Here are some of the most common questions we get from owners.
If your question has not been addressed here, give us a call at
(802) 866-5354!
If your question has not been addressed here, give us a call at
(802) 866-5354!
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FELINE Vaccinations
Recommended Feline adult/kitten vaccinations Kittens 8 weeks: Distemper combo (FVRCP) #1 This combo includes vaccines for Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (feline herpes), Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia virus (feline distemper). It will require boosters every 4 weeks until the kitten is at least 16 weeks old. Feline Leukemia/FIV test - Recommended These are viruses that can suppress the immune system; some cats are able to live otherwise normal lives for years, and some will become very ill at a young age and are in danger of dying due to secondary diseases. Deworming Not all parasite swill show up consistently in stool samples, so we deworm all kittens with a broad-spectrum dewormer at least once during kitten visits. 12 weeks: FVRCP #2 Rabies (required by law between 12-16 weeks) Rabies will need a booster 1 year after the initial vaccination. After the 1-year mark, Rabies will need to be given every 3 years. Feline Leukemia Virus #1 - Optional FeLV is given as a series of 2 vaccinations (2-4 weeks apart) only to cats who will be spending time outdoors or those indoor cats that will be exposed to cats who go outside. It will require a booster 1 year after the 2nd vaccination of the series, and subsequent vaccination will vary depending on age, health, and lifestyle. 16 weeks: FVRCP #3 FeLV (Feline Leukemia virus) #2 Spay & Neuter: Most veterinarians now agree that cats should be spayed or neutered at 5 months of age or earlier. Newbury Vet Clinic often recommends doing a spay or neuter at the same time as the last distemper booster (~16 weeks) for the sake of efficiency. Note: if your cat is receiving their first vaccinations as an adult, there are slightly different protocols we follow, generally resulting in fewer vaccinations. CANINE Vaccinations
Recommended Canine vaccinations Puppies 8 weeks: Distemper #1 (DHPP) This vaccine combo guards against canine distemper virus, parvovirus, Hepatitis virus (adenovirus), and Para-influenza virus. It will require boosters every 4 weeks until the puppy is at least 16 weeks old. Deworming Not all parasites will show up consistently in stool samples, so we deworm all puppies with a broad-spectrum dewormer at least once during puppy visits. Heartworm & Flea/Tick Prevention At 8 weeks old, your puppy is old enough to be started on monthly heartworm and flea/tick preventative. It is begun during your first puppy visit and is part of the deworming protocol as well as protecting against heartworm disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. We recommend heartworm prevention monthly May- October or year-round. Monthly: give the first tablet of preventative by June 1st, and the last tablet in November. If you travel to areas that have a warmer climate - such as going South for the winter - or if you have small children at home and want monthly protection, we recommend year-round heartworm preventative. Important: if you travel to a warmer climate with your dog, even for a short time, you must continue heartworm prevention by giving it not only during your travel, but also for at least 1 month after you return. 12 weeks: Rabies (required by law between 12-16 weeks) Rabies will need a booster 1 year after the initial vaccination. After the 1-year mark, the Rabies vaccine will need to be given every 3 years. DHPP/DH(L)PP #2 The second distemper combo vaccine usually includes the vaccine against Leptospirosis, a bacteria-caused illness that is transmissible to humans as well as animals. It is passed through the urine of infected animals and can contaminate soil, water, and food products that then infect people and other animals. We highly recommend including it as a core vaccine, though the choice to include it does depend on lifestyle and individual circumstances. Bordetella (Kennel Cough) - Optional This vaccine can be given to dogs as young as 3 weeks old; it is generally first given ~2 weeks before expected exposure to other dogs. This vaccine is only recommended for puppies and dogs that will be in contact with many other dogs, such as in obedience classes, at the groomer, and in boarding, play groups, dog parks, and similar situations. For boarding at Newbury Vet Clinic, we require an annual Bordetella booster. It can be given as soon as 3 days (72 hours) before boarding, so please give us a call if you are planning to board and need to schedule a technician appointment to give or boost this vaccine for your dog. Lyme - Optional This vaccine is given as a series of 2 vaccines, 4 weeks apart, in puppies 12 weeks or older. It is boosted annually, and boosters are most effective if given in the spring before tick season has fully started. Inclusion of this vaccine in your dog's vaccination routine depends on individual circumstances including lifestyle, and we always recommend tick control (see "Flea, Tick and Heartworm Prevention" below) as the primary protection against Lyme disease. 16 weeks: DHPP/DHLPP #3 *Lepto must be boosted annually as an individual vaccine, and every 3rd year is given as part of DHLPP) Lyme #2 Heartworm Testing: We recommend testing at least every 3 years as long as the dog has received appropriate heartworm prevention consistently (every month). If a dog is older than 5 months and has never been on heartworm prevention, it will need to be tested for heartworm before starting prevention. For dogs moving from the South who have not been on prevention, we recommend immediate testing and start of prevention with a re-test in 6 months. See "Flea, Tick & Heartworm Prevention" below for more info. FLEA, TICK & HEARTWORM PREVENTION
We currently offer several flea, tick, parasite (worm) and heartworm* prevention products. All are available as prescription products, meaning that owners are welcome to purchase some as long as their pets are up-to-date on annual wellness exams. For Dogs:
Simparica Trio, Credelio, and Interceptor Plus are all given monthly as a pill, while Seresto collars last 8 months, and Vectra 3D is applied topically. However, the efficacy and length of usefulness of Seresto collars and Vectra 3D are decreased if the animal swims regularly, as they are topical preventatives that will wash off. Simparica Trio is equivalent to both Credelio and Interceptor Plus combined, in terms of prevention and cost. Please don't hesitate to ask us an questions you might have about which to choose, we're happy to help! Due to the dangers of treating a heartworm-positive dog, Newbury Vet Clinic requires a 10-minute heartworm test before providing Simparica Trio or Interceptor if the dog has not been on heartworm preventative before or their monthly preventative has not been given regularly. We also require a routine heartworm screening every 3 years for dogs that are regularly on preventative, as no preventative is 100% effective and we want to make sure they are healthy. If the dog has ever tested positive for heartworms, it will need to be on preventatives for the rest of its life, due to the risk of recrudescence (parasite may be dormant in body and cause illness again if dog becomes immunocompromised/stressed). Typically, dogs are on flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives year-round, or during the warm months of the year. It is the owner's choice which approach to take, but Newbury Vet recommends staying on all preventatives year-round (or at least March-November). In warmer years, staying on preventative during the winter can help prevent possible infection if there happens to be a period of time warm enough (over 40 degrees) that fleas, ticks, and heartworm are alive and in their infective form. Ultimately, the decision is based on how much risk of infection you consider acceptable. For cats:
Catego, Profender, Vectra 3D and Seresto collars are used topically and absorbed through the cat's skin. If you are using a Seresto collar for either dogs or cats, please ensure that it is tight enough (you should be able to fit two fingers under it, but there should not visibly be space between it and the neck of the cat) or it will not work properly. Learn more Annual Exams - Are they necessary?
We require annual wellness exams for several reasons: primarily, we use them as a way to ensure that pets are healthy, and to track age, growth, and any existing medical conditions. Pets are often very skilled at hiding signs of illness or injury from humans, and annual vet wellness exams are a good way to ensure that no invisible illness is affecting your pet. Additionally, there are increased chances of some illnesses as pets age, and while they may seem to be healthy in their daily activities, it is important to be aware of the potential for certain illnesses and catch them early - this is generally accomplished with diagnostic testing and physical examination by a veterinarian. At Newbury Vet Clinic, we require that we have seen your pet in the last year for an appointment (including wellness, specialty, sick, or limited exams) before we do surgery or urgent medical care. This is because the annual exams give us a baseline of your pet's health that we can then compare against their presentation at a sick appointment. Without up-to-date previous health information, we are unable to accurately assess your pet's condition because every pet has individual health benchmarks and needs. Additionally, annual exams maintain the Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) guidelines set forth by the state to ensure that veterinarians are suitably knowledgeable about the health of the patient to make well-informed medical decisions that are safe for them. Learn more What should I consider an emergency?
Where Can I go for urgent & Emergency care? There are a number of symptoms that are considered emergencies:
For NVC clients, the closest facilities are: LAVES ..................................................................... phone: (855) 265-5533 address: 59 West Main Street, Littleton, NH 03561 SAVES ..................................................................... phone: (603) 306-0007 address: 63 Evans Dr., Lebanon, NH 03766 CAVES ..................................................................... phone: (603) 227-1199 address: 1 Intervale Road, Concord, NH, 03301 BEVS ....................................................................... phone: (802) 863-2387 address: 1417 Marshall Ave, Williston, VT 05495 WhEre should I take a stray animal that I found?
If you've found and caught a stray dog or cat, the first thing to do is call your local animal control. Each state and town will have different rules as to getting it medical care or shelter, and the animal control officer can inform you as to the next steps to take. Newbury Vet Clinic is unfortunately not able to provide care to stray animals until they have been processed through animal control. If you are concerned that the animal may need immediate life-saving care, feel free to call us and we can direct you to the appropriate local facility. North Haverhill NH Animal Control Bradford VT Animal Control Officer: Glen Godfrey 802-757-3603 FEcal & Urine samples - When, why, and how?
Fecal samples can be a very useful tool for veterinarians in a number of situations: gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, reduced or increased appetite, and a number of other common issues can be understood medically through analysis of the pets' feces. Generally, fecal samples are checked when parasites are suspected, but this process is also helpful in finding some bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illness (ex. salmonella, giardia, E. coli). Many organisms are zoonotic, meaning they can be passed to humans from dogs and cats. Children and immuno-compromised adults are at the greatest risk, and we want to keep everyone healthy. Good hygiene and proper disposal of fecal material is usually enough to prevent zoonotic transfer of parasites, but we definitely recommend bringing in a fecal sample if your dog or cat has been having any of the symptoms listed above, so that we can treat them and alert you to any potential risks of pet-human transmission. To collect a sample, simply pick up a portion of your pets stool and deliver it to us as soon as you can. If you cannot get in to us until the next day, you can either store the sample in the fridge overnight (24 hrs max.) or collect a fresh sample in the morning. Any container is fine, as long as it is contained during handling! Urine samples are a diagnostic tool used to help detect certain diseases and illnesses (ex. kidney disease, diabetes), as well as bacterial presence in the urinary system, such as seen with a bladder infection. Your veterinarian may ask for you to bring in a urine sample if your pet seems to be urinating or drinking more often or in smaller amounts, seems uncomfortable or painful while urinating; the urine seems discolored (greenish, red-tinged) or strong-smelling, or they are licking their genitals more than usual grooming. Inappropriate urination (cats peeing outside the litter box, dogs peeing in the house or on furniture) can also be a sign that they have a urinary tract infection, though it can also be behavioral. Urine samples are a great way to determine which is affecting your pet. To collect a urine sample from a dog, take them out to pee on leash, and hold a container under their flow of urine when they urinate. We are happy to send you home with a urine collection cup upon request, but any lidded container works. We highly prefer that the sample you collect for analysis is the first pee in the morning, as it is the best for diagnostics. To collect a urine sample from a cat, the easiest approach is to replace their regular litter with dried, unpopped popcorn kernels. While it is still enough like litter for the cat to be comfortable urinating in the box, the non-absorbent nature of the kernels makes it easy to tip the box and drain the urine into a container. Make sure you get it from the right cat - in a multi-cat household, it may be easiest to put the cat you're concerned about in a separate room with a box until you can get a sample. What Dog & cat food brands do you recommend?
Along with many other veterinary professionals, the vets here at NVC recommend several science-proven, nutritionally-balanced pet food brands. For both dogs and cats, we recommend Hill's (specifically ScienceDiet), Purina (ProPlan and Veterinary Diet), and Royal Canin (Veterinary Diet). If these options do not work with you and your pet for any reason, please consult with our vets and they would be happy to work with you to find another diet and/or food that will work for you! For raw diets, we suggest researching prescription raw diets that are nutritionally balanced by researchers and undergo strict quality control during manufacture. If you are set on using a home-cooked diet, we highly recommend using balanceit.com and talking with your vet before starting it to ensure that your diet is meeting your pet's nutritional needs. Note: cats are obligate carnivores, which means they are physiologically unable to live on a vegan diet - their bodies are made to extract their necessary nutrients from meat, and vegetables or meat-substitutes cannot be metabolized (digested and turned into energy) by them. What does my pet need when boarding at nvc?
While we recommend you bring their food and a toy, we do not require anything other than medications and the animal itself. We provide food and water bowls, bedding, and food if you do not bring your own. If you are interested, there are a number of services that we can perform while your dog is in boarding. These include - but are not limited to - exams, vaccines, nail trims & anal glands, and ear cleaning/treatments. If you would like a specific service done during your pet's stay, please call ahead to ask whether it can be done. What are Normal Vital signs & how Do i measure them?
Dogs:
Cats:
surgery Recovery - What should I watch-out for?
At NVC, we send every pet home after surgery with an instruction pamphlet for owners so that they are well-informed when overseeing their pet's recovery. In summary:
SPAY After a cat or dog spay, we send home the following discharge instructions: 1. During your pet's recovery, she will need special care. Please keep her/him indoors, in a clean environment (don't let her hide in a dusty crawlspace, attic, or basement!) and watch her carefully to detect any problems. 2. Surgery site: Check your pets incision at least once a day. It has green tattoo ink on it that will mark the incision line when healed. Redness, warmth and swelling, yellow or green discharge, or a foul odor could all indicate presence of an infection. A small amount of clear or red-tinged fluid from the incision may be normal the first day following surgery. Minimal swelling is sometimes seen as the tissue heals and reacts to the presence of sutures (stitches). Some females will develop a hard, small lump at the incision site. This is usually caused by a slight reaction to the internal stitches. It will go away in a month or so. There are no stitches to be removed. Please keep the incision clean and dry until healed. Don't let your pet go out in the wet grass, swim or give her a bath for 10-14 days from surgery. Don't let her lick or chew at the incision. We are sending your pet home with a pro-collar/E-collar/Zen collar to prevent licking. 3. Activity: Your pet had major abdominal surgery, in which her ovaries and uterus were removed, blood vessels in the abdomen were tied off, and sutures used to secure the abdominal muscles, tissue under the skin, and the skin itself. A drop of tissue glue has been used to further secure the skin incision. Please keep your pet quiet for 10-14 days, discouraging running and jumping. Too much activity can increase the risk of complications such as bleeding, swelling, delayed healing, and even re-opening of incisions. For very active cats or dogs, confinement to a large dog crate or a small room with minimal jumping opportunities might be required. 4. Your pet is going home with the following medications or instructions; please follow the label directions carefully and call if you have any questions or problems. Medications may vary depending on the animal. 5. If you have any questions or a complication arises, such as lethargy, persistent vomiting or diarrhea, open incisions, cloudy discharge, or bleeding, please call us on our next business day at 802-866-5354. If it is after hours and your pet requires immediate care, emergency services are available at several area emergency hospitals, including: NEUTER After a dog or cat neuter (males), we send home a similar list of instructions. Differences from the instructions listed above are bolded for your convenience. During your pets recovery, he will need special care. Please keep him indoors, in a clean environment (don't let him hide in a dusty crawlspace, attic, or basement!) and watch him carefully to detect any problems. Males are still fertile for up to six weeks after their neuter!! 2. Surgery site: Check your pets incisions at least once a day. Redness, warmth and swelling, yellow or green discharge, or a foul odor could all indicate presence of an infection. A small amount of clear or red-tinged fluid from the incisions may be normal the first day following surgery. There are two scrotal incisions, but there are no stitches to be removed. Please keep the incisions clean and dry until healed. Don't let your pet go out in the wet grass, swim, or give him a bath for 10-14 days from surgery. For cats, using a pelleted or other non-clumping litter, such as Yesterday's News, will help keep the incisions clean. Don't let your pet lick or chew at the incisions. We strongly recommend using a "pro collar" or E-collar to help prevent your pet from licking at the incisions. 3. Activity: Please keep your pet quiet for 10-14 days, discouraging running and jumping. Too much activity can increase the risk of complications such as bleeding, swelling, delayed healing, and even re-opening of incisions. For very active cats or dogs, confinement to a large dog crate or a small room with minimal jumping opportunities might be required. 4. Your pet is going home with the following medications or instructions; please follow the label directions carefully and call if you have any questions or problems. 5. If you have any questions or a complication arises, such as lethargy, persistent vomiting or diarrhea, open incisions, cloudy discharge, or bleeding, please call us on our next business day at 802-866-5354. If it is after hours and your pet requires immediate care, emergency services are available at several area emergency hospitals, including: 24/7 clinics: Burlington Area Veterinary Emergency Services in Williston, VT, phone number 802-863-2387, Montpelier Veterinary Hospital, (802) 223-3220 SAVES in Lebanon, NH, phone number 603-306-0007 As always, if you have any questions or concerns about Kokomo's care, please do not hesitate to ask! 24/7 clinics: Burlington Area Veterinary Emergency Services in Williston, VT phone number (802) 863-2387 Montpelier Veterinary Hospital in Montpelier, VT phone number (802) 223-3220 Nights and weekends: SAVES in Lebanon, NH hone number (603) 306-0007 Littleton Area Veterinary Emergency Service in Littleton, NH phone number (855) 265-5533. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your pet's care, please do not hesitate to ask! how Do i trim my pet's nails at-home?
Click here to see a video of how to cut cat nails. Click here to learn more about clipping dog's nails, and what you can do to make it easier for them and yourself! For dogs and cats who are difficult to trim, or are anxious about the process, Sophia Yin is a great vet resource on YouTube for desensitization and counter-conditioning - both approaches that will make nail trims much less stressful. There are many other videos available if you want to learn more, and our vets and technicians here at NVC would be happy to show you exactly how to do it during an appointment. Why does MY PET NEED blood work before anesthesia?
Here at NVC, we recommend routine blood work for every animal, and that usually includes pre-anesthesia blood work. The purpose of having blood work analysis before surgery is to make sure that there aren't any underlying "invisible" issues affecting your pet's health that could complicate anesthesia or surgery, or cause slower or incomplete recovery. It also checks their hydration levels and organ function, which inform the surgeon's decisions about which protocols to use for the procedure. We require blood work for all animals undergoing anesthesia - this includes dental procedures as well as any surgery. It's as simple as coming in a few days/weeks before your surgery date for a technician to get a blood sample. We run it in-house and give you a call if we have any concerns - otherwise, your pet is good to go! It's also a convenient time to pick up the anti-nausea medication that dogs will take the evening before surgery to help decrease any nausea that may arise due to the drugs they get during surgery. What is Pre-Anesthesia Blood Work looking for? Testing usually includes two routine tests: a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and a Chemistry panel. The CBC analyzes the different types of cells found in the blood (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets) and identifies any abnormalities. The chemistry panel helps evaluate the health status of the body's major organs, and can alert us to any issues with the kidneys or liver that may affect your pet's surgery eligibility. WHy is veterinary care so expensive?
Rising costs for veterinary care can be attributed to increased cost of pharmaceutical products and drugs, as well as the invention of new, more advanced technologies used in veterinary clinics. Additionally, longer lifespans for animals mean more money is spent over their lifetime, and it certainly adds up! We are fortunate to have a fantastic group of veterinary doctors and staff who are highly educated and credentialed in their fields. However, education and experience raise baseline cost - especially since there is a nation-wide staffing shortage for almost every veterinary medicine position. Most vets are not in veterinary medicine for the money. In fact, the majority of veterinarians entering the field are shouldering up to $300,000 in student loan debt, and their pay reflects the cost of their education as well as their time practicing in the clinic. To maintain a great staff to serve our clients and their pets, we pay them what they're worth! Another contributing factor to vet costs is consolidation: a few corporations have purchased many clinics, and each corporations policies include strict pricing guidelines that individual clinics are unable to change. Often, this makes corporation-owned clinics more expensive than their independently-owned counterparts. While pet insurance is common in many parts of Europe, and often helps make veterinary care more affordable, U.S. owners are finding it harder to obtain - first due to mediocre product offers, and now due to strict eligibility requirements based on income and credit score. To see if you are interested in learning more about pet insurance, visit the Buyer's Guide here to see some of the top ranked insurance plans and how they compare. do I have to give the whole course of antibiotics if my pet IS doing better?
The simple answer is: Yes. While giving antibiotics to a pet is often an incredibly frustrating process (trust us, we understand the struggle!), it is necessary to give all the antibiotics prescribed. Though your pet may seem to get completely better before their medication is finished, there can actually be infection-causing agents still living and reproducing in their body that just aren't causing any obvious signs. This is because the first few doses of an antibiotic kill off the most susceptible bacteria, after which point the slightly more resistant bacteria will die off, and so on until all the bacteria have been eliminated. Ending a course of antibiotics early leaves the potential for the toughest bacteria to reproduce and cause more infection in your pet's body. When this happens, the most antibiotic-resistant bacteria that create the second wave of infection are even more difficult to eliminate with antibiotics, and treatment takes even longer. It also increases the chance that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can grow and reproduce, which can mean a significantly worse prognosis for your pet and any other pet that those bacteria may infect. Dental Cleanings - who needs them, when To get Them, and why
WHO: Dogs and cats both may need dental work done over the course of their lives. Depending on the individual, dental cleaning/extractions can occur once in a pet's life, or every few years. WHEN: Dental cleanings will be recommended by your vet if your pet has enough tartar on their teeth to warrant a cleaning, or if they are concerned about tooth health (indicated by color changes in the tooth or gums). During the appraisal, your vet will give you a general timeline of when the procedure should be performed - this schedule is determined by the severity or complexity of the issue, and your pet's age and general health. WHY: Dental health is an important part of healthcare for your pet - dental disease has been linked to heart disease, and the bacteria that live in diseased gums can cause infection and pain resulting in illness, weight loss, and a host of other medical concerns. Attached is a document that outlines the process of veterinary dental care here at Newbury Vet Clinic. Pictures are included to help you visualize what is happening on the day of the procedure. dentistry_handout.doc Allergies in Dogs & Cats
Does your dog or cat always seem itchy? Do they get frequent ear infections, lick their paws excessively or have red, inflamed skin, or always seem to have more anal gland issues than your neighbor's dogs? They may have allergies! Allergies have two main causes: environmental allergies are caused by pollen, mold, dust/dust mites, and any number of other organisms in the general environment; food allergies, on the other hand, are often due to the pet's immune system mis-identifying the protein in the food as a foreign invader instead of food, and responds. Learn more on common allergies, how to test for them, and how to help your pet on our "Owner Resources" page. How Do I remove Skunk odor from my pet?
Below is a home recipe for skunk odor removal that the staff at NVC swear by. We also offer a product called Skunk-Off for sale in the clinic if you are interested, but we find that this recipe often does the trick! For the record, tomato sauce, perfumes/air fresheners, and citrus don't usually work to remove the smell, only temporarily mask it. If you would prefer not to use hydrogen peroxide on your pet, you can bath the animal with a mixture of vinegar and dish soap - however, it's not nearly as effective as the recipe below. Ingredients: 1 quart hydrogen peroxide 1/4 cup baking soda 1 teaspoon dish detergent (Dawn is recommended, as it is gentle on skin) Instructions: Mix together thoroughly (it may bubble, that's okay!). Spread generously over DRY hair-coat of pet. Let sit until dry (you can let them run around in the yard to help it dry faster, as long as they don't rub it off). Rinse with warm water, and repeat as necessary. Note: best applied to the face/head region when it is a thick paste, as there is less chance of them getting it in their eyes/nose. This recipe should not be used for clothing, as it has the potential to bleach it. Happy bathing! What is a Bland diet?
When your dog is experiencing gastrointestinal (stomach or intestines/colon) upset, we often recommend putting them on a "bland diet" for a few days. But what does that really mean, and why do we recommend it? Symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting/nausea, and loss of appetite show up when your pet is experiencing issues with digestion. The bland diet is made up of foods that will be easily digested and help to normalize and solidify stool (poop). This diet usually includes lean meat (we recommend boiled chicken, turkey, or beef without the fat - skim off the top) and a starch such as white rice. We suggest feeding small amounts (a few tablespoons) to begin with, wait for 90 minutes to 2 hours to make sure they don't throw it up, and then you can offer more. If you don't want to make a home-cooked bland diet, NVC offers both dry and wet food bland diets from Hill's (i/d) and Purina (Pro Plan EN). In addition to the bland diet, we may send you home with a probiotic, which is a pill containing a collection of healthy live bacteria that will work in your dog's gut to improve digestion and gut health once ingested. For more detailed instructions on making and feeding bland diets, read here. My DOG (or cat) GOT Quilled by a porcupine - what should i do?
Quick Facts about Porcupines & Quills: - Porcupines do not shoot their quills. They detach easily when touched. - Quills become lodged into any surface they have contact with, and when ingested, will migrate within the body and require surgery. - The tips of porcupine quills are composed of miniscule backward-facing scales that open up to form barbs. When attempting to pull them out, the barbs will act similar to a fish hook, and embed themselves deeper. Treatment for getting "quilled": - Removal of porcupine quills should be done by a veterinarian. - Removal is very painful (especially in the face/head area) and infection is possible. At the vet's office, we can sedate them to ensure we thoroughly find and remove all possible quills, and clean the area to prevent infection. - Remove quills ASAP! Once they are lodged in the skin, they begin to soften, increasing the difficulty of removing them intact. Recovery: - Monitor your dog for the next few weeks/months - this sounds like a long time, but quills buried deeply in the skin or other tissue can migrate to the surface or deeper into the body over the next few weeks and can cause complications if not addressed. - Do not hesitate to call your veterinarian with questions or concerns - it's what we're here for! Pet First Aid - the basics
Trouble happens when we least expect it, so it's much easier - and advisable - to simply be prepared! A part of every pet owner's animal care tool kit should be a pet first aid kit. It is also important to know how to appropriately respond to some of the more common incidents we see with pets, including car accidents, fights and injuries, choking or breathing issues, and poison ingestion. Below is the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s quick guide to pet first aid. It includes a checklist of first aid supplies as well as tips for handling potentially life-threatening situations with dogs and cats. Check out the brochure here, and as always, let us know if you have any questions, we're more than happy to help! Kennel Cough - What you need to know
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