How To Care for Your Senior Pet

This is a great video explaining the importance of senior pet care!

To help celebrate our healthy senior pets we at Alta Vista are offering a special discount package to include a full physical exam free of charge with the payment of a full senior diagnostic lab work up for routine visits.  (full panel with thyroid, urinalysis, blood pressure check) This will be good from 11/10-12/10/14)  Please email or call the office for more details :-)

Prevention is the best protection!

What’s the best way to prevent bone, muscle and joint disease in your pet?

A yearly checkup! Make an appointment for your pet today!

Musculoskeletal disease (disease that affects your pet’s bones, muscles and joints) can affect pets of all ages. They can have aches and pains just like we do. But, because of their survival instincts, they try to hide it. And in the early stages of this disease, it’s hard to spot because your pet may look and act absolutely fine “on the outside.”

But what your pet looks like “in the inside” may be very different. Arthritis, toxins, hormonal abnormalities, infections, blood and blood vessel disorders or inappropriate nutrition can all affect the way your pet walks, plays and moves.

So what’s the best way to prevent or slow down bone, muscle and joint disease in your pet? Supplements? Exercise? Massage?

Nope.

The best way to prevent disease is to schedule regular yearly checkups with us. During your pet’s annual checkup, we can talk about all the things you can do to stop the development of or slow the progression of bone, muscle and joint disease. And we’ll examine every part of your pet “inside and out,” including:

• An orthopedic exam
• An assessment of body and muscle condition
• A review of your pet’s vaccinations
• A blood test if we think something “inside” your pet needs to be looked at

Make an appointment for your pet’s yearly checkup today. We’ll make sure all of your pet’s bones, muscles and joints are in good working order. We are committed to your pet’s well-being for their whole life. Call us today!

Vaccines: Protecting your Pets

Vaccines are very important in protecting our pets.  Parvo is one of the many diseases young 'un-' or 'under' vaccinated pets can get- it can be fatal but with quick, costly treatment there is a chance they can be saved.  The core vaccines for our dogs at our clinic are dhpp (a parvo, distemper combination), rabies and bordetella (to prevent kennel cough, a common and very contagious upper respitory infection).   Lymes and Flu are given on an as need basis.  For cats, fvrcp and rabies are core vaccines while being testing and vaccinated for felv is very strongly advised.  Regardless of what you read while browsing the internet, it is very important to remember to consult your trusted animal health professional to get the real deal on what is needed for you pet to stay happy and healthy for years to come!

Dental Health: How to Brush Your Pet's Teeth

Just because dental promotion month was 5 months ago, doesn't mean we should forget about our pets teeth. We need to stay on top of dental care on a regular, if not daily basis and this video is super helpful with showing why and how brushing is important!

Dog Owners: FDA Issues Warning for Chicken Jerky Treats

It is very important to be cautious about what you feed, not only yourself, but you pets.  Just because something is listed as "Made in America" doesn't mean that the ingredients are not out sourced, just that the product was created here.  If you must feed jerky and are not able to make your own. then buyer beware!



The more informed you can be the better it is for everyone, and please remember to always wash you hands after handling anything you feed your pet!



(As the video in the previous post had been deleted I have found another to share with you :)

In the Exam Room: Preventive Care Visits

Keep in mind that every patients needs may be different and therefore physical exams may vary depending on the age, health concern, behavior etc.  This is a good base line though to give clients anb idea of what is going on and what the doctor is looking for.

Icky Ticks and other parasites!

California spring is quickly bringing out all the icky, creepy crawlies.



As much as we all love to venture out with our pets, it is important to keep the protected as much as possible. They should be on a monthly (or as described by the product you have chosen) application of internal and external parasite prevention.

 

To start internal parasite prevention we would first perform a small blood test to make sure the pet is negative. Then we would prescribe medications such as Iverhart, Sentinel, Trifexis tablets or Revolution topical.  



To prevent external parasites we recommend high quality over the counter products such as Activyl, Advantage, Parastar, Frontline topical, or Comfortis tablets.  Revolution topical and Trifexis tablets also prevent adult fleas as well as internal parasites. Sentinel is a product that sterilizes flea eggs as well as internal parasites but an adult flea/tick prevention is still needed with this product.



There are some products out there that are toxic for cats so be very cautious when purchasing and applying them.  It is advised to buy them from your veterinarian as they have the best idea what would work for you.  If that is not possible, make sure that it is from a reputable, licensed pharmacy and that the product is one that is recommended by your veterinarian.



Keep an eye out for certain symptoms of parasite related disease your pet (or even you in some cases) can get.  Nothing is 100% but the best we can do is cover our basis for a happy and healthy spring!



Check out this video for some great information on ticks, the diseases they spread and what to watch out for

10 Facts about Ticks | petMD



Check out our references page at our website  www.altavistavetclinic.com for more information on certain products we carry and why.



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