Winter/Spring News
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| Each year between 4 and 6 million companion pets are euthanized in animal shelters across the country. You can help curb this drastic statistic in a number of ways. First, when considering a new pet, look in your local animal shelter before heading to the breeder--you may just fall in love and save some money in the process while giving an abandoned animal a new family! Second, support your local shelter by donations, volunteering time, or call today to see how you may aid their cause in your own special way. Lastly, and most importantly, please have your pet spayed or neutered. Stopping overpopulation before it starts is the most effective way to solve this tragic problem. There are a number of benefits to having your pet spayed or neutered. Research shows that animals that are altered live longer and have reduced health risks, including several types of cancer. Altered animals are also less likely to stray and often become less territorial and aggressive after surgery. However, every animal is different and you may notice no change in your pet's temperament following surgery. The myth that animals become fat and lazy after being spayed or neutered is just that--a myth. Your pet may gain a little weight following surgery because of changes in metabolism; however, as long as you continue to exercise your pet regularly and maintain a well-balanced diet, your pet should not experience any significant weight gain. The El Dorado Animal Clinic is excited to announce that we will once again be participating in International Spay Day USA 2009. This will be the last Tuesday in February and Dr. Ginny Albrecht will be returning to assist Dr. Davy with surgeries! On this day, we will offer spaying and neutering procedures at a reduced cost (still to be determined). We receive many donated items and the staff volunteers their time to mitigate the cost to you because we believe so strongly in the importance of having your animal altered. Unfortunately, surgery time is limited and all scheduling is done on a first come-first served basis. If you are considering having your pet spayed or neutered in the near future, call today to set up your Spay Day appointment. Also, if you would like to help with Spay Day in any way, (volunteering time, services, supplies, etc) please call our office as soon as possible. |
| Just a reminder to our El Dorado residents--City licenses are due before the end of February. Your pet must be current on its rabies vaccination before a 2009 license can be issued. |
| Spay Day USA 2009 |
| If you were looking for a previous newsletter that you've seen on the site, please use the link below to reach it. |
| Protecting Your Pet From Heartworms Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes and just because a dog or cat stays indoors, they are not safe from heartworms. Heartworm disease is becoming more common in many parts of the United States. Heartworms live in the right side of the dog's heart and the nearby pulmonary arteries. The female worm produces large numbers of microscopic, immature heartworms that circulate in the blood. These immature worms (the microfilariae) are taken up with the blood by a mosquito feeding on an infected dog. After living in the mosquito for 10 - 14 days, the worms can then infect another dog that the mosquito feeds on. The feeding mosquito deposits infective microfilariae on the skin of another dog, and these enter the body through the mosquito bite wound. The microfilariae eventually travel to the heart where they develop into adult heartworms. The adult heartworms produce new microfilariae within 3 months. It takes at least 190 days from the time the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito until the dog becomes a new source of infective microfilariae. Heartworms in cats are not treatable so prevention is important. A cat reacts much differently to heartworms and may die before any of the tests are positive. Most cases of heartworms are diagnosed by finding the microfilariae in the blood. Sometimes, however, no microfilariae are found in the blood. These cases are diagnosed by a combination of blood tests and chest x-rays. Failure to treat heartworm disease may result in heart failure and/or serious disease of the liver and kidneys. Untreated heartworm disease is usually fatal. Leptospirosis Leptospirosis is a serious bacterial disease that infects dogs, people and several other types of animals. The bacteria are spread through the urine of infected animals, which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks to months. Humans and animals can become infected through contact with contaminated urine (or other body fluids, except saliva), water, or soil. Infected wild and domestic animals may continue to excrete the bacteria into the environment continuously or every once in a while for a few months up to several years. Vaccination is the best prevention of leptospirosis. At risk dogs should be vaccinated yearly. This vaccine is commonly combined with distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus and parainfluenza vaccines. |
| Between June 7th and June 10th, Dr. Harkins attended the annual KVMA Convention in Manhattan, Kansas. This is the 37th consecutive year that he has attended this continuing education opportunity. On June 8th, he had the honor of presenting the KVMA Pet Hero of the Year Award to one of his patients, a 4-year-old spayed female basset hound named Lucy Meyer. This is the 4th time a state honor has been awarded to someone associated with our Clinic. Within the last decade: Kathy Daily, RVT, has been named Veterinary Technician of the Year, Dr. Davy Harkins, DVM, has been named Veterinarian of the Year, Skeeter Daily has been named Service Dog of the Year. This is Lucy's story as told by her owner, Brad Meyer: I awoke from a sound sleep to the sound of Lucy barking, making a terrible ruckus. Lucy is a basset, so I am no stranger to her making noise, but this was unlike any noise I had heard from her before. I heard a thumping that made me think my son was falling on the stairs. His bedroom is in the basement, ours is upstairs. I got up to investigate just in time to catch a glimpse of someone running out my back door into my garage. My open bedroom door was between this door and the stairs, and the perpetrator had passed by my door to go down the stairs. Instinct took over as I grabbed my gun and phone. On the way out the door, I called 911 for assistance and took off after the vehicle leaving my driveway. A few blocks away I caught up with him, and he was turned over to the police. On the way back to my house, I discovered that he had broken into a neighbor's house down the road and had the neighbor's 30-06 loaded in the front seat - no match for my police special. I do not know if he carried the gun into my house or not. My dogs have never raised so much fuss before and obviously, since they passed by my open bedroom door without waking me once, they could have gotten what they wanted and left without my wife or I ever knowing anyone was in the house - except for our dogs. I have Lucy to thank for my family's safety that night. Congratulations, Lucy! |
2009 Kansas Veterinary Medical Association Convention