There is nothing quite like the companionship of our animal friends to make our lives complete. They enrich our lives with unconditional love and somehow make the world a better place.
Providing preventative medical care to help them stay healthy and comfortable helps ensure that they live longer, happier lives with us. Preventative medicine means doing the things that prevent disease, because keeping your pet from getting sick in the first place is much easier and more cost effective that treating illness once it occurs.
Spaying and Neutering
One of the most important things you can do for your four-legged friends is to have them spayed or neutered. Getting your buddy “fixed” is the responsible thing to do for many reasons. It guarantees that you will not be contributing to dog and cat overpopulation when there are simply not enough homes for them all.
Also very important are the many medical and behavioral problems you can avoid by having your companion altered. Intact female dogs are at greatly increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to spayed females. There is also the serious risk of developing pyometra, or life-threatening uterine infection, in both dogs and cats.
Intact male dogs have a significant risk of developing an enlarged prostate. Intact male cats “spray,” and intact male dogs are more likely to “mark” their territory with urine. Intact animals are more likely to show aggressive behavior and are more likely to roam away from home. All of these issues can be avoided by altering early in life.
Dental Health
Providing good dental care is also critical to keeping your friend healthy and comfortable. Can you imagine the condition of your mouth if you never brushed your teeth? Even with twice daily brushing and flossing, we humans require twice yearly dental cleanings to keep our mouths healthy and clean.
Vaccinations
Any basic preventative medicine program should include vaccinations. According to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), there are two categories of vaccinations for dogs and cats: core and non-core.
Core vaccines are those that every dog and cat should get regardless of lifestyle or exposure to other animals. Rabies is considered a core vaccine for both dogs and cats and is required by law in most jurisdictions due to the deadly and potentially contagious — including to humans — nature of the disease.
Dogs should also receive a distemper and parvovirus combination vaccine to stay healthy and prevent disease because these viruses are very contagious between dogs and can cause severe illness, which is much more difficult to treat than it is to prevent. Similarly, every cat should get a ‘feline distemper’ combination shot that includes Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia (FVRCP), diseases that are very contagious between cats and can cause severe illness.
Which of the available non-core vaccines your pet receives will depend on his or her lifestyle.
For example, cats that spend time outdoors should get a Feline Leukemia vaccine to prevent infection with this immune-compromising and cancer-causing virus because of exposure to unknown, potentially unvaccinated cats. Outdoor cats should also receive regular flea prevention and deworming because bird and rodent hunting, as well as digging and rolling in the soil, will repeatedly expose them to intestinal worms and ectoparasites.
There are several non-core vaccines available for dogs, and which ones are right for your dog will depend on what your pet does and where he or she goes. In California flea and tick season is year-round, though there is a Lyme vaccine available, effective tick control remains the cornerstone for reducing the risk of all tick-borne diseases.
There are also a couple of intestinal parasites of dogs and cats that can be transmitted to people, especially kids eating mud pies. Monthly deworming medications and picking up after your dog reduces contamination of public areas such as parks and beaches with these parasites.
One of the lifestyle vaccines that is strongly recommended for dogs on the Central Coast is Leptosporosis. Lepto is a bacterial infection that is shed from wild animal urine into water sources, including ocean water. Even sea mammals can be infected, so any dog that visits the beach should be vaccinated.
In addition, vaccination against Bordatella, the bacteria that causes kennel cough, is recommended for dogs that stay in boarding facilities, go to groomers, visit dog parks and beaches, or frequently contact large numbers of dogs.
It is important to mention that in general, vaccines may cause localized pain or swelling and low-grade transient fever. Allergic reactions are rare, but in dogs are usually seen as facial swelling and hives that can be most easily seen on the dog’s belly. In cats, an allergic reaction is usually seen as severe vomiting and diarrhea or wheezing within 30 minutes of receiving the vaccine. Overall, the risk of any reaction is quite small compared to the risk of the diseases they protect against.
Micro-chipping
Another step in basic preventative medicine program is micro-chipping. Micro-chipping is a simple procedure that can be done at the time of vaccination or during spay or neuter surgery. The microchip is placed under the skin on the top of the back, usually near the shoulder blades. It is a permanent form of identification that can help get lost pets back to their owners, even if their collar and tags have fallen off, and sometimes even years after they are lost.
Sources:
Santa Maria Times
Dr. Brenda Forsythe
Dr. Forsythe is the owner and full-time lead veterinarian for Orcutt Veterinary Hospital in Santa Maria. She also holds advanced degrees in animal behavior and offers behavioral consultation through the practice. She volunteers as chairman of the California Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Committee and on the CVMA Board of Governors, the American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Committee, and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Leadership Council. In her free time, she and her husband Jerry Beatty enjoy riding, training, and competing with their horses and spending time with their rescue cat and three rescue dogs.
Dr. Davielle Smalley
Dr. Smalley graduated from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012. Originally from San Diego, she made her way to the central coast with her husband as a perfect compromise between rural Kansas and urban California. She works as both a shelter veterinarian at Santa Maria Valley Humane Society and a private general practitioner in San Luis Obispo. She has a special interest in Veterinary Dermatology and in her free time enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and rescue Chihuahuas, Georgie and Annie.
FYI: There is growing controversy of spaying and neutering at too early an age. Here is an interesting article on the pros and cons: https://topdogtips.com/pros-and-cons-of-spaying-your-dog/
And here: https://www.petful.com/pet-health/pros-cons-when-to-spay-neuter-your-dog/
Pros and cons of what vaccinations to give and when: http://vetsforpets.org/general-pet-care-2/pet-vaccinations-pros-and-cons/
And here: https://marlborovets.com/2013/08/vaccinating-your-pets-pros-and-cons-what-shots-do-pets-need/
Disclaimer
The Puppy Up Foundation does not endorse nor recommend any particular product, service, or treatment. We offer information strictly for educational and/or informational purposes. We believe it is the pet owner’s responsibility to do the research and draw his or her own conclusions.
