Welcome to May which is National Pet Month! This month I have decided to cover topics that otherwise may not have found a spot this year in our Blog Schedule to be discussed...so hold tight...our articles this month will cover a wide variety of topics, not one specific topic. First up this month I wanted to address basic body language in both dogs and cats in a shorter crash course. These articles are not in depth, but are intended to provide you a starting point to understand your dog/cat a little bit better & create a better pet/owner relationship as you understand their body language better. What is your dog trying to tell you? Dogs have a language that allows them to communicate their emotional state & their intentions to others around them. Although dogs do use sounds and signals, much of the information that they send is through their body language, specifically their facial expressions and body postures. Understanding what your dog is saying can give you a lot of useful information, such as when your dog is spooked and nervous about what is going on, or when your dog is edgy and might be ready to snap at someone. You do have to look at the dog's face and his whole body. Relaxed Dog There is nothing better than being with a happy dog. The body is fluid and relaxed, the mouth is slightly open with tongue hanging to the side and all the signals a dog gives off communicate joy, confidence and a desire to invite play and attention. Alert Dog Dogs are naturally curious animals and the more confident they are, the more they can deal with novelty and change. All dogs will size up any situation to ensure safety using the following language. Dominant/Aggressive Dog This is a very dominant and confident animal. Here he is not only expressing his social dominance, but is also threatening that he will act aggressively if he is challenged. Fearful Dog When a dog has to defend herself from an actual or perceived threat she will demonstrate defensive or offensive language in order to keep herself safe. This language manifests itself in behaviors that encourage a threat to keep their distance. If the threat does not back away and the dog has nowhere to go, defensive behavior will turn offensive and the dog may bite. These behaviors are usually easy to recognize and understand. Stressed Dog When dogs are stressed and nervous, they exhibit many different kinds of behavior that either help relieve the stress they are feeling or appease a perceived threat. While dogs like humans, yawn when they are tired, they are also much more likely to yawn when they are nervous. Stressed dogs can easily become fearful if the perceived threat or stressful situation is not resolved so quick action on your part as an owner to resolve the situation or simply remove your pet from the area is key to preventing this from escalating further. Fearful/Worried Dog You may see this behavior when your dog believes they are in trouble or in the face of a dominant or aggressive dog. You may also see appeasement behavior such as muzzle/lip licking, excessive blinking and gaze avoidance. Worried dogs can also easily become fearful if the perceived threat or stressful situation is not resolved so quick action on your part as an owner to resolve the situation or simply remove your pet from the area is key to preventing this from escalating further. Submission If the appeasement behavior does not fix the situation, you may see a dog take the submissive position where they expose their most vulnerable body parts (stomach & throat). They may also urinate. This is different then when a dog is excited & rolls over for a belly rub, since that will be accompanied by a wagging tail, panting, & ears being in a more up & alert position instead of flat against the head. Playful Dog The "play bow" is the basic invitation to play. It may be accompanied by excited barking or playful attacks and retreats. This set of signals may be used as a sort of "punctuation mark" to indicate that any previous rough behaviour was not meant as a threat or challenge. As with any subject that we discuss on this blog, the more informed you are as an owner, the better you can understand your pet & their needs. I hope this crash course has helped with the basics of dog body language. As always, I do encourage you to continue doing your own research in this topic to continue learning. Youtube does have several great videos on this topic as a point of reference. Next week we will continue our Pet Body Language Crash Course with our Cat Edition so STAY TUNED!! Whenever you visit our clinic, chances are you’ve seen the posters on our walls warning of the dangers of heartworm disease & also the benefits of prevention. Heartworm disease can be fatal to pets. Most of our clients have their pet on some form of prevention, however, we get this question on a daily basis: why do I need to have them on prevention YEAR ROUND? Due to the link to mosquitoes, some owners opt out of treating their pets during the winter months, but veterinarians see this as an unnecessary risk to the pet’s health. Animal owners who stop giving heartworm prevention medication during the winter still run the risk of their dog or cat contracting heartworms. Even in the winter months, there are warmer days or even a week here and there where the temperatures warm up enough to make contracting heartworm disease possible. Heartworm prevention usually also has a general dewormer element built into the prevention. So by keeping your pet on year round prevention, you are also providing them a monthly dewormer as well. Intestinal parasites are a year-round issue & keeping your pet on prevention helps keep this issue at bay. In our clinic this year alone we have already seen 5 positive cases of heartworms in dogs already....and it's only April! Heartworm positive cases are definitely on the rise which means more mosquitoes in the area are carrying this deadly disease & our pets are more at risk than ever. Prevention during the warmer months is critical, but colder months important also! I have already covered in a previous article this month our treatment protocol for heartworm, but I did not include the pricing for that. For our clinic, the average price of heartworm treatment is $800-$1000 & can be even more expensive than that based on the dog's weight. Compared to the relatively low cost of monthly prevention & the significant health risk associated with heartworm disease, ensuring your pet is protected from heartworm year round is a no brainer. Another question we get a lot at our clinic is why we strongly recommend Heartworm Testing prior to starting any pet on heartworm prevention over 6 months of age. If the animal becomes infected and the heartworm preventative is later resumed without testing, the owner may be putting the pet in danger. The preventive medicine can kill so many microfilariae (the offspring of adult, female heartworms) at once that it could shock the animal’s system, with potentially fatal results. Also, preventatives will not kill adult heartworms and they will continue to reproduce. For this reason, testing your dog or cat prior to starting a heartworm preventive medication is essential, especially since pets that have heartworms may not show symptoms right away. With Heartworm Disease being so easily prevented, is it worth the risk to only use Heartworm Prevention seasonally?
No, its not worth the risk! Year round prevention is the only way to fully protect your family pet. ![]() The risk of kittens & puppies getting heartworm disease is equal to that of adult pets due to the transmission by mosquito. We, therefore, recommend that any pet be started on a heartworm preventive as early as 8 weeks of age or based on the label restrictions of the prevention chosen by the owner. The dosage of a heartworm medication is based on body weight, not age. Puppies and kittens grow rapidly in their first months of life, and the rate of growth, especially in dogs, varies widely from one breed to another. That means a young animal can gain enough weight to move from one dosage range to the next within a matter of weeks. This is why our clinic requests that puppies & kittens under a year to visit us once a month for a free of charge weight to ensure we are providing you with adequate prevention. Keep in mind preventions are not made equal. Do your research & consult your veterinarian about any concerns or questions about prevention. Below I have given you a variety of heartworm preventions, for dogs and cats, along with what the labels claim it helps prevent, how it is applied, & also the best average monthly price I could find. Heartworm Prevention (Dog) Iverhart Plus Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $5 Heartgard Plus Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $6.30 Interceptor Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $5. 50 Iverhart Max Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Tapeworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $7 Sentinel Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm, Flea Eggs Application: 8 month (Collar) Monthly Price (Online): $5.50 Advantage Multi Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm, Fleas/Flea Eggs Application: Monthly (Topical) Monthly Price (Online): $13.46 Revolution Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Flea/Flea Eggs Application: Monthly (Topical) Monthly Price (Online): $16.75 Trifexis Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm, Fleas Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $16.50 Also keep in mind that preventions are priced based on weight. The monthly price I provide is an average cost of all weight classes. Heartworm Prevention (Cats) Heartgard Plus Helps Prevent: Heartworm, & Hookworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $4.86 Interceptor Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Whipworm Application: Monthly (Oral) Monthly Price (Online): $5.50 Advantage Multi Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Fleas/Flea Eggs Application: Monthly (Topical) Monthly Price (Online): $12.60 Revolution Helps Prevent: Heartworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Fleas/Flea Eggs Application: Monthly (Topical) Monthly Price (Online): $14.80 Because it's important I will say it again...Keep in mind preventions are not made equal. Do your research & consult your veterinarian about any concerns or questions about prevention. Heartworm Stages Stage I: Asymptomatic Stage II: Soft cough starts & you may see some exercise intolerance or nose bleeds Stage III: Chronic Immune Stimulation-antibodies are being continually produced to attack the heartworms which also produce proteins that can cause damage to delicate tissues. Stage IV: Congestive Heart Failure-Heartworm disease if left untreated will develop into this dangerous condition with disastrous results. Treatment If your dog has a positive Heartworm Test, the following steps are next: 1. We will look for microfilaria in a blood sample under the microscope 2. Bloodwork to test for abnormalities in the liver, kidneys, or blood count/levels 3. X-rays to look for enlarged heart & ensure other organs look normal 4. Adminster heartworm prevention monthly throughout treatment 5. Course of antibiotics & steroids 6. 2-3 injections of Immiticide (medication to kill adult heartworms) are given 30 days apart (usually in the back muscles) 7. Heartworm test 6 months after completing treatment to ensure heartworm negative Complete rest is essential after treatment. The adult worms die in a few days and start to decompose. As they break up, they are carried to the lungs, where they lodge in the small blood vessels and are eventually reabsorbed by the body. This resorption can take several weeks to months and most post-treatment complications are caused by these fragments of dead heartworms. This can be a dangerous period so it is absolutely essential that the dog be kept as quiet as possible and is not allowed to exercise for one month following treatment. You may also notice a cough during this time which is common. If you become concerned about the severity of the cough, please contact our clinic to set up an appointment with one of our veterinarians. As mentioned in the previous article, we cannot use the same treatments for cats as we do dogs. The best protection for cats is to always use prevention, such as Revolution, to prevent the disease from first occurring. Welcome to April which is Heartworm Awareness Month. This month we will be approaching this increasingly common disease from a variety of angles, from learning a little about the disease, to the stages of the disease, treatment, prevention, & recommendation of year round prevention. If you want to learn more than what you find in these articles, please feel free to contact our clinic with your questions & we would be more than happy to talk more with you. Heartworm disease is a serious & potentially fatal disease in pets across the globe. It is caused by foot long worms that live in the heart, lungs & associated blood vessels causing severe lung disease, heart failure & damage to other organs in the body. Microfilariae are the larva form of heartworm and migrate through the bloodstream & therefore are used as a diagnostic tool when seen under the microscope. The female worm can grow up to 14 inches long & an 1/8 inch wide. The male is about half the size of the female. Although mainly affecting dogs, cats and ferrets, heartworms can also live in other mammals including wolves, coyotes, foxes, sea lions and in rare instances humans. Because wild species such as foxes and coyotes live in proximity to many urban areas, they are considered important carriers of the disease. Location & Transmission Heartworm disease is not passed dog to dog, it is instead passed from mosquito to dog. Spread of the disease therefore coincides with mosquito season, which can last year round & is also more common in warmer weather climates, such as Mississippi & Florida.
Stay tuned each Monday this month for a new article regarding Heartworm Disease, Treatment, & Prevention. I hope these articles are educational & helpful to you as a pet owner.
|
Archives
December 2018
Kasey Kent
|