What is ProHeart 6?

What is ProHeart 6?
ProHeart 6 is a medication that prevents heartworm disease in dogs 6 months of age and older. ProHeart 6 is given by injection by your veterinarian. One injection of ProHeart6 protects your dog from heartworm disease for 6 complete months. ProHeart 6 also treats common hookworm infections that may be present at the time of injection.



What should I discuss with my veterinarian before using ProHeart 6? 

General Health-ProHeart 6 should only be given to healthy dogs. Changes in behavior or health, including weight loss, if any. Allergies-Past or present, uncontrolled allergies, including food, flea or skin allergies, if any. Past problems with reactions to vaccines or medication, if any.Current medications, supplements or special diets, including those you can get without a prescription, if any.

Is ProHeart 6 Right for My Dog?

Only your veterinarian can determine if your dog is a good candidate for ProHeart^® 6 (moxidectin). Generally, ProHeart 6 is for healthy dogs 6 months and up.
There are many medications out there that treat and prevent various parasites in dogs, including pills, chewables and topically applied liquids. But remembering to give those products every month can be challenging, even for the most well-intentioned and caring dog owners. A missed or delayed dose could put your dog at risk for heartworm disease. That’s why ProHeart 6 may put your mind at ease. With one injection, you protect your dog continuously for the next 6 months.

 

Say “NO” to Missed Doses:

·         Continuous protection

Non-stop protection, so you know your dog is safe from heartworm disease for 6 months after just one dose administered at your veterinarian’s office

·         No monthly doses to remember

No more giving pills or chewables, or applying topical liquids every month

·         Peace of mind

Know that your dog is protected—especially in areas where infection is common and you have forgotten or have been late giving doses in the past

·         Treats hookworms

Also provides treatment for hookworm infections (Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala) at the time of administration

PRODUCT SAFETY AND

EFFICACY

·         FDA approved

- Proven safe and effective in dogs - Safe for pregnant and lactating females, breeding males, and ivermectin-sensitive collies

·         Satisfaction guaranteed

ProHeart 6 is a unique option that allows veterinarians to accurately dose and administer heartworm preventives for you, assuring 6 months’ protection from heartworm disease.

Our veterinarian is your best resource for recommending appropriate medications for your dog. It is important to discuss your dog’s health history, including current and previous medications, so together, you and your veterinarian can decide if ProHeart 6 is right for your dog. ProHeart 6 should only be given to healthy dogs.

www.ProHeart6.com

National Pet Week

 May 5th-11th 2013

Have you considered adoption?

We are pleased to work with Johnson County humane Society by rabies vaccinating, heartworm testing, performing spay/neuter surgeries and tending to sick animals when the need arises.

Pictured: Veterinary Technician Jennifer with "Phoebe"

Johnson County Humane Society is a non-profit organization made up of a group of volunteers from Johnson, Tarrant & Parker counties in Texas.  

Contact for information on adoptions and fostering:

Johnson County Humane SocietyPO Box 1991

Cleburne, TX 76033

817-517-5111

Email: jchspets@gmail.com

 

 

Available animals for adoption can be found on petfinder.

What do you need to consider for before adopting a pet?

Whatever dog breed you decide to get, make sure that it fits into your overall lifestyle. This is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Take your time and do your research to make sure the breed you choose will be a good fit for you and for the dog.

1. Do you you have small children?
2. What size dog would you prefer?
3. Can you deal with a dog that sheds or needs to be groomed often?
4. How much time can you devote to exercising your dog?
5. What is your lifestyle like? Are you an outdoors type of person/family? Or, are you more of a couch potato?
6. Will your dog be an inside or outside dog?
7. Will the dog be living with other animals?
8. Is affordability an issue?
9. What kind of climate do you live in?
10. Will your dog be left alone for long periods each day?

*Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4763034

 

 Responsible Pet Ownership

Owning a pet is a privilege, but the benefits of pet ownership come with responsibilities.

Be a Responsible Pet Owner:

1. Commit
   • Avoid impulsive decisions when selecting a pet.
   • Select a pet that's suited to your home and lifestyle.
   • Keep only the type and number of pets for which you can provide appropriate food, water, shelter, health care and companionship.
   • Commit to the relationship for the life of your pet(s).
   • Provide appropriate exercise and mental stimulation.
   • Properly socialize and train your pet.
2. Invest
   • Recognize that pet ownership requires an investment of time and money.
   • Make sure your pet receives preventive health care (vaccinations, parasite control, etc.), as well as care for any illnesses or injuries.
   • Budget for potential emergencies.
3. Obey
   • Clean up after your pet.
   • Obey all local ordinances, including licensing, leash requirements and noise control.
   • Don't allow your pet to stray or become feral.
4. Identify
   • Make sure your pet is properly identified (i.e., tags, microchips, or tattoos) and keep its registration up-to-date.
5. Limit
   • Don't contribute to our nation's pet overpopulation problem: limit your pet's reproduction through spay/neuter, containment or managed breeding.
6. Prepare
   • Prepare for an emergency or disaster, including assembling an evacuation kit.
   • Make alternate arrangements if you can no longer provide care for your pet.
   • Recognize any decline in your pet's quality of life and make timely decisions in consultation with a veterinarian.

*https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/responsible-pet-ownership.aspx

April is Heartworm Prevention Month

What are heartworms?

Heartworms are classified as nematodes (roundworms) and are filarids, one of many species of roundworms. Dogs and cats of any age or breed are susceptible to infection. Filarids rely on different insect species to be transported from animal to animal. The specific filarid causing heartworm in dogs and cats is known as Dirofilaria immitis.

How Heartworm Happens: The Life Cycle

First, adult female heartworms release their young, called microfilariae, into an animal's bloodstream. Then, mosquitoes become infected with microfilariae while taking blood meal from the infected animal. During the next 10 to 14 days, the microfilariae mature to the infective larval stage within the mosquito. After that, the mosquito bites another dog, cat or other susceptible animal, and the infective larvae enter through the bite wound. It then takes a little over 6 months for the infective larvae to mature into adult worms. In dogs, the worms may live for up to 7 years. Microfilariae cannot mature into adult heartworms without first passing through a mosquito.

What Are the Signs of Heartworm Disease?

For both dogs and cats, clinical signs of heartworm disease may not be recognized in the early stages, as the number of heartworms in an animal tends to accumulate gradually over a period of months and sometimes years and after repeated mosquito bites.
Recently infected dogs may exhibit no signs of the disease, while heavily infected dogs may eventually show clinical signs, including a mild, persistent cough, reluctance to move or exercise, fatigue after only moderate exercise, reduced appetite and weight loss.
Cats may exhibit clinical signs that are very non-specific, mimicking many other feline diseases. Chronic clinical signs include vomiting, gagging, difficulty or rapid breathing, lethargy and weight loss. Signs associated with the first stage of heartworm disease, when the heartworms enter a blood vessel and are carried to the pulmonary arteries, are often mistaken for feline asthma or allergic bronchitis, when in fact they are actually due to a syndrome newly defined as Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD).

Heartworms in the heart of a dog.

Hearworms in the Pulmonary Artery of a dog.

How Do You Detect Heartworm Disease?

Heartworm infection in apparently healthy animals is usually detected with blood tests for a heartworm substance called an "antigen" or microfilariae, although neither test is consistently positive until about seven months after infection has occurred.

Heartworm infection may also occasionally be detected through ultrasound and/or x-ray images of the heart and lungs, although these tests are usually used in animals already known to be infected.

Where are heartworms found and why do I need Prevention?

Heartworms rely on the mosquito to aid in their life cycle, heartworms are more prevalent where mosquito's are found. If you notice on the map we have a high incidence of hearworm disease in our area.

Prevention

Because heartworm disease is preventable, the AHS recommends that pet owners take steps now to talk to their veterinarian about how to best protect their pets from this dangerous disease. Heartworm prevention is safe, easy and inexpensive. While treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is possible, it is a complicated and expensive process, taking weeks for infected animals to recover. There is no effective treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so it is imperative that disease prevention measures be taken for cats.

Heartworm prevention available at South Meadow Animal Clinic:

Heartgard Plus

available in 6 month supply

 Iverhart Plus

available in 6 month supply

Revolution (canine and feline)

available for both canine and feline in single dose or 6 month supply

Proheart

available in a 6month injection 

Many more option available for clients via PetPortal!

Cold Laser Therapy

We are very excited to begin offering cold laser therapy to our patients.  

In simplest terms a cold lasers use an invisible wavelength of light that penetrates into tissues and causes positive cellular changes. Some of these beneficial changes include improved nerve conduction, dilation of blood vessels, and increased cellular energy by improving ATP production, stimulating acupuncture meridian points and decreasing free radical damage by helping cells produce more SOD, the body’s most potent natural antioxidant.

Laser therapy can relieve pain, reduce swelling, and increase range of motion. It reduces the

formation of scar tissue, promotes accelerated tissue repair and cell growth, and improves vascular and metabolic activity of damaged tissue. Laser therapy stimulates muscle trigger and acupuncture to provide musculoskeletal pain relief and has the ability to optimize muscle action and reduce nerve pain.

Cold Laser Therapy Benefits to your Pet

Anti-Inflammation – Cold Laser Therapy has powerful effects on swelling. This is mainly achieved because laser energy causes the blood and lymphatic vessels to dilate and activate.

Pain Relief – Cold Laser Therapy helps reduce pain by decreasing nerve sensitivity and blocking pain signals to the brain. In addition, Cold Laser Therapy  light enhances the secretion of natural pain killing chemicals such as endorphins and opioids. 

Improved Healing – Light photons from the laser penetrate deep into targeted tissues and accelerate cellular reproduction and growth. Laser light also increases cellular energy and ATP levels allowing injured cells to utilize nutrients better and remove waste faster.

 

 What can I expect?

You and your pet will be taken to an exam room for the quick procedure. Don't worry no needles, injections, or drugs are used. The operator will take the handheld cold laser and place it on your pets fur, no shaving necessary and begin performing the cold laser therapy. The length of the procedure varies depending on the condition being treated but most conditions require 2 to 8 minutes per site. Your pet will simply feel the sensation of the laser device moving across the skin, most pets will not need sedation and will be ready to go home after the procedure. Dr. Mayes will create a cold laser therapy schedule tailored to your pet's condition.

 

February is Dental Month

Wow, February is almost here and we are gearing up for Dental Month.

Dental Prophylaxis (teeth cleaning) is $25.00 of during the month of February, call us today at (817) 370-5566 to schedule an appointment!

Dr. Mayes recommends yearly dental cleaning for your pet(s).
 "Poor oral care leads to devastating disease processes in the mouth as well as other parts of the body such as the liver, kidneys and heart. Many people do not realize how important dental care is for their pets until they have a serious problem. By then, extensive (and oftentimes expensive) dental work must be performed. We are equipped to perform extensive dental work if necessary, but our goal is to educate owners about the importance of good dental care before it reaches that point."


Top 5 Signs of Dental Disease

1. Bad breath
2. Yellow plaque accumulating on teeth
3. Yellow/brown tartar accumulation on teeth
4. Red gums
5. Gum line recession

An astounding 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society (AVDS).

What should I be doing in between my pet's dental cleanings to maintain clean teeth?

• Hill's t/d Unique kibble scrubs away laden plaque in the mouth to promote systemic health, clinically proven to reduce plaque, stain and tartar buildup.
• C.E.T. Hextra Chews
  Provides a well-known antiseptic effect and helps remove plaque and reduce tartar. Chews are coated with exclusive patented 10% solution of chlorhexidine gluconate.
• Daily Brushing
• Drinking water additive (C.E.T. AQUADENT, Breathalyser)
  Helps maintain oral hygiene, prevent plaque accumulation, and freshen breath when used along with a regular home dental care program for cats and dogs.
• "Mini" dental cleanings for pets with excessive tartar accumulation with periodic preventative scaling and polishing in between annual cleanings.

The staff in our clinic has noticed that Science Diet Healthy Advantage pet food is very good at keeping teeth sparkling clean in between annual dental cleanings in both our cats and dogs.

Science Diet Healthy Advantage is a veterinary exclusive diet.

Dog Training

Exciting things are happening at South Meadow Animal Clinic!
We would like to introduce our new dog trainer Dr. Mark Elvington, owner of K9-Sense,LLC.

About Dr. Elvington

My first career was in chemistry.  After recieving a Ph. D. I worked for the U. S. Department of Energy for many years.  My love for dogs, however, drew me to volunteer at animal shelters where I gained volumes of hands on training experience.  For 10 years this continued, until I realized that my passion was working with dogs. I made the decision to change careers.  I pursued formal education in dog training and I am now certified by the Animal Behavior College, a professional dog training school. I am also a graduate of Randy Hare’s Professional Trainers Course at Alpha K9, a full time course that encompasses canine obedience training, explosives and narcotics detection, police handler protection training, tracking, and kennel management.  I am also an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.  I most recently worked as a canine trainer and handler with wildlife scent detection dogs for a cougar population study.  I feel that my scientific background meshes well with modern training methods like reward based behavior modification, methods which are based in the science of learning.

K9-Sense, LLC, offers a board and train program designed for the family dog.  Your dog will board at South Meadow Animal Clinic for four weeks and receive training in the foundation behaviors – sit, down, stay, heel, and come.  He or she will learn to respond to voice commands and hand signals and to work through distractions.  You are invited to visit your dog seven to ten days into the program to watch a training session and observe his or her progress.  During the last week your participation is necessary.  We will schedule several training sessions so that you and your dog can learn to work together as a team.  The cost of the program is $1400 with half due at the beginning and half due at the end.

Baby Its Cold Outside

Cold Weather Tips

Brrrr—it's cold outside!  The following guidelines will help you protect your companion animals when the mercury dips.

1. Keep your cat inside. Outdoors, felines can freeze, become lost or be stolen, injured or killed. Cats who are allowed to stray are exposed to infectious diseases, including rabies, from other cats, dogs and wildlife.
2. During the winter, outdoor cats sometimes sleep under the hoods of cars. When the motor is started, the cat can be injured or killed by the fan belt. If there are outdoor cats in your area, bang loudly on the car hood before starting the engine to give the cat a chance to escape.
3. Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, dogs can lose their scent and easily become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than during any other season, so make sure yours always wears ID tags.
4. Thoroughly wipe off your dog's legs and stomach when he comes in out of the sleet, snow or ice. He can ingest salt, antifreeze or other potentially dangerous chemicals while licking his paws, and his paw pads may also bleed from snow or encrusted ice.
5. Never shave your dog down to the skin in winter, as a longer coat will provide more warmth. When you bathe your dog in the colder months, be sure to completely dry him before taking him out for a walk. Own a short-haired breed? Consider getting him a coat or sweater with a high collar or turtleneck with coverage from the base of the tail to the belly. For many dogs, this is regulation winter wear.
6. Never leave your dog or cat alone in a car during cold weather. A car can act as a refrigerator in the winter, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.
7. Puppies do not tolerate the cold as well as adult dogs, and may be difficult to housebreak during the winter. If your puppy appears to be sensitive to the weather, you may opt to paper-train him inside. If your dog is sensitive to the cold due to age, illness or breed type, take him outdoors only to relieve himself.
8. Does your dog spend a lot of time engaged in outdoor activities? Increase his supply of food, particularly protein, to keep him, and his fur, in tip-top shape.
9. Like coolant, antifreeze is a lethal poison for dogs and cats. Be sure to thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle, and consider using products that contain propylene glycol rather than ethylene glycol. Visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center more information.
10. Make sure your companion animal has a warm place to sleep, off the floor and away from all drafts. A cozy dog or cat bed with a warm blanket or pillow is perfect.

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/pet-care-tips/cold-weather-tips.aspx