Helpful Information for You and Your Pet this Summer

It's that time of year again! The flowers are blooming, trees are green, and there are plenty of activities for you to do outside with your pet. Summer is one of the best times of the year! It is also a time when your pet can get injured or sick. Follow the reminders below, so that you and your pet can have the most awesome and safest summer yet.

Heartworm

Although your pet can get heartworm disease year-round, mosquitoes are most prevalent in the summer. Mosquitoes are the ones that carry the disease and can infect your dog. Your dog should already be on heartworm preventative, but double check with the vet to make sure it is current.

Hot Pavement

Summer is the best time to spend with your dog, whether you are out taking a walk or playing fetch at the park. While it's great for your pet to be outside, be cautious of hot pavement. It is usually 10-15 degrees hotter than the temperature outside and can burn the pads on your dog's paws. If you need to walk on pavement with your dog, consider doggy booties for their paws. You can find them at your local pet store.

Leaving Pets in Hot Cars

NEVER leave your pet in a hot car, even if it's in the shade. You may have a quick, 10-minute errand at the store, but that's enough time for your pet to get overheated. A car on a 90-degree day is actually close to 105 degrees. There have been several cases of dogs left in hot cars that have died while their owners are absent. If you want to take your dog on a car ride, make sure the A/C is on full blast. If you are comfortable, your pet will likely be comfortable. Also, if you see a dog in a hot car unattended, please notify animal control.

Reptiles and the Sun

It is important for your reptile to have time in the sun. Reptiles use UVB rays from the sun to make Vitamin D, which keeps them healthy. If you can, let your reptile bask in the sun when the temperatures are over 70 degrees. Make sure to provide plenty of water and shade.

Hiking with Your Dog

It's always fun to take your dog hiking in the summertime. Make sure you bring plenty of water for him/her and let him/her rest in the shade, so he/she doesn't get overheated. Watch for rattlesnakes as well. Dogs are more likely to get bit by rattlesnakes than humans. If your dog does get bit, take him/her to the veterinarian immediately for the anti-venom injection.

Have a wonderful summer and remember these helpful tips to keep your pet happy and safe!

10 Ways to Keep Your Pet Healthy and Happy

Let's face it. Our pets are our babies! We would do anything for them, including keeping them healthy and happy.

Here are 10 ways to keep your pet healthy and happy:

1. Spay/Neuter
2. Good Diet
3. Exercise
4. Clean/Proper Habitat
5. Vet Visits
6. Regular Dentals
7. Vaccinations
8. Parasites Preventative
9. Avoid Harmful Foods
10. Give Attention and Love

Spay/Neuter
Despite keeping down the pet population, spaying and neutering your pet can provide health and behavior benefits. In female dogs, spaying decreases the risk of pyometra and some forms of cancer, a diseases which can be deadly. Males are usually less aggressive and spraying is minimal after being neutered.

Diet
Keeping your pet on a proper diet can help prevent health problems and maintain a good weight. We see multiple overweight animals that have major health problems, some of which can be remedied by a healthy diet. Birds especially need to be on a healthy diet, as a majority of the diseases they get are a result of eating poorly.

Exercise
Just like a healthy diet, exercise can help control weight gain and lessen the chance of getting illnesses, such as heart disease. Just 20 minutes of walking each day can keep your pet in good shape. Some breeds, such as border collies, require much more exercise to stay healthy.

Clean/Proper Habitat
Pets need to have a clean and safe place to live. It is important for cats to have clean litter boxes. Reptiles require cages large enough to be safe and comfortable. Before obtaining a pet, find out what is needed for proper housing.

Vet Visit
Seeing the vet on a regular basis keeps your pet healthy. Birds that regularly see a vet and have blood work done can help detect illness before it gets too bad. Dogs and cats require routine vaccines that protect against harmful diseases.

Regular Dentals
Cats and dogs that have routine professional teeth cleanings are less likely to get periodontal disease, which can affect more than just the teeth and mouth. It can harm the liver, heart and kidneys.

Vaccinations
By keeping your pets up to date on their vaccines, you are helping to eliminate them getting harmful diseases. It may seem like a hassle to get them vaccinated, but in the long run you are keeping them healthy and safe.

Parasites Preventative
You've probably heard us talk about heartworm preventative and how it can prevent a deadly disease. It is important for your dog to receive a heartworm preventative injection every six months. By doing this, you are lessening the chance of him/her getting heartworm disease.  It is also important to prevent internal and external parasites, which can be done along with heartworm prevention.

Avoid Harmful Foods
Admit it. You want to feed your pet table scraps. It seems so innocent, feeding them what you are putting in your mouth. However, animals require a strict diet to keep them healthy. Birds can get sick if they have too much fat in their diet. Dogs can be harmed if they ingest harmful foods such as grapes and chocolate. Be sure to speak to the vet about what is good to feed your pet.

Give Attention and Love
This is self-explanatory. Your pet loves you and deserves your love and attention. Give them plenty TLC every single day!

Heartworm Prevention Month

You've probably heard of heartworms, the stringy things that embed themselves in the hearts of cats and dogs and come from infected mosquitoes. This is known as heartworm disease and it is deadly. But did you know that your cat or dog is at risk of these parasites all year round? Did you also know that heartworm disease can be prevented?

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month and the perfect time to be educated on heartworm disease and prevention.

Has your doctor ever prescribed you medication for some sort of prevention? Birth control for pregnancy? High blood pressure medication to help your heart? Like these types of prevention, heartworm protection keeps your cat or dog healthy and safe. It is something they must be on all year round. They are continually at risk for heartworm disease, as mosquitoes are everywhere and there is no way to track which ones carry the disease.

So what exactly are heartworms?

Heartworms are worms, transmitted by mosquitoes, that damage blood vessels and reduce the heart’s pumping ability in dogs and cats. It results in severe lung and heart disease. Treating heartworms once they are in the body is complicated; it requires strong drugs and/or surgery, and is expensive and a burden on the animal. Many heartworm cases end in fatality if left untreated.

How can I protect my animal?

For dogs, we give Proheart 6 injections. They are administered every six months and the company has a guarantee that should the dog get infected while on the medication, all medical expenses will be paid by them. Don't worry, there is a slim chance of your dog getting heartworms while on this medication.

For cats there are no injections available, but we usually prescribed Heartgard or Revolution to protect them against heartworms.

If your pet is not on heartworm protection, now is a good time to start. With the warm months upon us, there are more mosquitoes and more chances of getting heartworm disease. There have been multiple cases of heartworm disease in Utah and we have diagnosed cases in two dogs in the past year. 

Be prepared, get your pet protected and enjoy the upcoming nice weather!

Heartworm Protection all Year

A question we often get from our clients is whether or not their cat or dog should be on heartworm protection year round. The answer to this question is a big YES!

Let us tell you a little bit about heartworm first.

Heartworms are worms--transmitted by mosquitoes--that damage blood vessels and reduce the heart’s pumping ability in dogs and cats. It results in severe lung and heart disease. Treating heartworms once they are in the body is complicated; it requires strong drugs and/or surgery, and is expensive and difficult on the animal. Most heartworm cases end in fatality.

Heartworms being extracted from a heart

Signs of heartworm disease in dogs:

In the early stages of the disease, dogs often don’t exhibit significant symptoms. As the disease progresses; dogs may have persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

Signs of heartworm disease in cats:

Cats tend to show signs of disease that are mild or extreme. Symptoms include coughing, some vomiting, lack of appetite, or weight loss. In some cases, a cat may collapse without warning.

Prevention

At Parrish Creek, we take heartworm prevention seriously. We recommend pets be on heartworm and intestinal parasites medication all year, without a break. But Utah is a dry climate and there are no mosquitoes or parasites during the cold winter months. This is FALSE! According to data collected by the American Heartworm Society, Utah does in fact see heartworm cases every year. Even strictly indoor pets are at risk—they eventually will go outside sometime in their lives, and mosquitoes can also live indoors.

Here’s the issue with limiting your pet to heartworm protection only during warm months:

How are we to gage which months your pet should be on or off the heartworm protection? The weather this February is a perfect example. In many places throughout Utah, temperatures have been in the 50’s, and even 60’s. We have seen many pets outside during this warm spell. If say, your dog had gone off its heartworm protection back in November, and is still off that protection and went outside to play yesterday, who’s to say he or she has not been affected? Mosquitoes love warmth and water.

For safety sake and complete protecion, we highly recommend your pet stay on heartworm protection 365 days a year.

Proheart 6 is the ideal heartworm prevention in dogs, and we recommend this over monthly pills (however, in some cases, we will still prescribe them). Given every six months, Proheart 6 is an injection that requires little effort on your part, and provides continual protection from heartworm and intestinal parasites. A blood test is required for the first two injections, and if this program is followed, the manufacturer will cover all costs for diagnosis and treatment should your dog become infected.

For cats, there is no injection option available, so our veterinarians will prescribe monthly pills such as Heartgard or Revolution.

We sincerely want the best for your pets, and this means protecting them. Please feel free to ask our veterinarians or technicians if you have any concerns or questions about heartworm prevention.