Healthcare Information

Here at Companion Animal Hospital of Washingtonville /Blooming Grove, we advise annual screening for tick-borne diseases, as well as annual Lyme vaccinations and flea prevention for dogs. We are here to make sure you know the ins and outs of pet care, from surgery preparation to ear cleaning. Contact our animal hospital today to speak with a vet about your furry friend.
Healthcare Information
Here at Companion Animal Hospital of Washingtonville /Blooming Grove, we advise annual screening for tick-borne diseases, as well as annual Lyme vaccinations and flea prevention for dogs. We are here to make sure you know the ins and outs of pet care, from surgery preparation to ear cleaning. Contact our animal hospital today to speak with a vet about your furry friend.

 

Services Provided

 

• Housecalls • Annual Exams • Senior Pet Exams • Dentistry • Behavior Therapy • Parasite Control • Nutritional Counseling • X-Ray • EKG • Laboratory • General Surgery • Hospitalization • Pharmacy • Pain Management

 

Tick-Borne Diseases

 

 

	Lyme Disease	Anaplasmosis	Ehrilichiosis
Causes	Deer Tick	Deer Tick	Brown Dog Tick
Most Common Signs of Infection	Silent Infection ·         Lameness ·         Fever ·         Swollen Joints ·         Kidney Failure ·         Anorexia	Silent Infection ·         Lethargy ·         High Fever ·         Swollen Joint, Very Painful Joints ·         Vomiting ·         Diarrhea	From Mild to Severe ·         Loss of Appetite ·         Depression ·         Fever ·         Painful Joints ·         Bloody Nose ·         Pale Gums
Disease Progression if Left Untreated	Damaged joints, fatal kidney disease	Very low numbers of platelets and white blood cells, chronic joint pain, neurological signs	Permanent blindness, autoimmune diseases, bleeding complications, death

Parasites, Pets, & People

Some of the parasites that may affect your pet are: Coccidia, Ear Mites, Fleas, Giardia, Heart Worms, Hookworms, Mange Mites, Roundworms, Tape Worms, Whip Worms, Ticks, and Toxoplasmosis.

People have been known to have contacted some of the above parasites from their pets directly or through sharing the environment.  Examples of ways people have contacted parasites are: hookworm infection through the skin (walking barefoot outside), and roundworm infection from oral ingestion of eggs.

For the protection of both pets and people we advise annual stool examinations, feeding pets only cooked or prepared food (never raw meat), routine de-worming for outdoor animals, flea and tick prevention, and good personal hygiene.

For more information you can contact the CDC (cdc.gov), Companion Animal Parasite Council (petsandparasites.org), and others.

Toxic Foods and Your Dog

Grapes and Raisins

Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.
Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, decreased urine production (possibly leading to lack of urine production), weakness and drunken gait.

Onions

Onions can cause a form of hemolytic anemia called Heinz body anemia, a condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells. Kidney damage also occurs.
Toxicity may occur from similar foods such as garlic and chives
It is not clear what quantity of onions is poisonous, but the effects can be cumulative. Poisoning can result from raw, cooked and dehydrated forms
Symptoms include, pale gums, rapid heart rate, weakness, blood in urine, and lethargy.

Chocolate and Caffeine

Chocolate and cocoa contain a chemical called theobromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.
Pure baking chocolate is most toxic, while milk chocolate requires a higher quantity to cause harm. Ingestion of cacao bean mulch can also be toxic.
Symptoms include excitement, tremors, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rate/rhythm, drunken gait, hyperthermia and coma.

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.
Symptoms include vomiting, weakness, depression, drunken gait, joint/muscle pain, and joint swelling.

 Xylitol

Xylitol is a sugar-free sweetener most often found in chewing gum and candy. As few as two pieces of gum can cause hypoglycemia to a 20 pound dog. A pack of gum can cause liver damage.
Signs of toxicity can occur within 30-60 minutes and include weakness, drunken gait, collapse and seizures.

Alcohol and Yeast Dough

Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol - a seriously toxic chemical compound that causes central nervous system and respiratory depression.
Uncooked yeast also produces ethanol.
Even small amounts of ethanol can cause toxic effects.
Symptoms include sedation, depression, lethargy, weakness, drunken gait and hypothermia (low body temperature).
Ethanol is rapidly absorbed into the system, so it is important to seek medical attention quickly. It is not usually helpful to induce vomiting. Treatment includes aggressive supportive care with fluid therapy and medications.

Fruit Pits and Seeds

Apple seeds, cherry pits, peach pits, and plum pits contain the toxin cyanide.
Symptoms of cyanide poisoning include vomiting, heavy breathing, apnea tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, coma, and skin irritation.

Ear Infections

Otitis Externa (infection of the external ear canal) is common in dogs and cats.

Common causes include bacteria, yeast, earwax, debris, parasites, and/or allergies. Up to 80% of ear infections are linked to allergies, and many times infections are a secondary result to poor hygiene or another bodily disturbance (hormonal/infection).

Weekly ear examinations are paramount to the health of your animal's ears. Check for foul odors coming from the ears, or an obviously dirty ear canal. The ear canal should be cleaned with an ear cleaning solution. To do so, fill the ear canal with a cleaner, massage the solution in the ear canal, and then wipe clean with a gauze or cotton swab. Repeat this until all the dirt and debris is removed. If the ear canal is red and painful, this can be a sign of an ear infection and veterinary care is recommended.

Preparing for Surgery

All animals require a physical examination prior to any procedure. Surgery and anesthesia carry inherent risks (including death), and proper preoperative evaluation is required. Tests to evaluate the heart, internal organs, and bleeding parameters are strongly advised. Screening may reveal any dangers in seemingly healthy patients and allow us to postpone or cancel procedures until the underlining problems are corrected.

The night before surgery it is paramount to withhold food and water from your pets. General anesthesia on a full stomach carries very serious dangers such as aspiration pneumonia, with potentially life-threatening consequences.

We do not perform elective procedures (spays and neuters) on patients younger than 6 months or females in heat. If your female does come in heat we wait until her bleeding has stopped plus 3 to 4 weeks.

Post Surgery

After surgery, it is important to monitor your pet's recovery. Use of an Elizabethan Collar is one of the most effective ways to prevent your pet from self-trauma or self-removal of sutures. The collar should be worn until the wound has fully healed and the sutures are ready to be removed. In some instances, the surgical site may seep a small amount of blood or blood-tinged fluid. Large amounts of blood loss should be reported immediately to the hospital as this may warrant immediate intervention. Any foul odor from an incision site should be reported immediately. Pets should also be on restricted activity until their wounds heal. A rapid return to normal activity levels may be interpreted as a sign of recovery but can also be injurious to healing wounds, causing them to break down, leading to hernias and possible infection. Antibiotics and pain medicine should be used as prescribed by the veterinarian.

More Healthcare Information

• Common Hormone Problems In Dogs & Cats

• 
  Common Christmas Plants That Are Poisonous To Pets

• 
  Over-The-Counter Medications
  

Educate yourself on tick-borne diseases, surgery treatments, and ear care by calling us today in Washingtonville, New York.