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| Welcome! As spring approaches our thoughts turn to things growing. Unfortunately this includes parasites that can infect your dog or cat. See below for more information on intestinal worms and Heartworm. Please Contact Us with questions. Seasonal Information: Heartworm Disease Heartworm disease is a mosquito-transmitted disease of cats and dogs. Adult worms typically live in the right side of the heart resulting in clinical signs including coughing, pale mucous membranes and fluid build-up in the abdomen. Congestive heart failure can occur if the disease is not diagnosed and treated. The adult canine heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, lives in its host, (the dog or cat) and produces tiny worms known as microfilaria, which may live for 2 years in circulating blood. A feeding mosquito may ingest the microfilaria and then larval development occurs in the mosquito. Infective third stage larvae migrate to the salivary glands of the mosquito. the larvae enter the bite wound when the mosquito feeds on another dog, migrate to and remain in the connective tissues of the new host ( the dog) for up to 4 months. The final larval stage migrates to the right heart through venous blood flow where the larvae matures to an adult heartworm, growing to 7 - 12 inches in length. These adults start producing microfilaria in 2-3 months, which can be ingested by mosquitoes and further spread to new hosts. A simple blood test can detect the presence of heartworm in a dog before heart damage occurs. If positive, long-term, risky, expensive treatment is needed to eliminate the worms. If negative however, a preventative medication in the form of a chewable tablet taken monthly is available for your pet. The preventative cannot be safely given without first verifying your pet does not already have the heartworms. Though we have not seen a high incidence of heartworm locally, the valley has an excess of mosquitoes during the summer and the potential for transmission from an infected animal passing through exists. Once a local reservoir for the heartworm is established, any number of unsuspecting loving pets could be infected that come in contact with a hungry infected mosquito, whether indoors or outdoors. If you travel south or east anytime during the year with your pets, we recommend you protect them against heartworm exposure. The disease is much easier and cheaper to prevent than it is to treat. Mosquito season is upon us, so call today for an appointment for the heartworm test and pick up the preventative medicine to protect you and your beloved pet from any potential "heartbreak" due to heartworm disease. If you have any questions, please call us at 308-635-0116 or contact us here. The heartworm preventative that we use also deworms your dog for intestinal roundworms each month that you give it, See Below for information related to intestinal roundworms. Cat and Dog Worms
Is your Dog Itching? Does your pet suffer from dry, flaky, skin? 'Tis the season for Dry Skin Syndrome and if your dog won't stop scratching, dry skin could be the cause. There are many causes of itchiness in dogs, some infectious, some nutritional and some environmental. Environmental dry skin occurs most often during the winter because of low humidity. Normal skin is soft and flexible but when skin becomes dry, it loses its elasticity and cracks when stretched. Cracking can lead to open sores and an invasion of bacteria, which would seriously intensify the problem. By replacing the lost moisture and eliminating the bacteria on your pet's skin, the effects of Dry Skin Syndrome can be controlled. You can do this at home by periodically cleansing your pet's skin of debris and bacteria and by applying a moisturizing agent. There are a number of shampoos and moisturizing agents on the market that can help you win the battle on Dry Skin Syndrome. Come see us at the Animal Health Center today! Your pet will thank you! 
Nutro Brand Pet Food Helps With Allergic Skin Conditions Pick some up at the Animal Health Center
Tufflock Collars and Leashes: Guaranteed for Life. If your dog Spay Day USA Companion animal overpopulation in the United States results in the euthanization of six to eight million dogs and cats each year. Although many of these animals are healthy and adoptable, the sheer number of them outweighs the availability of good homes. America's taxpayers bear the cost of picking up, housing and ultimately killing these homeless animals — as much as $100 for each one in some jurisdictions. Millions more cats and dogs never even make it to shelters. They are abandoned by their guardians and ultimately die after suffering from starvation, exposure or disease. Now for some good news! An innovative program called Spay Day USA has made great strides in overcoming this tragedy. Spay Day USA celebrates its sixth anniversary on February 29, 2000 and has a simple objective: encourage every humane American to take responsibility for having one cat or dog spayed or neutered. Altering our pets prevents the births of unwanted puppies and kittens and, by extension, needless suffering and deaths. In Scottsbluff/Gering
alone, 1000
dogs and cats were euthanized in 1999. Our community can help overcome
this problem by participating in Spay Day USA. Anyone interested in
getting involved may contact:
Someday the routine killing of millions of dogs and cats each year will be a distant memory. Thank youScottsbluff/Gering for your efforts to help achieve this goal.
Maintain Your Pet's Oral Hygiene
Bad breath is the number one sign of the number one disease in small animals...Dental Disease! But it is by no means the only sign. Eating disorders, chronic eye problems, attitude or behavioral changes and abscesses are among some of the presenting complaints we see for dental problems. It is estimated that by age three, around 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some dental disease. Although this sounds young, consider that in human years this is approximately 21 to 30 years old. With no prior dental prophylaxis it is not so shocking to understand these statistics. If we never cared for our teeth from birth, most of us would also have dental disease by the time we were 30. It has been shown that by controlling dental disease and reversing its affects, you can add 3 - 5 years to your pets lifespan. A lack of at home dental hygiene allows for the progression of dental disease to the more serious periodontal disease. Ultimately bone loss occurs and tooth loss follows. Also there is a much greater chance for heart and kidney infections to occur as the decay in the mouth is a result of bacterial infections which have an easy pathway into the bloodstream. The predominant bacteria that live in the mouth, once in the bloodstream, have an affinity to go to the heart-valves and the kidneys where they grow and can cause disease in these organs as well. The bad breath so commonly encountered in small animals is mostly a result of lack of oral hygiene and subsequent bacterial growth in the plaque, tartar and calculus. The bacterial by-products of growth are volatile sulfur compounds that are responsible for mal-odor. Fortunately, we have products that can neutralize these sulfur compounds and freshen the pets breath, some of which are no harder than adding a solution to your pets drinking water. They all work best when the teeth are clean, so you may have to invest in a professional cleaning before starting any hygiene program. Once professionally clean, however, you will get much more mileage from any of the oral hygiene products you use. You and your pet(s) will be much happier and healthier. NATIONAL DENTAL MONTH Is Rover's breath offensive? Does a kiss from him make you cringe? The problem may lie in his gums and teeth. Canine and feline dental disease is the most serious and common problem pet owners face. We understand how important regular checkups and cleanings are to health of our teeth, but we sometimes forget our pets plaque and tarter can cause gum irritation (gingivitis), and loose teeth. Not to mention bad breath! Advanced periodontal disease becomes a very serious problem, as it leads to the loss of teeth and it is a very dangerous source of infection. Left untreated, bacteria from dental disease may enter the bloodstream and cause damage to the heart.
Canine Cancer Facts:
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