Ark Country Store
209 South Highway 77
Waxahachie, TX 75165

“Vaccines are a suspension of altered microorganisms which will prevent, lessen, or treat disease without causing the disease,”; notes Dr. Mark Stickney, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

Vaccines are still considered the cornerstone of preventive medicine. Knowing the different types of vaccinations and how they work can help pet caregivers provide optimum care for their animals.

“There are live, killed, modified live, and recombinant vaccinations,”; states Stickney. “By exposing the immune system to bacteria or viruses that are genetically similar to the ones that will cause disease, the immune system will develop antibodies that protect the body when it encounters the actual disease-causing organism.”;

Some pet vaccines can be purchased over-the-counter and given by non-veterinarians notes Stickney. However, he says that there may be quality control issues with vaccines if you are not familiar with the correct way to store and use them.

“By law, certain vaccines, like rabies vaccine, can only be given by your veterinarian,”; states Stickney. “Your veterinarian is also the best person to determine which vaccines your pet needs and how frequently they should be administered.”;

Stickney says, “All puppies and kittens should receive the rabies vaccine at three months of age and again at one year of age. Vaccination schedules vary depending on the area of the country you are in and the prevalence of different diseases in that area.”;

Stickney stresses that puppies should be vaccinated for distemper virus, adenovirus, parvovirus and parainfluenza, and kittens should be vaccinated for viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia. Other vaccinations may also be recommended depending on the lifestyle of your pet.

“Booster shots are necessary in puppies and kittens to overcome “maternal immunity”;, where the antibodies that the puppies and kittens acquired from their mother provide some protection but eventually break down,”; explains Stickney. “Vaccines are ineffective in the face of maternal immunity and the puppy and kitten series of vaccines is necessary to protect the pet during the time when the maternal immunity disappears. Booster shots remind the immune system of diseases it is supposed to protect against.”;

Stickney notes that the frequency at which adult animals should receive booster vaccines has been a topic of debate among veterinarians for years. Increasingly, we have evidence that most vaccines do not need to be boosted every year and that the risk of an animal catching certain diseases decreases with age. Your veterinarian will be able to tailor a vaccine protocol to the specific lifestyle of your pet.

“No vaccine is 100% effective,”; Stickney explains, “It is possible to overwhelm any vaccine and immune system with exposure to enough disease-causing organisms.”;

Additionally, he notes that adverse reactions can occur from vaccinations. They are most likely to occur the second time an animal receives a vaccine. They usually occur within minutes to six hours of vaccination.

“There are two types of reactions commonly seen, anaphylactic and delayed hypersensitivity,”; explains Stickney. “Delayed hypersensitivity reactions are more common and less serious. The pet becomes itchy and the face and ears swell. These reactions can usually be treated with antihistamines.”;

“Anaphylactic reactions are less common, but serious and life-threatening,”; notes Stickney. “The animal rapidly collapses and goes into shock. Epinephrine and intravenous fluids are necessary to treat the animal.”;

Stickney notes that if your pet ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, it is important to let your veterinarian know. Even pets that are allergic to a specific vaccine typically have no problems if they are treated with antihistamines before vaccinations.

Remember, vaccines are health products that signal protective immune responses in your pet and your veterinarian can best guide you in the use and scheduling of vaccinations for your pet.

ABOUT PET TALK

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the Web at http://tamunews.tamu.edu

“One of the most overlooked aspects in preventative maintenance is dental care,” explains Dodd. “Your pet’s teeth should be professionally cleaned at least once a year and more often if severe problems are present.” 

The most common cause of dental problems is periodontal disease. Periodontal disease starts off as a bacterial growth on the surface of the tooth which leads to inflammation of the gums and can eventually channel to a fatal disease. According to Koenig, around 65-80 percent of dogs have periodontal disease before they are 3 to 4 years old. Periodontal disease can be easily avoided by investing a couple of minutes a day with your pet. 

Other than annual teeth cleanings and checkups by a veterinarian, proper dental hygiene should be promoted on a daily basis at home.  

“It is best to begin home care when your puppy or kitten is between 8 and 12 weeks old; however it is never too late to start,” notes Dodd. “The first step is to train your pet to accept brushing of the teeth and the best way to approach that is to establish a routine of brushing your pet’s teeth with gauze around your finger. It may be helpful to use beef or chicken broth with dogs or tuna water with cats to get them accustomed to the routine instead of using cleaning agents.” 

Once your pet is familiar with the daily routine, you can switch out the gauze for a fingerbrush or a very soft toothbrush. Then you can incorporate using pet toothpaste. Do not use toothpaste intended for people because the ingredients can cause stomach issues in your pet if ingested.  

“It is also important to remember not to give your pets bones to chew on,” explains Koenig. “In addition to the gastrointestinal issues bone chips can cause, bones cause real problems for the teeth. Bones are notorious for causing teeth to break which leads to additional visits to the veterinarian and further medical problems.” 

Koenig recommends rawhides or softer chew bones to replace bones as chew toys for your pet. 

Certain pet foods have enzymes that help with dental maintenance. There are also water additives available on the market that can help with teeth health. However, the most proactive and reliable dental care for your pet is to brush daily and to keep it on a routine basis so your pet is more receptive to the process. 

“Good dental care is essential to extend your pet’s life span and assure a good quality of life,” expressed Dodd. “I really enjoy my profession because it is very rewarding as I can see firsthand how much healthier my patients are due to proper dental care.”  

This article is courtsey of:

PET TALK

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the Web at http://tamunews.tamu.edu.

Kelly Nuzum of Red Oak, Texas and her ten-year-old dog Roscoe are two peas in a pod. Roscoe was abandoned as a pup, left outside the door of a local dog grooming business. A friend told Kelly about the pup and soon “Roscoe” became part of the family.

Friendly and playful, Roscoe spent his days swimming in the pond and running around their property. One day Kelly noticed he was limping and favoring his left hind leg. A trip to the vet discovered that Roscoe tore his ACL and would need surgery to reconnect the ligament to the knee. The surgery repaired the ligament, but left Roscoe with a knee he could not bend, and a limp that was treated with daily pain medications. Without the medication Roscoe would return to limping.

Last year, during a visit to a Home & Garden Expo, Kelly meet Reggie Underwood, a Purina Mills feed dealer and owner of Ark Country Store in Waxahachie. Reggie encouraged Kelly to try Exclusive Chicken & Rice Senior Formula for Roscoe’s knee problems. The added glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate included in the formula could assist the joint problem.

Within 2 months Roscoe was off the daily pain medication, bending his knee and back to his frisky, younger self. “He’s a new dog,” says Kelly, “back to running around the yard and swimming in the pond.”

Kelly no longer buys pain medication for Roscoe, instead he has an assortment of “toys” he chases down the hall and around the house. He happily retrieves and lies easily at Kelly’s side with his knee in a bent position. “Changing feeds changed Roscoe’s life,” says Kelly. She continues to feed Exclusive Chicken & Rice Senior formula to Roscoe, “because it works.”

It’s the picture of contentment … your favorite furry four-legged companion, curled up on the floor in a patch of warm sunlight, snoozing with a belly full of the steak scraps left over from last night’s dinner. Oh yes, he’s content. But is he healthy? Not likely.

Ensuring your pet’s health goes beyond resisting the sad eyes and whimpers that plead for leftovers. Ignoring the content of your pet’s food and his need for exercise can lead to dangerous health habits that may haunt both you and your pet in the future.

Improper diet for your pets can lead to health problems serious enough to endanger their lives. Diarrhea can result from allergic reactions to foods, sudden changes in diet, sickness, or dietary indiscretions (such as eating trash). If not treated, these reactions can lead to dehydration and weight loss. Extra pounds on an overweight dog can be associated with heart and respiratory ailments and skeletal stress, and obese dogs and cats are more prone to diabetes. A poor diet in your cat can result in urinary tract infections, which can block the ability to urinate. As a result, your cat could become critically ill within as little as 24 hours. And just one treatment to clear a cat’s urinary tract can cost several hundred dollars.

Controlling Fluffy and Fido’s diet and being aware of what to look for in the food you buy is as important for your pets as it is for your two-legged family members. As many as 89 percent of dog and cat owners feed their animals table scraps occasionally, according to a study done by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). But unfortunately, not only is people food often too high in fat for an animal to appropriately metabolize, but your pet may become a more finicky eater, refusing healthier pet food when the table scraps are gone.

But table scraps are not the only pitfall when it comes to nourishing those four-legged friends of ours. Many pet foods also have a high fat content, which, of course, Fluffy and Fido love. The more they eat it, the more they love it, and many eventually refuse to eat anything else.

So what should the concerned pet owner look for in buying acceptable food for pets? Look for a highly digestible meat based diets and control their intake.  Most products have a feeding range posted on their product, stick to the low end suggestions.

But eating a healthy diet is only half the battle for you and your pet. Exercise is also an important tool to help keep your furry friends in shape.