Animal Medical Clinic of Fayetteville, AR would like to share some important tips in feeding our feline friends.

For the first few weeks of life, your maturing kitten will be needing a few special nutritional considerations. This tips will help you get a handle on the basics of feeding your cute little feline friend.

While feeding a kitten may seem like a no-ainer, it’s essential that you hammer out a healthy diet plan that meets your kitten’s nutritional needs. Maturing kittens need roughly two to three times more nutrients and calories than adult cats, which means your kitten not only needs a more nutrient-dense food, but needs to scarf down that food more often than an adult cat would. By ensuring these few simple guidelines are followed, you can ensure your kitten gets the balanced nutrition it needs to become a healthy adult cat.

feed kitten

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dog motion sick

We always loved taking our dogs on a dog walk, so as to taking our dogs for a ride. Unfortunately, there is a problem though… And that is motion sickness. Most dogs suffer from this. But one good thing about it is that there will always be a cure for it. Here at Animal Medical Clinic in Fayetteville, AR, we always make sure to give health tips for your dog. And here is another great article to read that would help your dog with regard to motion sickness.

A car ride! A car ride! A car ride! For almost all dogs it’s the best thing since the cookie. However, a dog can get motion sickness just like some people do, which can mean that even a short car trip becomes quite stressful for your dog — and disgusting for the owner. Fortunately, there are ways to cure a dog’s motion sickness, including conditioning and medication.

Motion sickness is common in puppies and young dogs than in older dogs, apparently because the ear structures used for balance aren’t fully developed in puppies. If the first few car rides of a dog’s life result in nausea, the dog may begin to equate travel with uncomfortable feelings, even if his or her balance system fully matures. Therefore, a dog who experience motion sickness should be treated as soon as possible.

See full story on vetstreet.com

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Here, at Animal Medical Clinic in Fayetteville, AR, we want to make sure that your beloved cats and dogs are free from bad parasite, for it causes a lot of complications. It may even be fatal and cause a lot of not so conditions to your pet. Read this article that would help you avoid such complications for your pets.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially life threatening condition that causes severe damages to the heart, lungs, and related blood vessels. In fact, both dogs and cats are at risk for becoming infected with heartworms. Heartworm disease in dogs can be cured, but in some cases, cure can be costly and complex. Unfortunately there are no approved products for heartworm treatment in cats. Heartworm disease is easily and effectively avoided through the use of preventive medications. It is always better to make sure that our pets get’s the right kind of care at the right time.

Healthy Dogs and Cat

Even if heartworm disease is 100% preventable, a lot of dogs and cats are diagnosed with it each year. In fact, heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states. Due to the fact that heartworms are transmitted (as microscopic larvae) through the bite of an infected mosquito, heartworm disease can occur anywhere there are mosquitoes. Even indoor cats are not safe from heartworm infection, as research have shown that more than 25% of heartworm-infected cats live indoors. The American Heartworm Society (AHS) estimates that 1 million dogs in the United States are infected with the disease, and the incidence may be rising. Wherever dogs are infected, studies have shown that cats are likely to be infected, too.

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Image Courtesy of Dogtime.com

Sixty nine years ago today, Allied forces executed Operation Overlord, where thousands of troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in France during World War II. Its success marked the end for the Nazi’s and helped to bring about the war in Europe’s end less than a year later.

Bing’s story is told in a children’s book, Amazing Adventures of Bing the Parachuting Dog by Gil Boyd.

Curated post from http://dogtime.com

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May 21, 2013
By: Julie Scheidegger
DVM360 MAGAZINE

Twenty minutes from Moore, Okla., Dustin Brown, DVM, and the staff at the Animal Medical Center—Midwest City took cover as the deadly EF4 tornado carved a line of destruction around them. “That tornado lifted right before it got to our clinic,” Browns says. After it passed, “we came back and started trying to do what we can.”

He headed to Moore. “It’s hard to get in or out,” he says of both phone lines and roads. Brown attended to countless horses injured in the storm—he says they saved as many as they could.

The Orr Family Farm, an agricultural tourism destination and home to Celestial Acres, a large sports training facility, sustained heavy damage from the tornado. A spokesman for the property says there are animal casualties, but “I don’t know if it’s one or 100,” Tony Vann said Tuesday morning.

Brown saw countless numbers of fatally injured horses. “There’s no telling how many horses we had to put down yesterday. It was horrible,” he says. “A lot of shattered legs, severe lacerations.”

He says there are a lot of dogs and cats in need of care as well. Brown’s staff at Animal Medical has treated a few. “It’s basically just triage and help the ones we can,” he says. Scores of animals are missing.

Curated post from DVM360. For the remainder of this story continue here.

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Our veterinarians at Animal Medical Clinic in Fayetteville, Arkansas and the American Red Cross would like to remind pet owners that they should follow these important steps to help keep their pet healthy:

1.Give pets plenty of exercise.
2.Make sure they have plenty of fresh, cool water.
3.Make sure they get regular yearly checkups with their veterinarian, and are up to date on vaccines, especially rabies.
4.Get pets spayed or neutered.
5.Keep dogs on leashes outside – another animal may be too much temptation
6.Know how to perform CPR and provide basic first aid until veterinary care is available

See full story on redcross.org

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It’s a conundrum, for sure. One minute your beloved kitty is over the moon with pleasure as you scratch her favorite spot and the next thing you know you’re left staring at tooth marks on your arm.

You’re not the only one suffering. Many pet owners call this common behavior “Love biting,” but feline behaviorists have given it a more formal name: Petting-induced aggression—and it’s a poorly understood topic

More from Vetstreet.com

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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.

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1. Small quantities of grapes and raisins can cause renal failure in dogs. Chocolate, macadamia nuts, cooked onions, or anything with caffeine can also be harmful.
2. Puppies are sometimes rejected by their mother if they are born by cesarean and cleaned up before being given back to her.
3. Dalmatians are completely white at birth.
4. It is a myth that dogs are color blind. They can actually see in color, just not as vividly as humans. It is akin to our vision at dusk.
5. Dogs’ only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
6. A one-year-old dog is as mature, physically, as a 15-year-old human.
7. Obesity is the #1 health problem among dogs.
8. Only dogs and humans have prostates.
9. Female dogs are only ready to mate – “in heat” – twice a year for a total of roughly 20 days.
10. Apple and pear seeds contain arsenic, which may be deadly to dogs.
    
11. Eighteen muscles or more can move a dog’s ear.
12. A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can.
13. A puppy is born blind, deaf, and toothless.
14. Dogs do not have an appendix.
15. A dog’s smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human’s, which they need because their eyesight is not as keen as a human’s.
16. All dogs are identical in anatomy – 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
17. Puppies sleep ninety percent of the day for their first few weeks.

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What to Bring to Your First Puppy Exam

You need to bring two things with your puppy to the first exam. The first is whatever health information the seller or shelter provided to you, such as records of vaccinations and wormings. The second is a fresh stool, which is examined for the presence of parasites.

What to Expect at Your First Puppy Exam

Here’s what you can expect at your puppy’s first appointment with us:

• An individualized orientation with one of our veterinarians at Animal Medical Clinic
• A full physical examination of your puppy
• A thorough and safe vaccination schedule based on your puppy’s medical history and age
• A fecal test to check for any intestinal parasites
• Guidance on how to feed and potty train your new puppy

Your puppy’s first visit to the veterinarian in Fayetteville, AR  is often as much about educating you and answering your questions as it is about examining your puppy.  We will provide you with information regarding heartworm prevention, flea and tick prevention, house training, obedience training, socialization, diet, dental hygiene, and insurance options.

Your Puppy’s Physical Exam

Our veterinarian will do a comprehensive, nose-to-tail physical exam of your pet both during puppy visit(s) and at routine annual health visits to Animal Medical Clinic in Fayetteville, AR.  The goal of the physical is to alert the doctor to any possible congenital defects or concerns. During the exam, our doctor will:

•  Thoroughly inspect your pet’s ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, gums, trunk, legs and paws.
•  Weigh your puppy and check his temperature — 100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit is normal — as well as his pulse and breathing rate.
•  Listen for heart and lung abnormalities and examine other internal organs by palpating, or feeling them.
•  Check the skin and perianal area for any sign of disease or parasites
•  Check the puppy’s genitals to ensure two testicles are present in males and there’s no sign of discharge or infection in females.
•  Open the puppy’s mouth to see that teeth and gums look as they should.

One way to make you and your puppy’s visit to the vet more pleasant is to train him ahead of time. Play with your pet’s paws, ears and mouth on a regular basis. This will accustom your pet to being touched and examined, and it will help him ultimately be more comfortable when examined by our vet.

Vaccinations

Your new puppy  needs a series of vaccinations in the first year of life to protect him from many dangerous diseases as his  immune system develops.  Since it takes some time for your puppy’s immune system to mature, your puppy should receive a series of vaccinations beginning around 8 weeks of age, and finishing around 16 weeks of age. Your pet will also require boosters a year later.

Vaccinations we recommend are:

DA2PP – (Distemper, Adenovirus Types 1&2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus Vaccine) This is a combination vaccine given 3-4 times at three-week intervals for puppies. (The first of the series is given at 8–10 weeks old.) A booster is given at one year from the last puppy vaccine, at which point the vaccine will only be required every three years.

Distemper – An extremely contagious, airborne viral disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous system.

Adenovirus – A highly infectious airborne virus affecting the respiratory system. It is one of the causes of tracheobronchitis–also known as kennel cough. The vaccine also protects against the hepatitis virus type 1 and 2.

Parainfluenza – A contagious airborne virus, parainfluenza produces a respiratory tract infection. It is also one of the causes of tracheobronchitis.

Parvovirus – A virus affecting the intestines and white blood cells, which is spread by ingesting contaminated fecal material.  This virus is highly infectious.

• Rabies Vaccine – required by Arkansas State Law  The first rabies vaccine is given between 12-16 weeks old, usually at the same time or soon after the last DA2PP vaccine.  A booster is given one year later, and again every three years thereafter to maintain immunity. Rabies: This deadly virus is most commonly transmitted through the saliva of a rabies vector species, such as a bat, raccoon, or skunk.  In Fayetteville, it is legally required to keep your pet up to date on its rabies vaccinations. Under new Arkansas law your pet can receive a 3 year Rabies vaccine after the age of one.  Ask one of our veterinarians if your pet qualifies.
• Bordetella vaccine - In Fayetteville,  it is often required that your dog have the bordetella vaccine every 6 months if he/she will be attending a doggie day care,  pet groomer or visiting a boarding facility.  Otherwise,  this can be given annually to maintain your pet’s immunity.  It is first administered around 11 weeks of age. Bordetella: This is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract, and the main component of tracheobronchitis. The main symptom of tracheobronchitis, also known as “kennel cough,” is a dry hacking cough.

We look forward to a long relationship with you and your pets.

(479) 521-5220

Visit our website:  animalmedicalclinicfayar.com/

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