Q & A
Q & A
Q & A
When it comes to your pet’s health, there’s no such thing as a dumb or silly question. Below are a few commonly asked questions from some of our clients, and some fun questions kids have asked our veterinarians!
1. Q: How do I manage hairballs in cats?
I advise owners to try a hairball formula food like Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Hairball Control, and laxatone. Laxatone is a mineral oil-based product that’s given by mouth in a paste form; it helps to bind the hair in the stomach which results in it getting eliminated through the feces instead of triggering vomiting. If your cat is long haired, getting them shaved down to a lion cut often really helps.
2. Q: Do mosquitoes bite dogs? (Silvia, age 6)
Yes they do! Dogs get mosquito bites that itch just like us but even worse, dogs are the definitive host for heartworms, which are baby worms that live inside the mosquito and when the mosquito bites the dog, to feed on its blood, it injects the baby worm into your dog’s bloodstream. Then if not treated with monthly medication, the baby worm grows up in the heart and lungs of your dog causing the heart to get really big and stop working. If left untreated could cause your dog to die. It is a very serious disease but fortunately is very easy to prevent with monthly heartworm prevention!
3. Q: What is the grossest thing you’ve ever seen? (Question submitted by Blake, age 5)
Maggots!! Maggot infested wounds on a pet that was barely alive after wandering off for three days and getting his ear hair stuck in a thorny bush. His entire head was covered in maggots down to his skull. Both ears were full of maggots. He was barely alive and we had to remove each maggot, one at a time. It took five hours to remove all the larvae and save the dog’s life with supportive IV fluids and medications.
4. Q: How Much Food Does My Pet Need?
Each pet food is different and each pet is different, therefore, you should use the food bag and your pet as a guide. Keep in mind that the amount of food fed depends on your pet’s lifestyle and metabolism — if you compare two identical healthy pets, the more active pet will need more food.
5. Q: What Vaccinations Should My Pet Get?
For a healthy pet, vaccinations should be started at 6 weeks of age and given every three weeks until the pet is 4 months old. Both puppies and kittens are given a rabies vaccine at 4 months.
6. Q: Why do some cats and dogs need to have surgery to have kittens/puppies? (Zandir, age 9)
Many kittens and puppies have surgery so they don’t have babies. Kittens and puppies start to be “able” to have babies around 6 months-12 months of age. Once they are mature, then they can have babies, but they are not usually babies themselves anymore. Our furry friends don’t just have one or two babies, but sometimes 10 or more! Could you imagine giving birth to 10 + babies?? How tired would you be!
