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Volume
II, Issue VI June 2006 IN THIS ISSUE •
Deworming Clinic at Healing
Springs •
Benefit •
Canine Parvovirus
– Deadly to Puppies and Easily Preventable •
Foal Vaccinations |
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Deworming Clinic Most people do not realize
that the worms that can infect your pet can also affect your family. Healing We invite you to schedule an
appointment to receive FREE
one on one consultation about deworming pets, FREE fecal screening, and
discounted dewormers. Please call and schedule an
appointment for this informational clinic: (276) 236-5103 |
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Benefit
Healing Springs H.E.L.P.
fund, a fund created by Healing Springs employees to
help families with very sick or injured pets, will soon hold a benefit dog
wash. Find the dog wash at Healing
Springs Large Animal Receiving Facility on |
Buy specialized
grooming supplies online at the Healing Springs Webstore. |
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Canine
Parvovirus
Parvovirus exhibits a broad
range of symptoms: lack of appetite, lethargy or listlessness (lack of
energy), vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, and fever. These symptoms can range from mild to very
severe. Parvovirus attacks rapidly and
aggressively. Healing Springs diagnoses
parvovirus by using a canine parvovirus antigen test kit. This test kit requires a small amount of
feces and takes about 10 minutes to run.
After a positive test, Healing Springs can implement treatment that
will often save the life of an infected puppy. Treatment for the parvovirus
includes aggressive intravenous fluid therapy, intravenous glucose, broad spectrum antibiotics, anti-nausea medication,
stomach protectants and attentive nursing
care. Typical hospital stays to treat
parvovirus range from 3-7 days.
Puppies that are being treated have to be in
an isolation treatment area because of the highly contagious nature of the
disease. Parvovirus is a preventable
disease. Vaccinations serve as the
best method of prevention. All momma
dogs need to be up to date on their vaccines prior to getting pregnant. If a bitch is pregnant and her vaccines are
due, veterinarians can give her a killed parvovirus vaccine to help her
transfer some immunity to her pups. All puppies should receive vaccinations at
6 weeks of age. Any puppy less than 8
weeks of age should receive a killed parvo-corona vaccine. This vaccine should be followed by a
distemper-parvo 7 way shot every 3-4 weeks until a
minimum of 16 weeks of age. Up until
16 weeks of age, a puppy’s immune system is fragile and still
developing. Because of the prevalence
of parvo infected dogs in our region, Healing
Springs recommends that all young puppies do not hike on the trail or go to
parks where other dogs play. Young
puppies still vulnerable to parvo infection should be with other
well-vaccinated dogs and isolated from dogs with questionable vaccine status. Parvovirus is a prevalent
disease in At |
New strains of
canine influenza do not pose exceptional threat to dogs. Science
Diet puppy food contains high levels of DHA for proper brain and vision
development. |
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Foal
Vaccinations
Strangles is a disease of
swollen lymph nodes that results in a high fever, loss of appetite, and
draining lymph nodes. This disease
usually runs its course with veterinary treatment, but can be fatal. Strangles is highly contagious and is a
disease of young horses. We do not
recommend strangles vaccine unless your horses stay in an endemic area or
have experienced a strangles problem. Eastern and Western Equine
Encephalitis are viruses that are passed by insects. This disease is
characterized by high fever and neurologic symptoms (i.e. an inability
to walk or stand, head tilt, and seizures). Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis are
usually fatal. West Nile Virus is also a
neurologic disease that has the same symptoms as equine encephalitis. West Nile Virus is also
passed by an insect vector and is likewise fatal. Tetanus is a organism that causes muscle stiffness, an inability to
swallow, and a high fever. In the
beginning stages, these foals will experience muscle spasms in response to a surprising
stimulus such as a loud noise, a clap, or a yell. As tetanus progresses, foals lie down and
become unable to rise. This disease is
also fatal. Horses can carry the
tetanus bacterium (C. tetani) in their feces. These organisms get into animals through
breaks in the skin or surgery sites. Rabies is a virus that is carried by mammals.
Rabies is transmitted by rabid animals attacking and
biting other animals. The virus
is carried in the saliva of infected animals. This disease is fatal. There are a wide variety of symptoms such
as increased salivation, mental depression, and neurologic symptoms. Rhinopneumonitis and influenza both
exhibit flu symptoms. These are contagious viruses that are passed from horse to horse
in respiratory secretions (snot). The
symptoms include fever, fast breathing, coughing, and sometimes loss of
appetite. These diseases are rarely
fatal, but highly contagious. Frequent
vaccines are recommended because of the foal’s
immature immune system. Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) is
an organism spread by snails. Potomac
Horse Fever is usually found in horses that have
access to ponds or running water.
Symptoms of PHF include profuse watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, weakness, and dehydration. This disease is fatal if left untreated. The following is the |
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Three months: |
Eastern & western encephalitis
and tetanus / West Nile Virus, rabies. Optionally, a foal may also need a |
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Four months: |
Eastern & western encephalitis
and tetanus / West Nile Virus, rabies. Optionally, a foal may also need a |
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Six months: |
Rhinopneumonitis and influenza |
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Seven months: |
Rhinopneumonitis and influenza |
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The Animal Health Bulletin is a FREE service of Healing (276) 236-5103 Visit our website at www.HealingSpringsAnimalHospital.com |
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Administrative: Request an article topic. Click
Here. To ask questions about a
specific pet, call Healing Springs at (276) 236-5103. You have permission to forward this bulletin in its
entirety to a friend. If you did not receive the Animal Health Bulletin
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distributed with the assistance of Brazzell Marketing Agency specializing in healthcare marketing. © BMA 2006 |
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