to three years depending on the vaccine and the local laws thereafter. Giardia infections can cause significant gastrointestinal disease including diarrhea, weight loss and poor weight gain despite normal appetite. Giardia is a parasite that lives in many unexpected sources. Your pet can be infected with Giardia simply by drinking contaminated water or by licking its paws after walking in an infected area.
Once ingested, Giardia lives in the intestines of the pet, and is returned to the environment through feces. This disease frequently occurs in dogs and cats, and is the most prevalent protozoal disease in humans according to Centers for Disease Control reports.
Symptoms of giardia in humans and pets include diarrhea, weight loss and poor weight gain despite normal appetite. Many pets contract the disease and do not show signs of it. However, they can pass the parasite to other animals. Although the potential for pain in infected pets is not known, humans with giardia can suffer from intense abdominal pain and cramping.
Dogs and cats are susceptible to disease caused by Giardia, especially puppies and kittens. Their maturing immune system often leaves them unable to protect themselves from diseases. As a result, puppies and kittens are considered among the highest risk groups. Most dogs that are infected with Giardia do not have diarrhea or any other signs of illness. When the eggs are found in the stool of a dog without diarrhea, they are generally considered a transient, insignificant finding.
In puppies and debilitated adult dogs, they may cause severe, watery diarrhea that may be fatal. Giardia is diagnosed by performing a microscopic examination of a stool sample. Occasionally, the parasites may be seen on a direct smear of the feces. A blood test is also available for detection of antigens cell proteins of Giardia in the blood. This test is probably more accurate than the stool exam, but it requires several days to get a result from the laboratory performing the test.
The antibiotic drug used to kill Giardia is metronidazole. Medication should be given for days. Other drugs are also used if diarrhea and dehydration occur.
Giardia can also cause diarrhea in humans. Environmental disinfection is very important. The use of chlorine bleach, one cup in a gallon of water, is effective if the surfaces and premises can be safely treated with it. This disease is carried by ticks, so any dog you will be taking camping, hunting, or anywhere ticks are found should be vaccinated. Lyme disease not Lymes is a bacterial disease transmitted through tick bites.
It takes 24 hours-or-so after attachment to your dog for an infested tick to transmit the disease. The disease can damage many body systems but most often causes fever, loss of appetite, arthritis, and lameness. Lyme disease is contracted via the bite of an infected tick. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the United States, and it continues to spread to new areas. The signs of Lyme disease include a bulls eye rash at the site of the tick bite, flu-like symptoms, fever, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, and lameness.
Complications of this disease can include heart and nervous system. Treatment with antibiotics is usually effective if begun early, but diagnosis of the disease is difficult, so treatment is commonly started too late to be fully curative.
Lyme disease can affect people; however they do not get it directly from pets. They get it from being bitten by the same ticks that transmit it to cats and dogs. Therefore, preventing exposure to ticks is important for you and your pet.
Many people with Lyme disease notice a rash at the site of the bite within 3 to 30 days. For these people, the disease can be easily diagnosed at an early stage. Symptoms of Lyme disease are more difficult to detect in animals than in people. This rash does not develop in dogs or cats. Because the other symptoms of the disease may be delayed or not recognized, and because they are similar to those of many other diseases, Lyme disease in animals is often not considered until other diseases have been eliminated.
Some pets are affected with the Lyme disease organism for over a year before they finally show symptoms. By this time, the disease may be throughout their whole body. Pets with lameness, swollen joints, and fever are suspected of having Lyme disease. Other diseases may also cause these symptoms. There are two blood tests that may be used for confirmation. The first is an antibody test. This test does not detect the actual spirochete in the blood but detects the presence of antibodies created by exposure to the organism.
A test can be falsely negative if the pet is infected but has not yet formed antibodies, or if he never forms enough antibodies to cause a positive reaction. This may occur in animals with suppressed immune systems. Some pets that have been infected for long periods of time may no longer have enough antibodies present to be detected by the test. A positive test is meaningful, but a negative is not. The second test is the polymerase chain reaction PCR test. This is also known as DNA testing.
It is very specific and sensitive. Not all pets have the spirochete in their blood cells. If a blood sample is tested, a false negative may occur. The best sample for testing is the fluid from an affected joint. The initial antibiotic selected to treat an infected pet may not be effective against the disease, especially if the infection is long-standing. In this situation, a switch to another antibiotic is often effective.
Occasionally, the initial infection will recur, or the pet will become reinfected after being bitten by another infected tick. There is no vaccine available for cats.
A vaccine is now available for protecting dogs against Lyme disease. This vaccine is initially given twice, at two-week intervals. Rattlesnakes live a variety of habitats.
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