Because No Form of Life Should Ever Be Forgotten

It was just about three years ago that the economy hit our neighborhood hard and many houses started to go into foreclosure.   I don’t feel it was a coincidence that at about that time I started to see more “outdoor cats”.

There was a large black male that I was sure had a home due to his very friendly nature.  I would take spring time walks around the neighborhood with my husband and he would catch up to us and follow along, always singing a song.  We started to look for him when we went on our bike rides and even gave him a name, Panther.

One night when Panther followed us for two blocks singing all the way. I told my husband I was starting to think Panther  was  homeless. It was starting to get dark and I decided to give him some food because he was just so vocal.  I carried the bag out to the end of my yard and bent down to pour some into a large dish, Panther followed.  As I stood up I got a strange sensation that I was being watched.

From under my butterfly bush two other cats appeared, then a few more, then as I started to walk back toward my deck I counted a total of about seven cats along with Panther eating from the dish.  I went into the house and told my husband Bob, we have a problem.

I had heard about Forgotten Cats and wasn’t sure if Trap, Neuter, and Release was the right decision for all of these cats or not.  I knew that they all had to be spayed and neutered or the problem would really start to escalate, but release, to what?

I started to talk to the few people in our neighborhood who were involved in the civic association to see if the community was interested in helping these cats.  I quickly found out that there were far more important financial issues facing most of my neighbors than a handful of cats.  I talked it over with my husband and we both agreed that at the very least we needed to get them all spayed and neutered and give them a chance at survival on their own.  I called Forgotten Cats.  A lady named Felicia called me back and I explained the situation.  She said they were a strictly volunteer organization and explained the trapping process.  She told me a volunteer would come out in the evening and set several traps.  She said that they would need to capture the entire colony to remedy the situation.  I thought, ok, possibly eight cats. 

The next night a wonderful woman named Judy came to my house.  She explained that she wanted to place the traps in the dark and in a very discreet manor so the neighborhood kids would not know there were defenseless animals caught in traps in my yard.  She set about four traps and said that I was to check them as frequently as possible and if any cats were trapped to put a cover over the trap and call her.   That night all four traps were full of hungry cats, including an intact Siamese.  I knew there could not be a stray Siamese and this confirmed my suspicions that as people were leaving their homes due to foreclosure they were also leaving behind their cats.   Judy came out to the house and whisked them away to the  Forgotten Cats  facility and set four more traps. 

The next night was not quite so successful and in the morning much to our surprise my husband saw a litter of kittens under our deck.  They were walking and mom probably brought them with her when she came to mooch a free meal.  I quickly called Judy. 

It was a rainy day and heavy rains at that, but in spite of that this dedicated woman went out into my back yard and into the mud to set a trap for the babies.  I realized at that time that I did make the right decision.  This organization had such dedication in preventing the over population of homeless cats only to be born into a world of fear and hunger that they would spend their evening off from work, ankle deep in mud in a severe storm to help these creatures.

Judy trapped the kittens.  I said but what happens to the babies now?  They are too small to release back into the neighborhood.  Judy told me that we would figure something out.  The next day another volunteer named Donna said she would foster the babies until they were old enough to put up for adoption at one of the local pet stores.

In all, we, and I use that word loosely, trapped ten adult cats, and a litter of kittens.  Out of the ten adults when released five took off to parts unknown to me and the other five never left my back yard.

I often wonder if the five that left did ok but at least I know that they did not bring any more homeless cats into this world.

As for Panther, he now resides with his three female friends and his best friend, Simon,  the now neutered male Siamese at my house.

He still sings a lot. 

Caring for the Blind and Visually Impaired Cat By Erika Zerebecki, LVT

I have one blind cat and another that is visually impaired. The challenges of ownership have been minimal and the rewards plentiful.

Falco’s eye problems were so severe that he had to have both of his eyes removed, or enucleated in surgical jargon. He was four weeks old when I got him. His mother had been hit by a car and he was found on the side of the road. I volunteered to foster Falco and you know how that goes- I kept him. As a kitten, nothing stopped him. Bumping into walls did not phase him and he learned his way around the house one room at a time. Now, when it’s time to go out on his leash, he races me up and down the steps. He actually does all the normal cat things like chasing my other cats around the room, jumping up on counters, and batting toys around. He has an amazing sense of where his toys are. When you watch this video of him, you would never know that he was blind! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVMG99TWCFg&feature=email

Callie is my 13+ year-old foster cat from Salem County Humane Society. She has congenital deformities of her eyes. (The shelter veterinarians called it microphthalmia, which means the eyeball is too small.) She had been adopted sometime around 2000, and returned to the shelter in 2007. In 2009 she went to a foster home so that she could have surgery for entropion  (a condition in which the eyelid rolls inward and the hairs irritate the eyeball). She ended up having two or three surgeries. Then, in 2011, she became diabetic and her foster mom could no longer keep her. I ended up taking her in and she is no longer diabetic.

Callie has limited vision. She can see things that are very close to her but is very cautious with any movement or shapes that are further away. She tends to stick to one area in one room and that is her safe spot. At night, however, she sleeps on my head. She is still very playful and tends to pull numerous toys out of the toy box at once.

How do you acclimate your blind or visually impaired cats? I had to start the cats out in a small room initially. They needed to get familiar and comfortable with their environment little by little. I couldn’t take a blind cat, plop it down in the middle of a big house with the litter box in the basement, and say, “Good luck!” Once they were comfortable in their environment, they came out of their shells and you had no idea they couldn’t see.

Do you have to take any special precautions or measures? You can't forget that to an extent they remain special needs kitties. I have taken extreme caution when introducing any new animals into the house. They are very trusting cats and therefore very vulnerable. They are an easy target for any animal that may want to pick on them. They are not alone in the house unsupervised if I am not home. I also try to make noises that will assist them, like tapping objects around the house to give them some sort of depth perception. When Falco was a kitten, I would scuff my feet when I walked so he would hear me and know where to follow. 

Do they make just as great pets as visual cats? Falco has been blind since he was a kitten so he doesn't know any different life. Callie has been bounced around in homes and she is just a grateful loving cat. 

What do I recommend to owners who are concerned about their cats' vision? Pay close attention to their behavior and bring them to the veterinarian. If they are losing their vision, be patient and help them adjust. As long as you are there to comfort and assist them, they can continue to live a normal happy life. 

Falco

                                                                      

Callie

                                                                     

Pet Health Insurance Considerations

The doctors and staff of Wilmington Animal Hospital recommend that you purchase pet health insurance for your dogs and cats. Because of the high quality of care available to your pets, costs may be prohibitive if your pet has an accident or severe illness. For example, orthopedic care for a broken leg or anterior cruciate ligament tear can cost $3000-5000. A splenectomy with transfusions can cost $10,000. Cancer therapy can cost $7000 or more.

There are many points to consider when selecting pet health insurance. We have listed a few below, with comments based on our experience. We highly encourage you to search the Internet for websites that compare plans, and call the top two or three companies that seem to fit your needs.

1. Cost. In general, this will be related to your deductible and co-pay, decreasing with a higher deductible and co-pay.

2. Well-pet care versus sick pet care. This includes annual and puppy/kitten exams, vaccinations, heartworm testing and preventative, flea and tick preventative, spaying/neutering, and possibly dental work and routine blood testing. At this time, we do not recommend purchasing additional coverage for well-pet care, unless it is already included in a sick-pet care plan that you like. We have found (by running the numbers) that you’ll put a certain amount of dollars into a premium for the well-pet care and get that exact amount out of it. Better to keep your money and spend it yourself.

3. Deductibles. This is the amount that you will pay first before services are rendered. Note that in some plans, because of other terms of the plan, you may not see a decrease in your premiums unless you set a very high deductible, like $500.

4. Co-pay. This is the amount, usually expressed in a percent, that you will pay for each occurrence.  Be careful here. Some companies will reimburse you for a straight percent of what the veterinarian charges you; others will reimburse you on the agreed percent of their allowance for that problem. For example, if you are traveling to Los Angeles and your dog gets food poisoning, a night in the ER with IV fluids and medications, X-rays, ultrasound, etc. might cost $3000, and one company might reimburse you a straight 90% of that. But another company might have a “cap” for this condition, allowing only $1500, and then will reimburse you 90% of that amount.

5. Limits per occurrence. Make sure you select a number that is realistic. For example, a limit of $1200 per occurrence is no longer a realistic number for serious medical and most surgical conditions. We recommend at least $7500, preferably more if you can afford the premiums.

6. Lifetime and annual limits. These might not be as critical. In most cases, if your pet were to incur a lifetime bill of $100,000 for you, the condition might have been such that you would not have wanted to continue putting your pet through this or you would not have been able to afford the co-pays and deductibles.

7. Office visits/examinations. See if this is covered. Most companies cover some portion of the sick patient visit, but other companies do not, which is one way of keeping the premiums affordable and minimizing the deductibles.

8. Prescription coverage. Find out if the company covers prescription drugs. Medications, especially for large dogs, can be very expensive.

9. Pre-existing conditions. Most plans will not cover these, so we recommend enrolling right after your first vet visit. Yes, anything abnormal found on this visit will be considered a pre-existing condition, but most companies will not enroll your pet without a physical exam.

10. Selecting your vet. Make sure your plan allows you to select whichever vet you want. Most plans allow this, although HMO-like plans are springing up.

11. Congenital and hereditary disorders. These are conditions present at birth (whether or not they show symptoms or signs) and can result in very expensive treatment. Most pet insurance providers exclude or severely limit coverage for hereditary and congenital disorders while others cover many or most of these conditions. This can include something as common as hip dysplasia (in which surgery can cost $8000 or more to repair both hips) or less common like cherry eye.

12. ACL tears: Some companies have exclusion periods for conditions like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. For example, if your pet is enrolled in a plan with one of these terms, and your pet tears his ACL during a 12-month waiting period, he will never be covered for the surgical repair or other treatments of this condition.

13. Cancer coverage. This is included with some companies but exists as an additional rider with other companies.

14. Complementary/alternative therapies. Find out if the company covers acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and other complementary/alternative therapies. All of these services are offered at WAH.

15. Premium increases. Check to see what makes the premium increase. These factors could include increasing age of your pet, previous claims, and inflation.

16. Age limits. Some companies discontinue coverage when your pet reaches a certain age, while others will continue your coverage if your pet has been enrolled for a certain number of years.

17. The company itself. Find out how long they’ve been in business and what the turnover time is for a claim.

Search the Internet for pet health insurance companies and do your own comparisons. Once you think you’ve settled on a company, (and you’ve spoken to them on the phone to ascertain how helpful they are), contact a competing company to get the other side of the story.

Chiropractic Care for the Elderly Dog and Cat by Steven S. Fries, Animal Chiropractor

Would your elderly dog or cat benefit from chiropractic care? Do you notice that your 10-year old dog is not running as far as she used to?  Does your cat hesitate before jumping up on the couch?  Perhaps your pet appears stiff right after awakening.

While growing older is inevitable, so are certain skeletal disorders, like osteoarthritis.  Just like us, dogs and cats often suffer from painful and disabling arthritic conditions. 

Joints, which in health are glassy smooth and surrounded with fluid, often lose their cartilage surface and become rough with calcium deposits.  This can result from poor nutrition, unusual overuse (such as those of a dog who works or competes in sports), old injuries, and chronic misalignment (subluxation) of joints- which is where I come in!

Signs that your pet may be suffering from misaligned or subluxated joints include: 

-Stiffness when getting up from a laying position

-Reluctance to sit squarely on haunches

-Crying or snapping when the back is touched

-Limping without a known medical condition

-One hip appearing higher than another

-Walking differently than usual

-Holding the head to one side, or being unable to bring the head up or down

-Arching the back

-Hesitation on jumping

-Weakening in the hind limbs

-Worsening of signs with cool or stormy weather.

All of these signs can result from subluxations. These cause joints  to lose their normal mobility, often becoming more restricted in motion.  The signals to the brain become altered- these are  necessary to coordinate the gait and posture of  our pets.  Eventually, the joints become stabilized by calcium deposition (which is part of the changes  associated with osteoarthritis). 

Chiropractic care is aimed at correcting joint immobility in elderly dogs and cats before the disorder develops.  Chiropractic has been used successfully on the human patient for over one hundred years now.  For over  10 years, I have treated thousands of cats and dogs, working with the veterinarians at Wilmington Animal Hospital. The improvements we can accomplish are very rewarding, restoring a better quality of life to many of our beloved pets. For more information on chiropractic, visit: http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/services_chiropractic.php. You can read more about me on: http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/veterinarians.php.  Appointments can be made at the Wilmington Animal Hospital by calling Dr. Fries' at (215) 629-8311.

References:

American Chiropractic Association 442154 E. 140 Road   Bluejacket, OK 74333

Boal R & Gillete R (2004).  Central neuronal plasticity, low back pain and spinal manipulative therapy.  Journal of Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics June:  27(5):314-26.

Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies.  203-8941 Lake Drive Cape Canaveral, FL 32920.

Delamarter Rick B et al. (1990) Experimental lumbar stenosis-  analysis of the cortical evoked potentials, microvasculature, and histopathology.   J Bone Joint Surg Am72(1):110-20 1990 Jan.

De Risio, Luisa, DVM et al. (2000) Degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.  Veterinary Clinics of North America:  Small Animal Practice.  Volume 30 . Number 1 . January 2000.

Healing Oasis Wellness Center 2555 Wisconsin St.  Sturtevant, WI 53177-1825.

Kim N H & Yang I H (1996) A study of motor and sensory evoked potentials in chronic cauda equina compression of the dog.  Eur Spine J (1996) 5:338-344.

Postural Rehabilitation @ Maximum Horsepower, LLC 305 Nottingham Road  Nottingham, PA 19362.

Squire, L & Bloom F et al.  (2003) Fundamental Neuroscience (2nd Edition) San Diego Academic Press 772-785.

Acupuncture and Arthritis: Is your dog tired of ice skating? By Lexie Hanna, VMD

Large dogs don't always age well, but acupuncture could be a way to help them. Failing hips can lead to difficulty getting up, "splaying" of the hind legs, fear of crossing non-carpeted surfaces and a general hesitation to do more than lie around. These challenges can be devastating for both the dog and owner. Non-carpeted floors begin to look like ice-skating rinks, and the thought of crossing them sends many of our canine friends into a state of incontrollable shaking.  If any of you have a geriatric large breed dog, you know what I'm talking about.

As larger dogs age, their hip joints are prone to arthritis (especially Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and Rottweilers, who often have a genetic predisposition). The hip joint is a "ball and socket" style joint. As the joint deteriorates, the muscles in the hip area atrophy (waste away) making the joint less stable. This leads to hind end weakness and splaying of the hind legs. The cycle makes it harder and harder for these poor guys to move around on any surface that is at all slippery. 

There are a variety of arthritic drugs available. But some of these can damage other parts of the body (like the liver) and they do not work for every animal. Non-drug options, like chiropractic, laser and acupuncture, are available at WAH and can really help!

Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years. It is a gentle way to stimulate the body to help heal itself. By placing tiny needles into specific points along the body, many “feel good” hormones, like endorphins and oxytocin, are released from the brain. Acupuncture also stimulates the nervous system, which helps muscles become stronger. You might wonder why any dog would allow needles to be placed in its body for an acupuncture session. The answer is, it feels good!

The needles relax the animal (gotta love those feel good hormones), and often they even fall asleep! Needles are left in anywhere from 5-30 minutes. Sometimes liquid is added through the needle (aqua-puncture). Heat can also be used in the needle tip (moxa), and electric stimulation can be attached to the needles to give a little "boost." However, "dry needling" is the most common form of acupuncture. 

As a holistic modality, acupuncture treats not just arthritis in the joints, but the whole body, and without causing harm. Nothing will stop the body from aging, but acupuncture is one natural way to help dogs age more gracefully.

For more information on acupuncture at WAH, visit: http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/services_acupuncture.php

Dr. Hanna is a 2004 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her certification in Medical Acupuncture for Veterinarians in the summer of 2004.

For more information on Dr. Hanna, visit: http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/veterinarians.php

This is Basco getting acupuncture for arthritis:

When Dogs Itch in Winter by Shelley R. Epstein, VMD, CVH

This has been an unusually itchy winter for dogs here at WAH, so we thought it might be a good idea to discuss this topic. Typically, November or December comes, and the number of itchy dog cases drops off precipitously. But this year, the opposite has occurred!

Believe it or not, the number one cause is fleas! Yes, fleas. In the cold weather.

Itching from fleas is typically random on the body. Some dogs will “corn cob” their legs, chewing them up and down the length. Most dogs just chew and scratch anywhere on their bodies, with some dogs focusing on the lower back/tail/anal area.

And we’re seeing these problems even on some dogs that have been faithfully wearing flea/tick preventive products! Why is this, you may be wondering?

Quick flea trivia for edification and cocktail party banter:

Fleas love 80 degrees and 80% humidity. Obviously, not the current conditions, but sure describes this past summer.

Another fact: One adult female flea will lay 2000 eggs, which drop off your dog or cat and land wherever the dog/cat goes: your yard, house, bed, sofa, etc. Fleas are particularly appreciative of you if you have carpeting. They get way down in the pile where it’s really humid. They don’t love you as much if you have hardwood or laminate floors because the surface exposes their precious eggs to the air and dries them out. But they can make due with the cracks those floors provide.

So, putting these facts together, we had a tremendously fruitful season for flea reproduction! And even though it’s getting cooler and occasionally drier, many fleas have survived and found a safe haven on your dog (or cat).

What about those expensive flea products that you’ve been using faithfully? Could you still have a flea problem?

Yes, for a few reasons.

First, the products all work in slightly different ways. The best products, of course, would kill the fleas before your dog is bitten. By the way, it is believed that the flea saliva is what stimulates an allergic reaction in the dog. So of course, you’d like the flea to diet before it bites your dog.

Advantage and Advantix (the latter also kills ticks) both kill the fleas before they bite your dog. But occasionally we’ll see dogs with fleas who are wearing this product. Take a close look at your dog. If you can easily catch a flea and it doesn’t hop off your finger, it was already poisoned by the product. The fact that your dog had fleas this late in the season means your dog’s environment has a flea infestation.

Here’s a trivial fact, actually studied by a Pew family member. We’ve known that the flea life cycle is egg-larva-pupa-adult. Well it’s those pesky pupa that can survive a nuclear holocaust, or at least the climatic ravages of winter. And (here’s what the Pew person found out) those pupa sense the vibrations of the normal host- dog or cat- walking by and instantaneously molt into adults and hop on the dog or cat. Then the Advantage/Advantix starts to poison them, before your pet is bitten.

It’s a common misconception that if your house were infested, you would have the fleas hopping on you. As you can see from the Pew studies, the fleas (thankfully) much prefer the dog or cat, and will only hop on you if your dog or cat is too filled up with fleas. We’ve heard numerous stories of people going into abandoned homes that were previously occupied by pet-owning people…and the fleas swarmed onto the poor unsuspecting person, actually coating their pants black! That’s really gross, but you get the point.

For these situations, we recommend one dose of Advantage/Advantix now and one in a month, then resume when the ideal flea climate returns. Oh-here’s another great trivia fact about fleas and Advantage: The product coats the skin cells which fall off around the house, and the poor unsuspecting larva eat them and DIE! This gives the product an environmental effect. In the past 15 years or so that the product has been out, we’ve seen a marked decline in the need for house products to kill fleas.

But in those rare cases in which the fleas are still in the house and hopping on the dog, even if you are using one of these products, you may need to call in an exterminator. Most companies use products to instantly kill any adult fleas, and they use growth regulators to kills the eggs. Most will give you a 90-day guarantee.  But remember, nothing kills the pupa, so expect the problem to resume, hopefully to a lesser extent, when the weather warms up. Hopefully the flea product on your dog will suffice next season.

But what about Frontline? Honestly, for the past few years, we’ve observed that this product is not working as well for flea problems. The company insists that independent studies on fleas collected from all over the country show no resistance to the product. They offer two explanations for why their product might “seem” to not be working:

1.     There’s a wild animal roaming your yard at night, depositing flea eggs in the yard, a source of reinfestation for your dog and

2.     Perhaps your dog is at the high end of the dose range so naturally there will be less product spread on a larger surface area.

But this doesn’t explain why Advantage seems to be working under those same conditions. We have no doubt that Frontline placed in a petri dish with fleas will kill them. So we don’t have any great explanation for the failures that we’re seeing many times a week. In any case, we’ve stopped recommending this product for flea control.

This blog is not to promote any particular flea product. We’re just letting you know which ones we use and have the most experience with, good or bad. This past season, we started using Vectra, and we have not had any complaints about its efficacy. And if you prefer natural products, we’ve found the cedar oil sprays are very effective, although they require much more frequent application, up to daily if you have a bad problem. They are more labor intensive as you must be sure to coat every square inch of your dog or the resilient fleas will find that one area that you’ve missed. We do currently carry Dr. Ben’s cedar oil flea/tick spray.

So the #1 cause of itching this winter is likely fleas.  The warm humid weather is a conspirator. And some flea products aren’t working that well.

The #2 cause of itching in the winter is inhalant allergies. Of course, dogs can have both problems (allergies exacerbated by fleas).

Typically, allergies appear as licking/chewing the toes and feet, with some dogs rubbing their eyes, muzzles, ears, and armpits/groin. In contrast to flea-induced itching, allergies tend to focus on these areas only.

Allergies can be to just about anything. In the winter, the most common allergens are house dust mites and molds. Some dogs are even allergic to cats and humans.

The treatments are numerous and largely palliative.  Here is a list of possibilities:

1.     Antihistamines

2.     Diet improvement. Visit our webpage on diet: http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/info_nutrition.php

3.     Dietary supplements, like fish oil, Missing Link, etc.

4.     Allergy testing and allergy vaccines at a veterinary dermatologist’s

5.     Steroids like prednisolone. We use Natural Hydrocortisone which has far less side effects than its chemical derivative prednisolone.

6.     Immunosuppressive drugs like Atopica.

7.     Shampoos to soothe the itching or treat secondary infections

8.     Antibiotics for secondary infections.

It’s important to emphasize that fleas and inhalant allergies comprise about 85-95% of the skin problems we see in dogs in the winter. However, there are many other causes of itching in the winter. It’s always best to let one of our veterinarians examine your dog to assess the condition and make individualized recommendations for treatment and prevention. Please see our website for more information about our hospital and how to schedule an appointment: WilmingtonAnimalHospital.com. If you're already a client, you can visit our website and sign on to Pet Portal to access your pet's reminders, receive email reminders (and text messages if you'd like), and many other great free services.

Vaccinations Part I – Canine Vaccinations by Alison Ladman, VMD

If you’ve been searching the Internet, talking to certain breeders, or possibly hearing the experience of friends, you’ve likely heard that there’s some controversy when it comes to vaccinating dogs and cats. On the one hand, more vaccines exist to protect your pet from illnesses varying from the deadly parvovirus to the preventable periodontal disease. On the other hand, cancer, allergies, and autoimmune diseases are becoming more and more common. Is there a connection? Should we minimize the number of vaccines we give?  It is important to note that vaccines can prevent disease or minimize symptoms of a disease, but they will never make your pet healthier. 

A little background first:  For many years, it was common and routine for most veterinary hospitals to give yearly vaccinations to dogs and cats.  The focus of annual hospital visits was on the “shots” and not necessarily on the health of the pet.  Approximately 16 years ago, WAH changed the focus of annual visits to focus on the overall health and wellness of pets, making vaccinations secondary.  After all, wellness is about the big picture, not just administration of any and all vaccines on the market.  In all circumstances, doctors at WAH make every effort to avoid giving more than one vaccine on a given day.  We find that this approach limits vaccine reaction frequency and severity – which is always a relief to pet owners and to us!

 

Of course, it is important that all dogs receive certain “core” vaccines to prevent them from getting life threatening diseases like canine parvovirus.  At WAH, we start all puppies out with the pediatric series of vaccines.  We only recommend the core vaccines – parvovirus, distemper virus, and rabies in puppies.   We advise vaccination of puppies with a parvo and distemper vaccination every 4 weeks until they have reached 16 weeks of age.  Rabies vaccination is given as the final vaccine in the pediatric series in compliance with Delaware law and is considered “good” for one year this first time it’s given.

At WAH, we also treat our adult patients differently than what was the historical norm for vaccination in veterinary medicine.  Instead of giving adult dogs yearly “shots,” we tailor protocols to the pets’ lifestyle and risk.  Does your dog visit nursing homes or hunt in the woods?  Or does your dog never leave the house except to use the bathroom?  Do you take in foster pets from local shelters? 

The doctors at WAH use this information to determine  the best approach to vaccination and assessment of immunity for your individual pet.

We aim to limit vaccinations, so we advise checking “titers” for parvovirus and distemper virus.  A titer is a blood test that assesses the level of immunity an individual patient has developed to previous vaccines.  This titer helps us to assess whether a patient needs to have “booster” vaccinations.  In many cases, dogs have lifelong immunity from the vaccines they were given as puppies.  Unfortunately, titers are not permitted for rabies virus, so the rabies vaccination is given every 3 years as required by the state of Delaware.

There are two “non-core” vaccines available at WAH – bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine and canine influenza vaccine.  We only offer these upon request for patients that will be boarding in a kennel or daycare where this sort of vaccine is required.  If your pet boards at WAH, we do not require dogs to be vaccinated for either bordetella or influenza.  To learn more detailed information about vaccinations, please visit our website where we discuss them in more detail.  http://wilmingtonanimalhospital.com/info_vaccines.php

The bottom line is that at Wilmington Animal Hospital, we make every effort to focus on the overall health of our canine patients.  Vaccination is important, but it isn’t the most important part of keeping your pet healthy.  We will work with you to determine the best way to provide and assess immunity for your dog – we want your pet to be protected and to be as healthy as he or she can be!