Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Holiday Puppy or Kitten

Ballston Spa Veterinary Clinic
Dr. Eric Anderson, DVM
365 Saratoga Ave Ballston Spa, NY 
ph: (518) 885-5650
www.ballstonspavet.com

Did a new pet find it’s way into your home this holiday season? Wonderful! There is nothing that will brighten up the spirits of almost anyone like a new pet. Baby animals bring endless joy and amusement; f rom the warm snuggle of a puppy’s face to the riotous antics of the kitten under the Christmas tree. However, new pets come with needs that you have to be prepared to provide. We are here to help make this part a little simpler. At the Ballston Spa Veterinary Clinic we strive to provide you with all the information and expertise you need to give your new pet a healthy start and long happy life. All pets need comprehensive preventive care including spaying and neutering, excellent nutrition, plenty of exercise, and lots of love. We offer a comprehensive package that includes all the exams, vaccines, de-worming, and neutering to help get your new pet through their first year of life.


Preventative medicine is our focus at BSVC. Through routine examination, vaccination and parasite control, we can avoid most of the major disease problems your pet could face. Our doctors’ strongest tool is their physical exam. With it they can identify issues before they become a problem—when it is easiest to deal with. The Puppy and Kitten Package includes a complete exam at each of the three initial wellness visits and the pre-surgical exam prior to spaying or neutering.


At BSVC we take loss prevention measures. Pets get lost every day and without proper identification they have a hard time finding their way back home. With the Puppy or Kitten Package we will make you a name tag for your pet’s collar and we will implant and register a microchip. The microchip is a permanent ID that can’t be lost as it is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. Most veterinarians and shelters now have microchip scanners and check all new stray pets.


As it is in human medicine, vaccination is a vitally important tool for disease prevention. Without vaccines, we would be plagued with deadly viral diseases such as distemper, parvo, and rabies. Some vaccines, such as canine and feline distemper, are given less frequently than they used to be as we have found their immunity lasts longer in the adult patient. Others, such as Lyme and leptosporosis, still need to be given annually. All the core recommended vaccines for the first year of life are included in the Puppy and Kitten Package. Parasites are a major source of problems for our pets. Most puppies and kittens are born with the intestinal parasite roundworms so we give them de- wormer at their first visit and a dose for you to give at home two weeks later. We test a stool sample at the first visit to look for other microscopic parasites such as coccidia and giardia. The Puppy or Kitten Package includes the first fecal analysis as well as the first two doses of de-wormer.


Fleas and ticks are a major problem in our area. Fleas cause aggravating and itchy dermatitis and ticks spread Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. For dogs we recommend using Advantix topical for fleas and ticks monthly all year round. For cats we recommend Revolution for fleas, ear mites, heartworm prevention, and control of roundworms and hookworms, monthly all year round. With the Puppy or Kitten Package, your pet will receive their initial dose of Advantix or Revolution. You will also receive a 10% discount on all other services and products purchased through your pet’s first twelve months as our patient.


The final major parasite issue facing both dogs and cats in our area is heartworm disease. It is spread by the mosquito so it can affect dogs and cats of all breeds, whether indoor or outdoor. It is a deadly disease that is expensive to treat, but very easy to prevent. For dogs, a monthly chewable tablet called Interceptor not only prevents heartworm disease, but also controls the intestinal round, hook, and whipworms. For added protection, Sentinel (Interceptor’s big brother) also treats fleas. For cats, Revolution, the monthly flea treatment, also prevents heartworm disease. With the packages, puppies receive their first dose of Sentinel and kittens their first dose of Revolution.


Spaying and neutering is the backbone of pet population control in the US; it helps to prevent deadly diseases such as pyometra (uterine infection), mammary cancer, and testicular cancer. Also, neutered animals generally make much better pets with a lower drive to do things like run away or mark their territory in your house. We recommend doing this procedure between five and six months of age when they are nearly physically mature, but have not become sexually mature yet (which occurs around seven to eight months of age). The Puppy and Kitten Packages include the pre- surgical exam, pre-surgical blood test (chem 6 and CBC), IV fluids (SQ fluids for male cats), anesthesia with monitoring, the surgery itself and pain medication.


Good nutrition is vital to your pet’s health. Please stay away from cheap brands. They simply don’t provide adequate nutrition and they can lead to a number of disease problems such as urinary blockage for cats and heart disease and obesity for dogs. We recommend Royal Canin Early Care diets for all our dogs and cats. It is highly palatable and has a formulation specifically designed to prevent urinary problems and obesity. We always have the buy five get one free deal on RC Early Care diets and when you have the Puppy or Kitten Package you will get an additional 10% off.


Exercise is as important for our pets as it is for us. For dogs of all breeds, daily walking for thirty minutes to an hour is essential. They love it and it’s good for you, too. Cats like movement too. Use a laser light to create a game of chase around your house.


New pets are a wonderful blessing as long as we remember the responsibility we have to our new family members. With proper preventative care, good nutrition and plenty of fresh air and exercise, your pets will live long and healthy lives. We at the Ballston Spa Veterinary Clinic would love to help you get them off to a good start with our Puppy and Kitten Packages. Hope to see you soon.

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