Who doesn't love the flowers blooming, the birds chirping and the sun shining?! Unfortunately along with spring comes those pesky allergies that cause all the itchy scratchies that drive our pets crazy!  At Northwood Animal Hospital we are familiar with this problem that many pet owners feel helpless to.  Luckily, there have been many advances in controlling allergies in pets and they can be managed with the right combination of antihistamines, shampoos and sometimes steroids. Remember, many over-the-counter medications can be very dangerous to your pets. Please don't give any medications without the guidance of your vet at Northwood Animal Hospital. We look forward to keeping you and your pets happy over this spring season! :)

Many clients ask us "Why does my pet need a heartworm preventative?"  Gone are the times when heartworm was consolidated in the southeastern states.  Heartworm has traveled with the mosquitoes and dogs from those southern states all around the country and now has been diagnosed in every state in the United States.  In South Orange county, we have a heavy coyote population, which have been known to carry heartworm and we have mosquitoes year-round. Heartworm infection is better prevented than treated! While treatment for heartworm can be costly, painful and even fatal, a monthly preventative is affordable and easy to administer. Better safe than sorry when it comes to this deadly disease! For more information about heartworm disease visit The Heartworm Society's website http://www.heartwormsociety.org/

How Well Do You Know Christmas Songs and Animals?

(Answer Key)

1.  Jingle Bells

Bobtail

2.  Up On the Housetop

Reindeer

3.  The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

Turkey

4.  Do You Hear What I Hear?

Lamb

5.  Away In A Manger

They lowed

6.  Little Drummer Boy

Ox & Lamb

7.  The Twelve Days of Christmas

23 (We didn't count the cows the maids were milking) :)

8.  God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Oxen

9.  The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

Plane (that loops the loop) & Hula Hoop

10.  Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer

Reindeer

Happy Holidays to you all! :)

My pet seems healthy.  Why should my pet be examined annually by a veterinarian?  Isn’t that unnecessary stress to my pet and expense to me?

A good “rule of thumb” for most healthy pets is that they should have a full physical examination at least once a year.  Of course pets who are exhibiting any abnormal symptoms (such as a change in appetite, thirst, behavior, gait, urine or stool production, skin or coat changes) should be examined as soon as possible to determine the cause, severity and any treatment necessary.  However, even pets who appear healthy to their owners may have subtle problems that could become threatening to their health in the future.  Not only can pets not verbally tell you that something is wrong, they often instinctually hide their symptoms from their families.  It is quite common for veterinarians to diagnose parasites, growths, ear and dental infections, or nutritional problems in pets who are presented for their annual examination by owners who are completely taken by surprise that such a condition is present.  While the discovery of an abnormality is concerning, remember that allowing us to identify it in its earliest detectable stage usually results in a much more affordable and successful treatment.  An undetected problem may cause your pet to suffer (often silently) and even do further damage.   Later diagnosis may mean less success (and higher cost) in managing a health problem.

Annual exams also allow the veterinarian to determine your pet’s ideal preventive health program.  By learning about your pet’s lifestyle and overall health, we are able to customize our recommendations so that we avoid unnecessary vaccinations and preventives, but administer those that are important to prevent illness.

In addition, annual visits to the veterinarian actually decrease stress to the pet by allowing them to get accustomed to these trips while they are feeling well.  Our doctors and staff are committed to making visits as pleasant as possible so that pets learn to relax and cooperate.  Not only does this make our job easier, but also much more rewarding!  We want to be your pets’ friends, and regular visits reinforce this relationship.  Feel free to stop by with your pet anytime.  We love to give treats and positive attention so they learn to love seeing us like we love seeing them!

-Dr. Jennifer Pursley-

*Below is an example of two patients who benefited from their annual exam:

Patients "Frankie" and "Butch" were scheduled to have their vaccines done in early April.  Upon arrival, our receptionist Michelle noticed that they hadn't been in for a physical exam since they started getting toe nail trims at Northwood in June of 2009.  Michelle explained the importance of an annual exam to their owner, and although she was a little reluctant at first due to the additional cost, she agreed that it would be a good idea to get them checked out.  As it turned out, it was a good idea indeed!  During the examination, Dr. Roberts located a foxtail lodged in Frankie's ear.  Since it was caught early enough, Dr. Roberts was able to remove it easily, with no pain to Frankie.  Had it been left unnoticed any longer, the foxtail could have continued traveling further into the ear, causing a lot of pain and problems for Frankie.  During Butch's examination, Dr. Roberts took note of the moderate tartar build up on his teeth.  Dr. Roberts recommended a non-anesthesia dental, which he came in for later that month.  Doing this helped prevent further tartar build up which could lead to dental disease and also prevented Butch from having to undergo anesthesia during a dental cleaning at a later time.  Frankie and Butch had a very happy owner at the end of the experience.  She was very grateful we had recommended the physical exams because we saved her a lot of time and money, and ultimately her two dogs were healthier because of it!