FAQ

Dog itching can be caused by many possibilities. They are small, dark brown-black insects. Fleas can be seen by naked eyes. You can usually see them, often near the base of the tail or on the belly. You can also see “flea dirt”. This dark, grainy material in the hair coat or on the skin turns red when moistened, as opposed to dirt, that continues to be black even when wet.

If your pet is lethargic, not as active or perky as usual, disinterested in eating, not drinking normally, vomiting blood, got into the trash or may have eaten a foreign object or unusual food, you should withhold its food and call for an appointment. We will get your pet in for an exam and possible x-rays or blood work. If your pet does not show any of the above symptoms after vomiting, still keep it under observation to see if it vomits again. Remove it’s food for 12 hours and make sure that water is always available. If no more vomiting occurs after 12 hours has gone by, feed it two parts cooked whole rice and 1 part boiled chicken or lean hamburger for a day or two. If vomiting continues for more than 24 hours or occurs more than once in 24 hours, withhold food and make an appointment for an exam, x-rays and/or blood work.

If your pet’s stools aren’t extremely watery, don’t contain fresh blood, aren’t dark black and tarry, and aren’t associated with vomiting or excessive straining, take your pet off food for 12 hours. Make sure water is always available. After 12 hours you may try feeding a bland diet of cooked white rice and boiled chicken or lean hamburger. Mix 1 part meat to 2 parts rice. If diarrhea worsens, you see any of the signs listed above or the condition doesn’t improve in 24 hours, call to make an appointment for an exam. DO NOT GIVE Pepto Bismol or Kaopectate to your pet (especially cats) unless you talk to our clinic first.

A cold, wet nose may be a sign of good health in dogs and cats, but even a healthy pet can have a warm, dry nose on occasion. On the other hand, really sick pets can also have cold, wet noses. What does all this mean? Your pet’s nose is not a reliable indicator of your pet’s health.

Average temperature for dogs and cats is 101.5. A range of 38.3 to 39.2°C is probably okay. Always use a well-lubricated rectal thermometer to take your pet’s temperature.

Roundworms, hookworms, giardia and coccidia can all be transmitted through stool-contaminated soil, sand boxes or litter boxes. In addition, cats can carry toxoplasmosis and shed it in their stool. If your pet has one of these worms/parasites and a member of your family comes in contact with its stool, they could become infected. Pet Vet recommends checking all pets’ stool samples on a yearly basis and deworming new kittens or puppies prophylactically. Also, cleaning up your pet’s stools daily will decrease the chance of these parasites being infective to your children or family.

No, but Pet Vet doctors may modify the vaccine schedule or administer a pre-med PRIOR to vaccinating your pet. These measures should decrease the incidence and/or severity of the vaccine reactions. Also, Pet Vet offers blood work to determine your pet’s vaccine titer level; if the level is adequate your pet may not need to be vaccinated that year. We will discuss your concerns and formulate a plan prior to vaccinating your pet.

Yes, it can still be spayed. However, due to extra bleeding from an increased blood supply to the area, there is more risk involved and it may cost more. Pet Vet recommends most pets be spayed prior to their first heat. This surgery can be done starting at 4 months of age.

A Federal law requires that veterinarians establish a valid client-patient-doctor relationship before treating an animal and/or providing medication. Also licensed veterinarians are the only people who can diagnose and treat animal illnesses.