1. Is my pet overweight? How much should
I feed her? What kind of food should she be on?
If you suspect that your pet is overweight, please feel free to
call our office and set up a consultation. If your pet is due
for her annual examination we can evaluate her weight at that
time. If she is not currently due, you can set up a consultation
with a Technician. Danielle, our C.V.T. is a Veterinary Nutritional
Advocate and she is qualified to evaluate your pets Body Condition
Score and advise you about a feeding and exercise plan.
We generally advise that you feed your pet a high quality diet
such as Purina O.N.E, Eukanuba, Iams, or Hill’s Science
Diet.
2. I’ve heard that I should be
brushing my pet’s teeth. How am I supposed to do that and
why?
Dental care is very important to your pet’s health. Dental
disease can lead to problems throughout your pet’s body.
The infection caused by periodontal disease may enter the bloodstream,
potentially infecting the heart, liver and kidneys. Common indications
of oral disease include bad breath, a change in eating or chewing
habits, pawing at the face or mouth and depression. If you see
any of these signs, or if you suspect dental disease for any reason,
please call our office and schedule a dental examination.
To prevent dental disease, it is essential to create a home care
routine. The best option is to brush your pet’s teeth. For
complete instructions please click on http://www.petdental.com/pet_dental/pet_index.jsp.
If you would like hands-on instructions on brushing, please feel
free to call our office and set up a consultation. Our staff would
be happy to work with you to find a home care regimen that works
for you. If brushing is truly not an option, don’t be discouraged,
there are other homecare options we can explore.
3. I would like to have my pet seen by
the veterinarian, but I don’t have any money right now,
can I still come in?
Unfortunately, we are no longer able to bill our clients. If we
continue to engage in this practice, we will no longer be able
to afford to be in practice. We happily accept Visa, Mastercard,
cash, and personal checks. If pet needs to be seen for something
routine, we encourage you to wait until you have the money to
set up the appointment. If your pet has a problem and needs to
be seen promptly, we will hold a check (with current dating) until
a designated date. We do require a valid credit card number with
this service.
4. When should I switch my puppy/kitten
to adult food?
A good rule of thumb is to switch your pet over when he or she
is altered. If you should choose not to do so, you usually want
to switch at about 12 months of age. This number is a general
rule and may vary by breed.
5. Why do you want to see a urine sample
from my pet?
Basically, a urinalysis can be used as a screen for many different
conditions in dogs and cats. We can see evidence of problems as
simple as a urinary tract infection, to complex issues such as
kidney disease and diabetes, just to name a few. While a urinalysis
is crucial for your pet as he or she ages (generally 6 years of
age and older) it can be very helpful for pets of all ages.
6. Okay, but how do I obtain a urine sample
from my pet?
Dogs - If you take a clean receptacle and hold it under your dog
as he or she urinates you should be successful. We personally
recommend a soup ladle or something relatively shallow like a
pie plate. If you have a dog who lifts his leg, you job will be
easier.
Cats - Cats are a bit more difficult, but don't get discouraged,
there are several options. The simplest way to obtain a urine
sample from a cat is to completely empty out the litter box, then
clean it. Lock your cat in a small room (bathrooms are usually
a good idea, even a large dog crate might work) with the clean,
empty box, and wait for him to use the box.
If you are not successful with the first method, just stop by
the office and we will dispense a lab litter kit. The process
is basically the same, but we will give you a special litter to
place in the clean litterbox. The kit also includes a pipette
to transfer the urine and a container for the sample.
With both species, once you obtain the sample, place it into a
clean container and bring it in to us.
7. My pet does not go outside and/or has
no contact with any other animals, do I still need to have him
vaccinated?
The decision as to whether or not a pet needs to be vaccinated
is evaluated on a case by case basis. Generally, once a pet has
completed a series of puppy/kitten vaccines at 8, 12, and 16 weeks,
all pets should be given a distemper vaccination yearly until
approximately 5 years of age. It is usually at about that age
that we begin to re-evaluate the patients vaccination needs. Pennsylvania
state law requires all dogs and cats to have a Rabies shot by
6 months of age, they then require a booster in 1 year, then subsequent
boosters every 3 years for life. If your pet goes to boarding
kennels, training classes or anywhere else where there will be
a number of animals together in close quarters, he or she will
need a bordetella (kennel cough) vaccination. There are other
vaccinations available such as lyme disease and leptospirosis,
however, we only vaccinate for those diseases if we feel the dog
is at risk. That is why we always ask you about your pets lifestyle,
as well as where they go and what they do. We can then better
evaluate your pets needs. No matter what Dr. Jescke decides that
your pet needs in terms of vaccinations, the most important thing
is that we see your pet every 6 to 12 months for a physical examination.
8. Why do you want to see a fecal sample
from my pet?
We can look at the sample under a microscope to screen for intestinal
parasites.
9. What does it mean to spay or neuter
my pet and is it important to have it done?
The proper name for a spay is an ovariohysterectomy (OVH). This
is the surgical removal of the uterus and ovaries. It is very
important to the health of your female pet. If she is left intact,
she runs the risk of a very serious condition called a pyometra.
This is an infection of the uterus. Essentially, the whole uterus
fills with pus. This is a life threatening condition. Your intact
female pet also runs the risk of mammary tumors (breast cancer).
This is also a potentially life threatening illness. If you are
thinking of spaying your pet, but you are not sure, keep in mind
that with every heat cycle she goes through, her chances of developing
a mammary tumor later in life are increased.
The proper name for a neuter is castration. This is the surgical
removal of the testicles. It is important to neuter your male
pet. There are a number of serious medical issues that can develop
in an intact male. The most serious being prostate cancer.
For both genders, there are also a number of non-health related
reasons to alter your dog or cat. First, you must consider the
serious issue of pet overpopulation. Think about the number of
homeless pets that are euthanized every year. Even if you don't
plan to breed your pet, it is nearly impossible to keep an accidental
pregnancy from happening. Also, both male dogs and cats tend to
display very undesireable habits, and the earlier they are neutered
the less likely these habits are to develop. Male cats have a
tendency to "spray" when they remain intact, and it
is nearly impossible to get that odor out of your house. Male
dogs tend to "leg lift" meaning they have tendency to
urinate on everything. Female pets will also make your life miserable
when they are in heat. Female cats will cry and howl endlessly
when they go into heat. They will also try to escape. A female
cat will go in and out of heat continuosly every 21 days until
they are bred or they are spayed. A female dog will drip bloody
discharge while she is in full heat. This can get very messy.
She will also try very hard to escape.
10. Okay, I understand why I should alter
my pet, but why is it so costly?
You must think about what you are actually paying for. Neuters
are less expensive than spays, this is for the simple reason that
a neuter is a much less involved, less invasive procedure. A spay
is a major abdominal surgery. In both cases, you are paying for
the skill and time of the surgeon, all the necessary supplies,
a Certified Veterinary Technician to monitor while under anesthesia,
a state of the art monitoring system, the best and safest anesthestics
and pain management medications available, as well as hospitalization.
What would a hysterectomy cost for a human if she did not have
insurance?
11. Does my pet have to spend the night?
All patients who are here for a spay are required to spend the
night. This is because we can be sure that they are safely confined
in a kennel overnight and are not at risk of injuring themselves.
All neuters are permitted to go home that afternoon. All dog neuters
are required to go home with an Elizabethan collar on so that
they will not lick there incision.
12. I've heard about crate training, what
does that mean? Isn't it cruel to lock your dog up?
Crate training is a safe and effective method of housebreaking
your dog. At first, your puppy will spend a lot of time in his
crate but as he matures he will have more and more freedom. When
you cannot be with your puppy and monitor him 100%, he is in his
crate. When he comes out of his crate, the first thing he does
is go outside. Give him ample time to urinate and defecate. When
he does, throw him a party! Meaning, give him plenty of praise
as well as a treat. Do this everytime he does his "business"
outside. When he has an accident in the house, resist the temptation
to punish him. He needs to understand poop/pee inside, nothing
happens, poop/pee outside, I get a party. He will understand.
Keep him on a strict feeding schedule. This will help you predict
when he has to go. Do not let him out of the crate when he cries.
Do not use the crate as punishment. If you are positive and consistent
with your training, your puppy will not mind being in there. Give
him a treat when he goes in. Keep the door open and he may go
in there to rest without you asking him to. By crate training
your puppy, you will not only protect your home from an exhuberant
young pup, you will protect your precious new family member from
the dangers a big scary house can present.
13. Well, crate training seems like a
good idea, should I go out and buy the biggest crate there is
so my puppy has plenty of room?
No, a crate should be just large enough for your puppy to stand
up and turn around. If he will grow up to be a large dog, you
can get a large crate and block off part of it to make the crate
smaller. You can also borrow a small crate from a friend until
your puppy grows into a larger crate.
14. Do you have any other pointers for
housebreaking my puppy?
-Keep the same feeding/exercise routine 7 days a week
-Always feed at the same time, allowing 15-20 minutes to eat,
then take the food away. Do not allow unlimited access to food.
-Always feed the same diet. Choose a high quality puppy food,
such as Purina One, Science Diet, Eukanuba, or Iams.
-Limit treats. Your puppy must earn a treat for learning a new
behavior, or relieving himself outside.
-Take him outside immediately:
*after each nap
*after each meal
*after each drinking session
*after each playing session
*before bed
*if sniffing, circling, or whining
-Always take your puppy out on a leash during training, never
let him loose in the backyard, or put him on a tie out. Once he
is reliably housebroken you can think about gradually changing
things.
-Take him to the same spot to do his business and wait there.
-Give doing business a word (business, duty, poops/peeps)
-Praise enthusiastically as soon as he goes.
-Remember mess inside=nothing
go outside=party
