Birds and bloodwork

Why does my bird need to have bloodwork? This is a question we often encounter from some of our clients when we suggest a blood screening, and it is a reasonable question.

Birds are unique animals. They require a lot of care and attention both at home and in a veterinary clinic. When a bird is in the wild, it hides signs of illness for as long as possible to protect against predators and also to blend in with its flock. Birds in captivity have similar behavior. If your pet bird is sick, he or she has probably been sick for a while. Routine blood screening allows us to detect diseases early on before your bird starts showing symptoms. And the sooner we are able to identify an illness through blood testing, the sooner we can control or cure it. Don't wait until it's too late!

What's included in annual bloodwork?

Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Chemistry Panel
Triglycerides

CBC
We learn information about your bird by monitoring the red and white cells, and platelets. By doing this, we are able to detect signs of infection, cancer, anemia, and much more.

Chemistry Panel
This helps us get an idea of how the organs are functioning inside your bird. Although an organ appears healthy on an x-ray, this doesn't always mean it is functioning normally. This is why we recommend pairing bloodwork with x-rays to get the best results and confidence that your bird is indeed healthy.

Triglycerides
This is a type of fat found in the body and when elevated, it could indicate dietary imbalances, liver disease or even reproductive problems. Most issues in birds are a result of poor diet, which usually consists of fatty foods.

X-rays+3 types of bloodwork=confidence in your bird's health

Our Avian veterinarians are trained to draw blood from all types and sizes of birds, and our technicians are skilled in bird handling. Be assured that your bird is in safe hands.

Make a resolution this year to give the best care possible to your little feathered friend!

Remember to Vaccinate!

Often we hear our clients voice they only want their dog to receive the rabies vaccine. This is indeed important, but there are other vaccines that are just as crucial for your dog to remain healthy. We want to take a moment and explain to you why your dog needs vaccines. There have been constant debates about the importance of having your dogs vaccinated, and we want to set the record straight. What we are sharing with you has been backed up by multiple scientific trials and studies.

First of all, please vaccinate your puppy at six weeks and after. Puppies that are young and nursing receive immunity from their mother. When vaccines are given before six weeks, the puppy is often still nursing, and the mother's milk reacts with the vaccines, causing them to be ineffective.

What we recommend for your dog/puppy:
Bordetella
Rabies
DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza)
Leptospirosis

Bordetella (Canine Tracheobronchitis)

Bordetella is a highly contagious disease that affects the respiratory system. Often nicknamed "kennel cough," Bordetella is a bacteria that causes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract and coughing. Left untreated, it can cause even more damage to the dog. The name, kennel cough, can be misleading however. While places like boarding facilities and shelters are common places to find Bordetella, affected dogs that come in contact with healthy dogs outside or at the vet can transfer the disease. At our clinic, we take Bordetella cases seriously. If we are aware of an infected dog coming in for an appointment, we take precautions to keep other dogs safe. We immediately take them to an exam room and after its appointment, we disinfect everything--the floor, scale, exam room, etc. Yes, it is that contagious. Please get this vaccine for your dog!  

Why DHPP and Leptospirosis?
Most people are more familiar with Rabies and Bordetella vaccines than DHPP and Lepto. For a healthy dog, we recommend receiving all vaccinations.

Let's break each disease down so you can understand their importance.

Canine Distemper

This disease attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems in dogs and puppies. It is also found in wild animals. Dogs pass this contagious disease to other dogs by airbourne exposure. All dogs are at risk, but puppies younger than four months and unvaccinated dogs are more susceptible to the disease. The best way to help prevent this is vaccinate.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver and in this case refers to a specific type of liver disease caused by an adenovirus.  It contagious from dog to dog and is often times fatal.

Parvovirus (Parvo)

This is a highly contagious disease that affects the gastrointestinal tracts. Unvaccinated dogs and puppies younger than four months have the highest risk. Although there is no drug that kills Parvo, immediate treatment can help the dog's immunity fight the illness. We have to be extremely careful with puppies that have Parvo because their immune system may not be mature enough to fight off infection.

Parainfluenza

This virus is highly contagious and is one of the many causes of the disease "kennel cough" or tracheobronchitis.  It along with Bordetella can cause cold-like symptoms including a harsh dry cough.  Occasionally, it can progress to pneumonia.

Leptospirosis

Leptospira is a bacteria commonly found in lakes, marshes, and streams.  When it infects dogs it often causes, among other things, kidney failure.  It is particularly concerning because it is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be passed to humans, causing similar serious disease.  Vaccination of your dog is important to protect you as well a your pet.

If you have any questions about vaccinations and their importance, please feel free to speak with any of our staff or veterinarians. Comments or questions can also be posted on our Facebook page.

Important Info About Rabies Vaccine

The rabies vaccination is a necessary part of a pet's well-being and prevents a harmful (usually fatal) disease. Pets should receive it year round without a break. It does not matter if the dog or cat is an indoor or outdoor pet—they need to have a rabies vaccination. By keeping your pet current on its rabies vaccine, you are keeping other pets and humans safe.

What is rabies?

Rabies is a disease transferred through saliva (usually through a bite) that affects the nervous system. Once outside signs of the disease (such as foaming at the mouth) are apparent, the result is usually fatal. Most cases of rabies are found in wild animals such as raccoons or bats. In recent years, cats are the most common domesticated animal to be infected with rabies, because some cat owners allow their cats to roam outside and do not vaccinate for rabies. Cats are often exposed to wild animals that carry the disease, which can be transferred to other animals or humans.

We cannot stress how important it is to have your pet vaccinated for rabies. Several years ago, we had a devastating case that continually reminds us to educate our clients about vaccinations.

We once received a call from a woman whose cat had caught a bat while spending time outside. The cat had partially eaten the bat as well. Our manager asked the owner if her cat was current on rabies, to which she replied no, the cat had never received the rabies vaccine. Animal control was then contacted, and the news was devastating. The bat had rabies and since the cat had bitten it, there was a high probability the sweet kitty had contracted rabies as well.

Animal control told us the cat would need to be euthanized. This was not what we wanted to hear, but for everyone’s safety, this was the only solution. Had the cat been current on its rabies vaccination, the ending to this story would have been much different.

We ask that you please keep your pet current on its rabies vaccination. Not only will it save your loved one from a similar situation as the one discussed, but it will protect other animals and people. It is a liability if your pet bites another animal or person and does not have the rabies vaccine.

Animal control has specific guidelines when handling animal bites. One of the first questions animal control asks when an animal has bitten another animal or human being is whether or not the rabies vaccination of the animal is current. It is in your best interest to have your pet vaccinated.

If you have any questions about the rabies vaccine, please speak with our veterinarians or members of our staff.

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.

Pet Dental Month=Clean Teeth, Discount

February is National Pet Dental Health Month, and if your pet has never had a dental, this is the perfect month to start. We are offering 10% off every dental scheduled in February.  

In addition to routine teeth brushing, it is recommended that dogs and cats have annual comprehensive teeth cleanings and oral exams twice a year. Why is this so important?

Periodontal disease is a common issue in cats and dogs and causes them to experience discomfort and pain. Not only does it affect their mouths, but can cause problems in their kidneys, hearts and livers if untreated. Periodontal disease begins with plaque build-up that develops into tartar, which can get underneath the gumline and damage the jawbone and tissues that connect teeth to the jawbone.

When we examine your pet’s teeth, we grade them on a periodontal disease scale of 1-4.

1 is normal—minimal tartar

4 is severe—infection, teeth extractions typically necessary  

Here at Parrish Creek Veterinary Clinic, we know how important it is to perform a thorough and successful dental on your pet. What sets us apart from places like spay and neuter clinics?

First, let’s discuss dentals at spay and neuter clinics. Although they are usually offered at a lower rate, dentals at spay and neuter clinics are quick procedures with minimal attention to detail. These types of clinics often see 50 or more patients in the course of one day. Blood work is not required, x-rays are rarely given and if a patient has grade 4 periodontal disease, they are referred to another clinic with the proper resources anyway.

Dentals at PCVC:

We start by giving your pet a comprehensive oral exam, which tells us the severity of his or her teeth. After we know what type of services are needed for your loved one, we provide you with an accurate estimate for a dental cleaning. We always include pre-surgical blood work. Why? When we run a blood test, we can determine if your animal is healthy enough for safe anesthesia. In our experience, we have tested animals scheduled for dentals and discovered they have kidney disease or other issues that make them an unfit candidate for an anesthetic dental.

Radiographs

We do dental x-rays on every mouth that comes in for an extensive cleaning. Our technicians, who perform cleaning and polishing on your pet’s teeth, are highly skilled in administering dental x-rays. We have found things such as residual roots in the gums that would have gone unnoticed if we had not taken radiographs. They also help us know if teeth need to be extracted. If teeth need to be extracted, our technicians will pass the task on to our veterinarians.

Anesthesia

Dr. Folland and veterinarians everywhere agree that anesthesia is the best method for performing dentals. It can be painful for your pet to experience a dental, especially if extractions are necessary. Anesthesia prevents any discomfort or pain your pet may experience during the cleaning. Also, pets tend to move around, escape from the table or bite those performing dentals. Anesthesia is helpful for everyone involved with the procedure.

Be assured that your pet will be monitored from the moment the pre-anesthetic is administered, to when he or she wakes up from the dental. We take precaution with every animal that goes under anesthesia. This sets us apart from spay and neuter clinic dentals. Because they have a high volume of dentals, they are unable to monitor each animal throughout the entire process. We ensure that you and your pet have the best experience possible. Please feel free to speak with any of our staff if you have questions and concerns.

If you schedule a dental within 30 days of your pet’s exam, you’ll always get 10% off your dental bill.

Don’t forget to schedule your dental today!