Heartworm – the Basics

Heartworm is serious business. It’s a lot more prevalent than most people think. In fact, the average vet clinic in our area reports 6 to 25 cases a year. That’s a lot when you’re talking about a killer disease -especially one that is preventable.

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes. When they bite a dog, their microscopic larvae get under the dog’s skin and then over the next 6 months gradually migrate to the heart, following the heart’s electrical impulses. Once there, they live up to 7 years and grow up to 30 centimeters, all the while causing damage to both the heart and pulmonary vessels. If untreated, this often leads to death. These adult worms also give birth to new larvae in the bloodstream. When a mosquito comes along and bites the dog, it picks these up and within 2 weeks is able to infect another dog.

The good news is that all of this can be avoided. Heartworm preventative is simple, safe and cheap. This is why veterinarians focus on prevention. There are many choices, including once a month pills like Heartgard or Sentinel, once a month topicals like Revolution, or a 6 month shot called ProHeart. Heartworm testing is required once a year to ensure compliance. If a dog were positive for heartworm and received any of the above, they could have a very serious reaction.

On the other hand, treating an infected dog is complicated, dangerous and expensive. It consists of a series of injections that can lead to pulmonary embolisms, requires nearly 2 months of strict cage rest and costs hundreds of dollars. Our goal is to avoid this in every single dog.

So if your dog is not currently on a heartworm preventative, call to schedule a heartworm test today so we can get started.

February 2013 PPAH Furry Friends News

February is an exciting time at Portage Park Animal Hospital. We will be participating once again in theCook County Spay and Neuter Program (Save $40) and be offering a Dental Special (Save 10%).

If your pet has not been spayed or neutered yet and/or has bad breath and is in need of a good dental cleaning call us today to schedule.

Financing options available through CareCredit.

Does your pet have bad breath? It may be time for a dental

When was the last time you looked at your pet's teeth? Take a moment and flip the lip....
Did it look like any of the photos below? If so, you should schedule your pet to have their teeth cleaned, they may even need extractions.

Research shows that proper dental care is probably the most important thing you can do to add years and quality to your pet's life. Just like in humans, pets are susceptible to plaque and tartar build-up, which can lead to gingivitis and even periodontitis, a chronic form of the disease that can be painful. Whenever it is possible, preventing disease is preferable to treating it. 

 If your pet is not cooperating with you to look in their mouth, bring them by for a free dental consult. One of our dental specialists can evaluate your pet's teeth and let you know what stage dental cleaning they will require.

Our dental packages include IV catheter and fluid therapy, dental x-rays, scaling and polishing, pain medication (when required) and a dental care kit. Bloodwork is recommended prior to anesthetic procedures (additional cost).

We do dental cleanings Monday through Friday.

Call us to schedule a dental cleaning for your pet today! 

  

Remember prevention IS the best medicine!

Thank you for placing your pet's health and trust in us. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Roger Schrock 

Portage Park Animal Hospital & Dental Clinic

Halloween Safety Tips

With Halloween around the corner and children getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating, pet parents need to be more aware of their furry friend. Halloween, and other holidays can be dangerous for pets. A mixture of costumes, decorations, candy, among other things can be not only scary, but sometimes lethal. Prevent your pet’s Halloween from becoming a real fright night by taking the proper precautions.

Strangers parading in costumes down your street can potentially cause stress to your pet. Depending on how busy your street becomes, people making loud noises, screaming, laughing, and running can startle pets and cause them to become either timid or aggressive. If this is the case, comfort your pet or keep them in a pet-proof room. It is also not a good idea to take the family dog out trick-or-treating with you. Even if your dog is friendly, anything could happen around strange, new people.

If you decide to really get in the spirit of Halloween and decorate your house, inside or out, be aware of the dangers. Cats more so than dogs could chew on lights, wires and other harmful objects causing serious injury or death, and decoration damage. It is never okay to leave any animal unattended around any type of decorations. Other festive objects can scare your pet like things that have sudden movements or make noises.

You can’t celebrate Halloween without food or candy! Remember that pets shouldn’t have any type of candy whatsoever. They can choke, damage their teeth, get an upset stomach, or even die. Chocolate can be a very fatal treat to pets. All types are chocolate are bad, but the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) reports that dark or baking chocolate are especially dangerous. The ASPCA also warns against the artificial sweetener xylitol, found in some candies which can also cause problems with your pet’s health.

Make certain if you’re dressing your pets up, their costumes are actually pet friendly. Many costumes may contain dangling parts, loose fabrics, and other things that can be easily chewed, swallowed, or become a choking hazard. Also, the ASPCA says that decorative corn and pumpkins are relatively non toxic but may cause an upset stomach. Candles are an extreme hazard for a spooked or curious pet. The candle can be eaten, knocked over, and injure your pet or even start a fire! So this Halloween pet-proof your home and make it safe. If there is an emergency call your local pet poison control and/or contact our office.

Do You Budget For Emergency Healthcare For Your Pet?

Insurance. It’s part of all of our daily lives –we insure our homes, our cars, and the health of our families. Insurance provides us with peace of mind, and you should have that same peace of mind when it comes to your pet’s health. When your pet is ill, our number one concern is getting him healthy again. But, for many pet owners, this concern becomes overshadowed by the financial burden of treatment for a sick pet. Often pet owners are forced to choose less effective treatment options, or in more unfortunate circumstances, no treatment at all, as a result of cost concerns. Veterinary Pet Insurance offers affordable plans that can ease the financial strain of your pet’s healthcare needs. Rather than worrying about the cost, you can concentrate on helping your pet get well and stay well, and rest easy knowing you helped to provide him the best possible treatment available. Put your pet’s health first –ask us about Veterinary Pet Insurance today.

Do you budget for emergency healthcare for your pet? Many pet owners do not. However, one chronic medical condition or emergency procedure can end up costing the same or more than several years of wellness care. Even the pet owners most attentive to their pet’s healthcare cannot predict how or when an accident may occur. In the unfortunate event that your pet is injured or develops an illness, what will you do? Sometimes, these unforeseen medical issues can require weeks or months of treatment. How will you pay? Unexpected medical expenses can require large cash outlays, which puts you in the uncomfortable position of figuring out where to find the money for them. Don’t let an emergency or medical condition catch you and your pet unprepared. Veterinary Pet Insurance is like a safety net for your pet. In a difficult time, having pet insurance can mean that money is one thing that you don’t have to worry about.

Like human health insurance, veterinary insurance will often exclude certain pre-existing conditions your pet may have. Treating pre-existing can be expensive. Younger pet will have fewer pre-existing conditions, so if issues do arise over time, your pet is more likely to be covered for them. On the other hand, older pets will often already have illnesses, and those could be excluded from coverage. Your secret weapon? Enroll as early as possible. Besides, pet insurance isn’t just for illness! Coverage is available for routine wellness procedures such as exams, vaccinations, and dental prophylaxis, and even some laboratory diagnostics associated with wellness care. We recommend two types of pet insurance: VPI and Trupanion. In addition to traditional plans ranging from preventinve service, illness and accident coverage, both of these companies cover chiropractic and acupuncture services that we offer. Over the course of your pet’s lifetime you could save hundreds of dollars on the high quality care you’d want for your pet regardless of the cost. And with high quality care comes the best reward of all –more time for you with your pets. Please call us for some more information!

Sincerely,

The Doctors and Staff at 

Portage Park Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic