We will be closed on Thursday, July 4th, 2024 in observance of the Independence Day Holiday.   We will re-open for regular business hours on Friday, July 5th at 8:00AM.    If you have an emergency which cannot wait, please contact one of the following local animal emergency services:

Partner Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center–7330 Guildford Drive, Frederick   301-200-8185

Crossroads Animal Referral and Emergency (CARE) —1080 W. Patrick St, Frederick     301-662-2273

Mountain View Animal Emergency  —- 13810 Crayton Blvd, Hagerstown    301-733-7339

VETURGENCY —- 434 Prospect Blvd., Frederick 301-288-8387 (VETS)  (Open 6PM-12AM Daily)

Examples of emergencies that should not wait:

• Trauma cases— hit by car, fight wounds, falls, broken legs, hemorrhage/bleeding
• Eye trauma/painful eyes/squinting
• Persistent Vomiting or Diarrhea, especially if your pet appears weak or distressed
• Difficulty Breathing, Severe/persistent coughing
• Male cats or dogs straining but unable to urinate
• Toxin ingestion —rat poison, antifreeze, grapes/raisins, human medications, Xylitol
• Seizures, sudden behavior changes, inability to walk

In the middle of a cold and bitter winter, many pet owners might be tempted to forego their dog’s heartworm preventative treatments until the weather warms and insects come out again. However, the American Heartworm Society and many vets across the country are urging owners to think again and treat their dogs with heartworm preventative all year.

First, you might be asking why your dog needs heartworm preventative and how the disease is spread. Heartworms are spread by mosquitos carrying infected blood and larvae can begin to develop after a single mosquito bites and infects your pet. The larvae go through multiple stages of development before they reach adult-hood and migrate to the heart and the lungs. As the disease progresses, more larvae are produced and it becomes more life-threatening for the pet. In these instances, infected pets require immediate veterinary attention before damage could progress.

Now back to heartworm preventatives. Preventatives do not stop the infection of heartworms in your pet, but rather break the life cycle so adults do not develop. When you give your dog a preventative medication, the medication clears the dog of all heartworm larvae in its system it may have acquired from the past 30 days. The medication does not stay in the dog’s system for 30 days but rather, it is given on a 30-day cycle basis as it takes 6 months for adults to develop from initial infection. The reason why preventatives should be given all year is because the medication is only effective against heartworm larvae, adults are resistant and will continue to develop.

If owners decide to skip heartworm preventative treatment in the winter months, or they accidently miss several doses, they must test their dog in the spring before resuming preventative treatments. A quick test with a few drops of blood is effective in determining if the dog is infected with heartworms and if it is safe to use heartworm preventative treatment. Here at Palmer Animal Hospital, if your dog is on preventative all year, we will test them every other year and we will test them once a year if they are not on preventatives continuously. The reason behind this is if one dose is accidently missed, or the dog spits up or vomits the medication they could be unprotected for a period of time potentially allowing adult heartworms to develop.

Cases of heartworm have been on the rise in recent years so it is important to protect your pet against the disease. Even in the colder winter months, it is important to give your dog a heartworm preventative all year so they are well protected and don’t spread the disease.

Christmas Puppies!

We are excited to report that we just had not one but TWO litters during the week of Christmas.   First, there was a repeat breeding of our Juliet (CH South Mountain Winter Love) and Finn (CH Walktall Legend of Finn MacCool at Rellim) resulting in 5 puppies.   We also had the first litter of our Fancy (South Mountain Fancy That) and our very own Mickey (GCH South Mountain Dance the Tango) producing 7 puppies.  We will have both males and females (white, silver, blue).   Here are some updated photos :

History

 

 Our Holiday Hours For New Year’s weekend are:

New Year’s Eve—Friday, Dec 31st—8AM-5PM

New Year’s Day—Saturday, Jan 1st—CLOSED

 

      If you have an emergency with your pet that cannot wait, please contact one of the below emergency clinics and they will be able to help you:

Crossroads Animal Referral and Emergency (CARE) —1080 W. Patrick St, Frederick     301-662-2273

Mountain View Animal Emergency —- 13810 Crayton Blvd, Hagerstown    301-733-7339

      With the COVID-19 Pandemic still looming, pet scams are becoming increasingly common with people looking to buy or adopt pets. While pet scams have been present for many years, the conditions resulting from the pandemic have only allowed scammers to be even more successful in taking people’s money for pets which don’t even exist, and will never come.

            With more people working and spending the majority of their time at home during the pandemic, many have looked at purchasing or adopting pets for company. However, to avoid being scammed make sure you go and see the pet in person. During the pandemic, it has become easy for scammers to convince people not to see the pet in person using the excuse of COVID-19. In the past several months, according to BBB’s Scam Tracker, there have been 2,166 reports of pet scams in the past several months which is more than triple the amount of the same period in 2019, at 700 scams. In addition, with animal shelters in high demand and selling out of animals, people are becoming even more desperate and willing to purchase pets with as little in-person contact as possible.

In addition, cash apps have made it easier to purchase online goods, pay friends and other expenses, and more. However, these apps such as PayPal, Venmo, and Apple Pay are hotspots for scamming and make it easier for scammers to take people’s money. According to the BBB’s Scam Tracker, pet scams have experienced the largest increase out of all categories of online shopping fraud and now at 24% of cases of online fraud, comprise the largest percentage as well. In addition, after sending people money using these cash apps, there is no way to get it back. With the average cost of pet scams at $700, added to the fact that people never receive the pet, scams can be heartbreaking for many families.

Even so, there are several things potential pet buyers can do to avoid being scammed. While online shopping, it can be helpful to research the average price of the animal you are purchasing. If you see purebred animals at significantly lower prices and including additional fees for shipping or health paperwork, it is likely a scam. In addition, once you find a potential pet, make sure you see the animal in person. If an individual is serious about selling or adopting their pet to you, they should be able to work with you on meeting and interacting with the animal. If they are not willing, it is best to move on and continue looking. Finally, if you think you’ve met your perfect pet, even if the seller appears trustworthy it is best to avoid using cash apps, wiring money, or gift cards. If an issue arises using these payment options, there is often no way to get your money back.

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed for ideal conditions for pet scammers to trick people with the idea of as little in-person contact as possible. However, with some background research and conscious shopping habits, you can find the perfect pet to enjoy.