How come veterinarians charge $50 for an office visit but that doesn't include doing anything? Other than a temperature check by the tech and the vet listening to the heart! I once Had a great vet who did a head to tail thorough exam no matter how frequently she saw the dog!
And why can't anyone do anything about lick granulomas?
GOT A PIT BULL PUPPY?
This FREE class is for you!
Where: Animal Humane Association of NM
615 Virgina Street SE
Albuquerque, NM
505-255-5523
When: EVERY Saturday Morning
Time: 9:00am -10:00am
Cost: FREE to anyone who adopts a pit bull puppy from any ABQ Animal Care Center, from Rio Rancho Animal Control, or from Animal Humane.
Taught by a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, these classes will teach basic socialization skills to pit bull and pit bull x puppies 2-5 months old. Classes are offered on a drop in basis. No registration is required and you may attend as many classes as you wish up until your puppy is 5 months old!
Using positive reinforcement methods, each class will cover:
* House Training
* Chewing and Biting
* Rambunctious Behavior
* Handling
* Grooming
* Resource Relinquishment
* Name Recognition
* Recall
PLEASE BRING PROOF OF 1st TWO PARVO/DISTEMPER VACCINES, FLAT COLLAR AND TIGHT LEASH!
HAVE FUN AND BOND WITH YOUR PUP!
Questions? Call 505-344-PETS or 505- 281-4864
Licensing fees for dogs/cats have changed for the City of Albuquerque!
These rules are in effect currently and I just want everyone to be aware of them, in case you haven't heard.
Annual licensing fees for spayed dog/cat: $6
Annual licensing fees for intact (unaltered) dog/cat: $150
Please also be aware that there is a $150 fee for having a litter on your property whether it was due to an intentional or unintentional breeding. The city of Albuquerque is also making it mandatory that dogs/cats be microchipped as well by April 10th. Below is a list of low-cost resources for these services. I hope this helps. If you have additional questions, please contact the city of Albuquerque .
We can perform these services at our clinic (see our information on the About Us page) or see the info below.
Resources for Low-Cost Spay Neuter Services
* City of Albuquerque: Free for senior citizens and low income families in the city of Albuquerque (Dial 311)
* Bernalillo Co. SNAP Program: Reduced fees for low income families in the unincorporated area of Bernalillo County. Maximum of 2 pets per family (505-314-0280)
* No More Homeless Pets: Free vouchers for City of Albuquerque residents who qualify as low income (505-345-6647)
* Animal Humane Association of NM: $20 co-pay. Low income Federal guidelines. (505-255-5523 ext. 150)
* NM Animal Friends: $10-20 co-pay, income qualified. Albuquerque and surrounding areas. NMAF provides services for feral/free-roaming cats. (505-881-7297)
If you do not qualify for a low income program, Vetco offers lower cost surgeries in a private veterinary clinic.
* Vetco Los Lunas 505-865-0662 (Main St.)
* Vetco Albuquerque 505-292-3030 (Menaul at Wyoming)
Resources for low-cost microchipping:
* Animal Humane Association: $20/microchip offered the 1st Sunday of every month from 1-4pm ( 505-255-5523, ext 105)
Hi, I wanted to ask when is a good time to mate my dog? Also what are the chances of loosing my dog and her puppies when shes in labor? How much would it be to have c-section on her? I have a chihuahua/pomeranian. Thank You for you time.
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Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a parasite that lives in the heart and the pulmonary arteries of a dog. This disease has been reported in every state and is most prevalent in areas where mosquitoes are in high numbers. Dogs get Heartworms from mosquito bites. These larval stages enter the skin through the bite and then migrate through the body to the blood vessels, where they are carried up to the heart. Dogs are not infected directly from dog to dog, but from dog to mosquito to dog.
Clinical Signs
Once the larva have developed into adult worms (this takes about 6 months), clinical signs may or may not be seen. Dogs that have a cough, breathing difficulty, exercise intolerance, or syncopal (fainting episodes) should be evaluated for Heartworm disease. If a dog is only infected with the larva, they usually do not show any signs at all. This is part of the reason this disease can be so deadly. By the time we are seeing clinical signs for Heartworm disease, they not only have Heartworm Infection but also have Heartworm Disease, which must be treated far more aggressively. Heartworms, in the adult stage, can do a lot of damage to the body.
Heartworm and its effect on the body
Worms living in the pulmonary arteries do a tremendous amount of damage. They damage the lining of the artery and cause an inflammatory response to ensue. This results in immune cells that try to destroy the parasite, but cannot kill it. This inflammation and continued inflammation, casue more damage to the surrounding tissue. These arteries become dilated from the inflammation and appear tortuous on an x-ray. This can also result in abnormal blood clotting and dogs can develop embolisms, which block the arteries. This results in shunting of blood to other arteries that are not blocked by worms. What happens in effect, is an overtaxed plumbing system and the pressure and inflammation cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs around the arteries. The complicating result is that blood is not appropriately oxygenated in the lungs and cannot deliver adequate oxygen to the rest of the body. This commonly results in coughing and exercise intolerance. Some dogs can cough up blood or fluid and it is not uncommon to see secondary infection in the lungs. With this kind of pressure in the arteries, the heart has to work harder to pump blood where it needs to go. This leads to a higher blood pressure and can have drastic effects on the right side of the heart. Worms can create even less space in the right side of the heart as they fill the ventricle. Obviously, the can tax the heart to a point of no return. Sometimes, a heart murmur or arrhythmia can be ausculted on physical exam if this is the case. As with any murmur, sudden death can occur. When this right sided heart failure occurs, fluid can back up in the abdominal cavity, which can result in a distended abdominal appearance and difficulty breathing. The immune system does not stop trying to control all of this and the inflammatory response becomes systemic, causing irritation and damage throughout the body. As a result, these dogs become very uncomfortable.
Treatment for Heartworm Disease
Treatment depends on staging of the disease, the area of infection and the dog’s clinical signs. This means your vet will need to decide how to treat the disease. This process is usually costly and is not without pain and involves crating/kenneling your dog for several weeks. This is not an easy process for owners to go through. It is important to note that even though treatment for Heartworm disease exists, this disease can be fatal.
Heartworm Prevention
There are lots of different types of heartworm preventive that you can use for your dog. Please discuss this with your vet and decide which one might be best for your dog. Some not only cover heartworms, but also cover gastrointestinal parasites and protect against fleas and ticks. Some of the more popular brands include Heartgard, Advantage, Interceptor, Sentinel, Revolution.
Heartworm in Cats
Heartworm disease in cats is quite a bit different from dogs. Cats are so small that only one adult worm can be enough to cause heart failure. Cats also appear to have more inflammation with immature worms than dogs do. Commonly, cats that are Heartworm positive will not show many clinical signs and often death is seen before anything other clinical signs. Please contact your vet for more information on Heartworm disease in cats.
Prevention
The good news is that feline heartworm infection is 100% preventable and there are currently four products on the market that are reliably effective. Keep in mind that cats need a higher dose of ivermectin than dogs, so it is important that you buy a product marketed for cats. It is also important that your cat be tested prior to administration of the preventive.
Please consider a trip to your local shelter to take a look at some cats that really need homes. Some are in desperate need of immediate homes, so if you can find it in your heart and in your pocket book to consider giving the gift of love, medical care and attention to one of these fur balls, you will enjoy a unique relationship all your own. No two are alike.
How old is too old to breed a female yorkie? Also the breeder I bought my male from says she went to a breeding class and they said to breed every heat because if you don't it's harder on the female-kinda a if you don't use it like it is intended it's hard on them. Is this true?
I adopted a kitten from the animal humane society about 3 months ago and she is 8 months old now. She has had 2 seizures in the past 4 days. They both lasted about a minute long and she foamed at the mouth the entire time. Her body shakes and it appears that she is completely unaware of what is happening. She snaps out of it right away as though nothing ever happened. I took her to the vet after the first one and the vet recommended I monitor her for a period of time because seizures in cats as so rare. She also recommended I bring her back for a full blood test if she experiences more seizures. How common are seizures in cats? It seemed to me that the vet was somewhat surprised that she had had a seizure. I do not have the money to get the blood tests right away, is there anything I need to be cautious of until I can get her the bood tests? Could she have epilepsy? Thank you for your help.
Recently, I had a client ask me what the difference is between having one blood work profile done over another. She explained that she had always thought all blood work was the same and tested for everything we need to look at. I explained that this is not the case at all.
Blood work panels can be very simple or very complex. Most basic blood work panels evaluate a CBC (Complete Blood Count) and Chemistry. A CBC looks at white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This can be particularly effective for evaluating for infection, inflammation, anemia, coagulation problems, blood parasites, hydration and blood volume, in addition to other things. A basic chemistry panel evaluates a few liver enzymes, kidney enzymes, protein levels, glucose levels and that's about it. More thorough panels will also evaluate more liver enzymes, enzymes associated with the gallbladder and pancreas, electrolytes and minerals.
Of course, there are specific blood tests that can just test for something in particular. For example, common blood work tests that we run every day in clinics include a test for Heartworm disease ( a blood borne parasite that migrates to and lives in the heart), Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), Pancreatic Serum Lipase tests, Tick borne disease tests. These simple, fast blood tests can help rule out these diseases. Other commonly performed blood work includes specific panels to evaluate metabolic changes and likely endocrine disease. These include blood work to evaluate the thyroid gland, adrenal glands and pancreatic testing. There are even panels that are designed to test for levels of medication in your pet, such as seizure medications. These are often used to follow up on your pet's response to a specific medication.
Keep these tests in mind next time you visit your veterinarian. Blood work is usually recommended once yearly as a screening profile to be sure everything is looking okay with your pet. The type of panel and cost of the panel should be discussed with your vet. Senior or geriatric panels should always be considered with pets as they age. Pre-anesthetic blood work can also add insight prior to surgery and is always recommended.
Let me know if you have specific questions about certain panels or information for pets with obvious clinical signs, such as vomiting or fever. A physical exam and history always aids a veterinarian in making a decision about blood work and helps them pick the panel that will tell us the most about what might be going on with your pet.
Baxter is currently in foster care for his broken legs. He was rescued from a horrible situation and currently needs a surgery to fix his fractures. If you can help out, take a minute to read Baxter's story and consider a donation!
Baxter's Story - Donations Welcome
We are interested in adopting a labrador puppy. The owner said the she is different from all the other pups from the litter. She is extremely calm and has coarse hair. Does this show signs of something particular? He says maybe the dog has down syndrome ..... I am wondering if this sounds familiar. She was of a litter of 10 and 1 passed away after birth.
I talked to the lady about the cats and she gave me a quick run down of their history. They were rescued from a hoarder who had like 60 cats in a trailer. They are brother and sister. They are tabby maine coon mix.
There are some health issues that I want to let you know about so you can give me your honest opinion on what you think I should do.
The foster mom said that they both carry the herpes trait which is common in 80% of cats. Is that true? I never knew that, so they cant or shouldn't be around any other animals for a long period of time....that's fine with me.
One of the cats had pneumonia for a while mixed with some other things so I guess she is always going to have some sort of respiratory problems. She is on a medicine right now that is kind of like a paste and she needs to take it everyday or every couple days, but other than that she is fine.
The foster mom said that it usually acts up in times of stress....which is the issue.
A trip across the country is going to be stressful and its going to be a totally different environment in terms of weather and elevation so I don't know how that will affect the respiratory thing. The other thing she told me was that a lot of people have inquired about the cats, but once they learn of one of the cats "problems" they don't want them.
I know that I can handle giving them medicine and all that, I took care of a friends cat who has diabetes and gave him his insulin shots so that's no problem. I'm just wondering what the cost is going to be in the long run. She may need antibiotics every now and then and I don't know all the cost involved. These cats have been in foster care since late august. She, the foster mom, told me that they only live in one room in the house because of her other cats and not wanting them to get sick and all.
Ugh....I want them, but I don't or maybe can't afford to have them sick as soon as I get to the Albuquerque.
What do I do, I know you cant tell me but give me your opinion. I don't want them to live in one room for the rest of their lives you know?
i am writing you about my upstairs neighbors dog,hes been coughing alot,non stop.she just called me and said hes not breathing that good,and she doesnt have the money to run him to an emergencyvet.i told her i think hes got heartmurmer.same symptoms my moms dog had,hes really old.i hope someone can replyback to me.so that i can let her know something thank you
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Questions Answered By:
Dr. Lauryn Spohn, DVM
