Turner Veterinary Clinic News
Preventing and Treating Hot Spots on Your Dog or Cat
Acute moist dermatitis, more commonly known as hot spots, occurs due to a bacterial infection on your pet’s skin. Your dog or cat will naturally bite, chew, lick or scratch his skin in response to an irritant. Unfortunately for your pet, this tends to increase rather than decrease his discomfort. Anal gland disease, allergies to fleas or food ingredients, mange, tick bites, and inadequate grooming are the primary causes of hot spots in companion animals.
Hot, humid weather can cause excess skin moisture that in turn causes hot spots to develop. It’s especially important to check your pet’s skin for evidence of hot spots now that the weather is consistently warm.
Safety Tips for a Fun Summer with Your Pet
Dog owners can become too relaxed keeping an eye on their dog near water because they assume all dogs possess an innate ability to swim. This simply isn’t true, particularly for dog breeds with small hindquarters and large chests. When bringing your dog to a pool or beach this summer, make sure you’re in the water with him and remain no more than an arm’s length away. If you decide to go boating with your dog, he should have a life jacket just like everyone else in the boat.
Internal and external parasites can be a problem all year long, but they’re especially prevalent in the summer. Fleas can survive long periods without a living host and may burrow in your carpet or furniture until one becomes available. Be sure to vacuum your carpet regularly, wash your pet’s bedding in hot water, and give your pet frequent baths during the summer to minimize fleas.
If possible, keep your pet indoors when you’re mowing the grass, applying chemicals, or working in the garden. Chocolate mulch is popular among gardeners, but can be toxic to pets if ingested. Insecticides, snail bait, and slug bait are among the top 10 accidental poisonings for domestic pets. If you set rodent traps outdoors, make sure your pet can’t get at them. Some of these chemicals can cause seizures, tremors, and death. You may want to consider an organic alternative for your lawn and garden products.
There’s no shortage of opportunity to cook outside in the summer. Your dog or cat would like nothing better than to find scraps of meat on the ground or even grab whatever is cooking on the grill. Food meant for people can be toxic and a choking hazard while your pet could burn himself on a hot grill. Having a pet underfoot is probably not a good idea at these events. If your pet is present, make sure that all guests know he is not to receive any scraps.
April is Heartworm Awareness Month
Dogs and cats get heartworm disease when an infected mosquito bites them. The heartworm then gets inside of their body and can reproduce, which only worsens your pet’s symptoms. The illness is much more prevalent in dogs, but cat owners also need to know about the symptoms so they can prevent and treat it if necessary. Puppies can start on preventive heartworm medication at eight weeks old without any type of testing. At six months of age, a puppy needs to test negative for heartworm infection before a veterinarian can prescribe preventive medication.
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Have you ever wondered how many caring hands are involved in your pet’s visit to the animal hospital? From the person who helps calm your nervous cat to the one carefully monitoring your dog during a procedure, veterinary technicians are right there, providing skilled care and plenty of compassion.
The backpacks are packed, alarms are ringing earlier, and suddenly the house is much quieter during the day. While families may be settling into a familiar school-year rhythm, pets can be left wondering where everyone went. Dogs and cats often become accustomed to summer routines filled with extra attention, playtime, walks, and companionship. When those routines change, some pets adapt quickly, while others may show signs of stress. Fortunately, a little planning and patience can make pet schedule changes easier and help your companion feel secure in the new routine.
The dog days of summer are here, and the hottest stretch of the year brings some real risks for pets. Between backyard barbecues, hikes, and long afternoons at the park, there's still plenty of season left to enjoy, but bee stings, tempting barbecue foods, and soaring temperatures are among the most common reasons pets need medical care this time of year.
Few things are more frightening for a pet owner than realizing their dog or cat has gone missing. Whether a gate was left open, a leash slipped loose, or an indoor cat darted out the front door, pets can become lost in an instant. While collars and ID tags are important, they can fall off or become damaged. That's why pet microchipping has become one of the most reliable ways to help reunite lost pets with their families.
If you've ever wondered what pet microchipping is or how it works, here's what you need to know.
You give your dog a bath and suddenly spot fleas. Or maybe you missed a dose of heartworm prevention and start to worry. Many pet owners find themselves asking the same question: Do I really need to give parasite prevention every month, or can I just treat problems if they show up?