palmer

If it only took thirty minutes to save the life of your pet, would you take those thirty minutes to go to the vet?  Here at Palmer Animal Hospital routine wellness exams take only thirty minutes and are critical to the health of your pets.  We perform a “Nose-to-Tail” exam on your animal and during this exam, the veterinarian screens the animal to see if it has any diesease or other ailment.  Early detection of some problems within the animal such as cancers, infections, or even organ failure can allow it to be treated earlier with less expense and better success. After the animal has been checked, vaccinations are given based on the age of the pet.  Puppies are recommended to be 6-8 weeks old when they come in for their first wellness exam and cats beween 8-10 weeks.  Some of the vaccinations for canines include Rabies, Canine Distemper, Lyme Diesease, and Canine Influenza.  The feline vaccinations given are Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Feline Leukemia Virus, and Rabies.  Both the dogs and cats are dewormed if parasites are found during their exam.  Other important information such as the recommended nutritional and dental care is discussed during these exams.  Animals need wellness exams just like humans and also like humans, animal wellness exams are different based on the age and lifestyle of the animal.

 

Almost two weeks ago, on Sunday, August 23, Guinness Book Of World Records recognized a Maine Coon in Oregon, USA as the new oldest living cat in the world.  Courduroy, a 26 year and 13 day old feline was pronounced the oldest living cat in the world two months after the former record holder, Tiffany Two from San Diego, died at 27 years old.  Courduroy at this age is more than twice the average life expectancy of a cat!  The average lifespan of a household cat is 12 to 15 years and the average lifespan of a Maine Coon is 10 to 12 years.  Although Courduroy and Tiffany have been called the oldest cats in the world, they do not come close to the oldest cat that has ever lived.  That record is held by a cat named Creme Puff that lived Austin, Texas and was born on August 3, 1967 and died on August 6, 2005.  This record of 38  years and 3 days has not been broken for over 10 years!

 

It has been about a year and a half since the outbreak of Canine Influenza in August 2013 in Montgomery county. Not much has been heard about Canine Influenza since then, but this spring there was a major outbreak in Chicago, and in May 2015, at least one case was diagnosed in Maryland.   The troubling fact about these two most recent outbreaks is that they are a new strain of Canine Influenza (H3N2) that is different from the available vaccine strain (H3N8).     This H3N2 strain is almost genetically identical to an Asian avian influenza virus that was believed to be directly transferred to dogs.    This same strain was also found to cause disease in a number of cats in South Korea in 2010, although no cats in the U.S. have been diagnosed with CIV H3N2.

So what can you do to protect your dog?  Avoind exposing your dog to obviously sick dogs, and if there is a CIV outbreak in your area, avoid taking your dog to areas where dogs gathers (dog parks, kennels, etc).  Talk to your veterinarian about your dogs risk of exposure to CIV and if the Canine Influenza vaccine is right for your dog.     Be sure to wash your hands after handling any dog, especially after handling a sick dog, and do not share equipment (bowls, collars, leashes, etc) between sick dogs and apparently healthy ones.

A Palmer Animal Hospital, we recommend (but do not absolutely require), Canine Influenza vaccination for dogs that are boarding with us.   To our knowledge, there has not been an outbreak in our immediate area, but as of now it is unknown where the most recent Maryland outbreak occurred.   We will post any updates when we get them.

 

We are sad to report that Buttons finally succumbed to the heart and kidney failure that has been affecting him since last September.   He will be greatly missed

Here is our “Buttons Snowman” that will be displayed in Myersville this holiday season.    Be sure to check it out as you drive through town!