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My cat is an indoor-only cat who never goes outside. Why do I
need to vaccinate him/her?
We believe in tailoring vaccine protocols to each patient, so your
indoor-only cat will not receive the same vaccines as an outdoor
cat. However, we do advise that even indoor cats be vaccinated
with a Feline Rhinotracheitis-Calici-Panlekopenia Vaccine
(commonly called the "feline distemper" vaccine) and a Rabies
Vaccine. Feline Distemper is a serious, often fatal disease that
is extremely stable in the environment (studies have shown it to
last as long as 30 years), and it can be carried in to your cat on
your shoes or clothing. Not only is a rabies vaccine required for
all cats, dogs, and ferrets by state law, regardless of whether or
not your pet goes out, but rabies is a serious human health risk.
It is invariably fatal, and if your pet is exposed to the virus,
all humans who may have contacted the pet will require
post-exposure treatment for rabies. In addition, if your pet is
not current on its rabies vaccine and either bites a human or
sustains a bite wound from a suspicious animal or animal of
unknown origin, you may be legally required to quarantine your pet
or have your pet humanely euthanized for rabies testing. We have
had several unfortunate cases in the past several years where a
cat accidentally escapes from the house and is bitten by a wild
animal, or a normally docile pet suddenly bites a person, and
because the pet was not current on its rabies vaccine, for the
sake of the family members of the pet, the pet had to euthanized
and tested. The rabies vaccine is only given every 2 years, and is
given for free at vaccine clinics sponsored by the township in the
spring. There is absolutely no excuse for not keeping your pet up
to date on its rabies vaccine. |
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I have decided to allow my cat to go outdoors. What vaccines
would be recommended?
The vaccine we reserve for cats who go outdoors is the Feline
Leukemia (FeLV) vaccine. This viral infection is incurable, fatal,
and transmitted by cat-to-cat contact. Feline Leukemia can be
transmitted through mutual grooming and shared food bowls and
litterpans, while FIV is transferred through bite wounds. Since
there is no indirect transfer of the viruses and because they are
not stable in the environment, we do not vaccinate indoor cats
unless they share a home with cats who go out. Prior to
vaccination, a blood test will be performed to confirm that your
cat is not presently infected, then the series of two vaccine
boosters can begin. A vaccine booster is then administered
annually. |
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Are there any other recommendations for outdoor cats?
We do advise annual fecal examinations for intestinal parasites,
as well as routine dewormings. We also recommend using Frontline
Plus for cats, to prevent fleas and ticks. It has been found that
"cat scratch disease", which is a skin infection people develop
after a cat scratch, is actually caused when flea dirt (dried
blood particles in the coat of an animal with fleas) is injected
under the skin from the cat's nail. Fleas are also a source of
tapeworms in cats and dogs. Tick bites can transfer a number of
infectious diseases, including Hemobartonella, which causes anemia
in cats. |
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What vaccines are recommended for dogs in this area?
Just as with cats, we like to tailor a vaccine protocol
specifically for each dog. The two vaccines we recommend for all
dogs, whether they spend any time outside or not, are the canine
distemper vaccine and the rabies vaccine. The canine distemper
vaccine is actually shorthand for a vaccine that protects your dog
from a number of dangerous infections, including distemper (which
attacks the nervous, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tracts and
is usually fatal), parvovirus (a severe gastrointestinal infection
that causes bloody diarrhea), a hepatitis virus (which attacks the
liver), and coronavirus (also intestinal). These infections do not
always require direct contact to spread. After finishing the puppy
series for canine distemper, a booster is given one year
later, and then every three years. As discussed above, the
rabies vaccine is required by state law for every dog. Rabies is a
serious human health risk. It is invariably fatal, and if your pet
is exposed to the virus, all humans who may have contacted the pet
will require post-exposure treatment for rabies. In addition, if
your pet is not current on its rabies vaccine and either bites a
human or sustains a bite wound from a suspicious animal or animal
of unknown origin, you may legally be required to quarantine your
pet or have your pet humanely euthanized for rabies testing. A
rabies vaccine is good for two years (after a dog is over 1 year
of age), and is given for free at rabies vaccine clinics offered
by the township every spring. There is absolutely no excuse for
not keeping your dog up to date on its rabies vaccine.
There are 3 optional vaccines that we administer to dogs if it is
appropriate. The first is the Lyme vaccine, for protection against
Lyme disease. Unfortunately we live in an area with high rate of
Lyme disease, but the vaccine is safe and effective. If your dog
spends any time in grasses, brush, in the woods, or at the beach
where ticks are commonly found, we highly recommend the Lyme
vaccine. The second optional vaccine is the Bordatella vaccine,
which is required for dogs who will be going to a boarding
facility or doggy day care. It is often recommended for dogs who
frequently go to the groomer as well. Finally, a vaccine for a
bacterial infection known as Leptospirosis is available. This
vaccine is recommended for hunting dogs and dogs who have access
to standing water that can become contaminated by urine of an
infected dog, raccoon, skunk, horse, or small rodent. Your dog
must drink the contaminated water or have it contact mucus
membranes (such as the eye, nose, or open wounds) to become
infected. Leptospirosis can be transmitted to people, and it
causes liver and kidney failure. If your dog can drink standing
water with wildlife access, we recommend the leptospirosis
vaccine. |
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My dog spends most of its time in the house. Why do I need
heartworm preventatives?
Heartworm disease is a devastating, potentially fatal parasitic
infection that is caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. As
you have probably experienced, it does not take long outside in
the warm months to be bitten by a mosquito, and it is very easy
for a mosquito to get inside your house. With the variable winters
we have had recently, there is no guarantee that mosquitoes will
not survive the colder months as well. Heartworm disease is
treatable, however, the treatment is dangerous and requires
hospitalization followed by extreme activity restriction for
months afterward. However, heartworm disease is entirely
preventable by giving a tasty beef chew once monthly. Not only
does the heartworm preventative stop heartworms from infecting
your dog, but it also helps prevent your dog from picking up
intestinal worms from outside. As intestinal worms can be
transmitted to your family members, especially small children and
the elderly, it is very important to keep your dog parasite-free. |
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My dog is on year-round heartworm preventative. Why do I need to
do an annual heartworm check?
We follow the recommendations of the American Heartworm
Association, which advises once yearly heartworm checks, or
anytime prior to restarting preventative if treatment has lapsed.
Heartworm preventatives are antibiotics, and while they are highly
safe and effective, there is a risk of the development of
antibiotic resistant heartworms that may eventually begin to elude
our normal preventatives. It is also common for people to forget
to give a dose from time to time, leaving their pet open to
infection. Some dogs are very clever about taking their pill and
then hiding it somewhere in the house or outside. Some dogs could
have a subclinical viral infection that disrupts the normal
metabolism of the preventative by the liver, rendering the dose
ineffective. There are numerous reasons why you may not be able to
guarantee that your pet has gotten every dose of preventative
during the year. There is a risk associated with giving heartworm
preventative to a heartworm positive dog, potentially turning a
heartworm into a deadly embolism (like a blot clot). In addition,
as the manufacturers guarantee the efficacy of their product when
given monthly, if your pet were to contract heartworm disease
while taking the preventative, the company will pay for all costs
incurred in treating the disease, but only if there is a record of
a negative heartworm check each year in your pet's history. Please
visit www.heartwormsociety.org. |
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Do you recommend spaying and neutering all pets who will not be
bred?
Absolutely. Spaying or neutering your pet when it reaches 6 months
of age will prevent a number of health problems in the future. For
example, if you spay your dog or cat before its first heat cycle,
you dramatically reduce the probability of malignant mammary gland
tumor development down the line. If you do it prior to the first
heat, the probability is less than 1%. That probability increases
with each heat cycle. In addition, during a heat cycle, the uterus
can develop cysts on the uterine wall, and fluid produced during
the cycle begins to build up within the uterus. Over time, that
fluid can become a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to an
infectious condition called a pyometra, which is a surgical
emergency. As for males, by neutering early, not only do you avoid
the development of unwanted sexual characteristics like urine
spraying/marking, aggression, wanderlust, and "humping" behaviors,
but you help protect the prostate gland from enlargement and
infection. In older non-neutered males, the prostate, which wraps
around the urethra, will enlarge, putting pressure on the urethra
and causing urine leaking and straining to urinate. The enlarged
prostate is also much more likely to develop prostate infections,
which can be very painful. Finally, neutering can prevent the
development of testicular tumors. |
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I want to breed my female dog. What should I do?
First of all, remember that dog breeding is a lot of work! It can
also be very expensive, especially if your dog has a difficult
labor which could result in a C-section. It is also important to
remember that you want to wait at least until your dog is 24
months old, so she is physically developed enough to withstand the
stressors of pregnancy. For larger breed dogs such as labrador
retrievers, you should consider having her hips certified by OFA
to decrease the possibility of breeding dogs with hip dysplasia.
This certification can be done at 24 months of age. Also consider
whether your dog has any other medical issues that could be passed
on to puppies, such as allergies, "trick knees" (luxating
patellas), or temperment issues. Finally, if you have a
non-neutered male dog in the same house as your female, you must
remember to keep them separated to prevent accidental breeding
before the female has matured enough. Young mothers can face
increased risks both during pregnancy and during nursing. |
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I'm thinking of traveling abroad with my pet. What do I need to
do ahead of time?
Recently the USDA, in conjunction with numerous European
countries, has developed a program known as the Pets Travel
Scheme, which allows you to bring your pet into select foreign
countries without the need for the extended quarantines of the
past. Your pet is issued a European Pet Passport, which is valid
for a 4 month period of time. There are very strict requirements
that must be met for your pet to be eligible, and you must start
at least 8 months prior to travel. Your pet must be microchipped
and rabies vaccinated, then a blood sample is drawn to determine
your pet's rabies titer, which is a measurement of the vaccine in
your pets bloodstream. We usually recommend drawing the blood
sample one month after vaccination. If your pet's titer is not
high enough, you will need to revaccinate and submit an additional
sample for testing. We have known some dogs who require multiple
rabies vaccinations until their blood titer was high enough. For
this reason, we recommend beginning this process as far ahead of
your travel date as possible. Once we receive a positive titer, we
must wait at least 6 months to the date of the blood draw to issue
a certificate. This certificate is issued in our office, and must
be signed by the USDA veterinarian in Trenton within 10 days of
travel (you must do this in person). Finally within 48 hours of
your travel time, you must return to the office for us to apply a
dose of Frontline for fleas and ticks and administer a dose of
dewormer. Once your pet has completed the requirements, a new
certificate can be issued without repeating the blood titer, so
long as your pet's rabies vaccine has not been allowed to expire.
Due to the potential length of time it can take for your pet to
become eligible, we do not recommend travel with your pet for
short visits. This travel scheme is meant more for people
traveling for an extended period of time or who are relocating
permanently. For more information on the Pets Travel Scheme,
please visit www.defra.gov.uk |
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Lyme vaccines in people were known to cause signs of illness and
are no longer available. Why is there a Lyme vaccine for dogs,
and is it safe?
We are aware that the Lyme vaccine used in people had its problems
and is no longer available. However, the Lyme vaccine we use in
dogs is both safe and effective. The vaccine is known as a subunit
vaccine, which means it uses only a surface protein on the Lyme
bacterium, not the whole bacterium itself. When Lyme bacteria are
injected into a vaccinated dog's bloodstream, the antibodies
formed against the surface protein destroy that protein, rendering
the bacteria unable to attach themselves to cells in the
bloodstream to establish infection. Because the vaccine uses only
a piece of the bacteria, it is completely unable to cause signs of
the disease itself. We don't know why the same technology cannot
be translated into a vaccine for people. However, we are fortunate
to be able to offer this safe an effective vaccine to your dog. |
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Please visit us frequently for answers to more questions. If you
have a general health question for us that you would like to see
answered, please email us at atlantichighlandsanimalhosp@verizon.net.
Please remember not to email specific questions about your pet's
current illness, as we only check our email every few days. If
your pet is sick, please call us directly at 732-291-4400.
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