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Do you get overwhelmed at veterinary visits? Are there too many things to keep track of that your dog needs? I can help! Below is a breakdown of categories of medical recommendations your veterinarian and technicians will be making for Fido at your next visit. Be sure to listen carefully, ask questions if you don’t understand, and make educated choices about your pets healthcare.

Annual Canine Wellness:

• Vaccines – don’t skimp, these are important!
  • Rabies
  • Distemper or DA2PP or DHPP
  • Lyme
  • Leptospirosis
  • Bordetella or Kennel Cough
  • Canine Influenza
• Blood Parasite Screen
  • Heartworm Disease
  • Lyme Disease
  • Anaplasmosis
  • Ehrlichiosis
• Fecal Analysis
  • Intestinal parasites can be transmissible to people, too! Protect yourself and Fido with twice yearly fecal screenings for intestinal parasites. You won’t regret it!
• Age appropriate wellness blood work
  • Even young, apparently healthy pets should have wellness blood work – why? Healthy wellness bloodwork sets a baseline for every pet. When a medical problem arises, it allows veterinarians to make better medical recommendations for your pet. If you can’t afford to do this every year, at least try for every other year! It’s important!
• Heartworm Preventative
  • Heartworm Disease is scary and can be deadly. No matter what part of the country you live in, protect your canine friends, and your wallet, from this unnecessary disease.
• Flea/Tick Preventative
  • Flea and ticks are pesky but preventing them doesn’t have to be! Use a prescription flea and tick preventative every month, all year long, to assure no creepy crawly critters will be invading your home!

 

Preferred Canine Products:

I’m sure all of you have been to the pet store in search of a specific item, only to find when you arrive at the pet store and find the correct aisle, there are a MILLION choices for the product you are trying to purchase. NEVER FEAR! Below are my preferred products for all of the vital items that dog owners need! These products are veterinarian tested and approved. Don’t be surprised if some of them are prescription only. That’s because they are worth it! Don’t settle for less when it comes to your beloved canine companion.

All dog owners should have their canines on flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives every month, all year long. NO EXCEPTIONS! It doesn’t matter how little your dog goes outside. YOU go outside. And your house is not a secure bubble free of all things creepy-crawly.

My favorite flea and tick combined preventative is a monthly chewable called Simparica. Why? Simply enough, Simparica has a Lyme Guarantee – NO OTHER PRODUCT HAS THIS! The Lyme Guarantee means that if Fido is on Simparica all year long, any diagnosis with Lyme Disease will be fully covered in cost by the producers of this product. That’s one hell of a promise! In the Northeast, where ticks are more common than Dunkin Donuts, this is essential! Are there other benefits to Simparica? YES! As if the Lyme Guarantee isn’t enough, my other favorite part about Simparica is that it lasts for 35 days. You might be wondering – why does that matter? Well, in today’s world where everyone is running from one obligation to the next, we easily forget simple every day tasks. A 35 day duration on a flea and tick preventative means that you have some leeway if you forget to give your monthly dose to your canine friend. Amazing, right?!

Moving on to the next amazing canine product — how many of you have ever had a dog in your house with diarrhea? Who hasn’t?! Many times, the diarrhea is from something Fido ate out in the yard or crumbs they found in the kitchen. Some of our canine friends just have sensitive stomachs. I’m sure some of the dog owners out there can relate! Probiotics are a win-win in these situations to help restore the normal flora to the gastrointestinal tract. But, not all probiotics are created equal. Fortiflora is a well loved brand by many and is produced by the well trusted Purina company. It is the most effective probiotic supplement on the market today. Every dog owner should have a box of this on hand in their Canine First Aid Kit.

So, your dog rolled in something fowl out in the yard. Now what? Do you rush to the store to buy the first dog shampoo you can find and hope its not a million dollars? No. Do you pull out the bottle of dish soap from under your kitchen sink? YES! Dawn dish soap is a safe shampoo to use on any pet, even those with severe allergies. You don’t need to spend a million dollars at the grocery store or pet store on dog shampoo that smells like raspberries or something funny. Likely, this will make your dog itch and actually send you to your veterinarian with a dermatologic issue. But, in the event that you want to ask your veterinarian for a shampoo to use instead of Dawn, I recommend the Dechra DermAllay Shampoo and Conditioner set for bathing your canine friend. It makes them so soft and smell so good! Dechra also has a large variety of other shampoo and conditioner options for every type of skin condition. Ask your veterinarian which may be right for you.

Do you have stressed and anxiety ridden canine friends at home? Adaptil makes a variety of products to suit any home situation and help Fido deal with anxiety. A pheromone derived from birthing mother dogs has been clinically proven to help calm anxiety ridden and stressed dogs. Their collars, travel sprays, and air fresheners are just what the doctor ordered for a fear free life!

Do your dogs get ear infections? Do they build up ear wax or debris making their ears appear dirty? Frequent ear cleanings can prevent all of this from occurring. Canine ears should be cleaned weekly to prevent debris buildup and to prevent chronic unrelenting ear infections from occurring. There are many home remedies on the internet for ear cleaning solution, all of which are terrifying to me. Would you want alcohol put into your ears? How about vinegar? Or coconut oil? Never put anything into your dogs ears unless your veterinarian specifically directs you to do so. I think every canine owner should have a medicated ear cleaner at their disposal to maintain ear health. My favorite ear cleaner is the MalAcetic Ultra ear cleaner from Dechra. I like this ear cleaner because it is drying, antimicrobial, and antifungal. This means that after a bath or swimming, this ear cleaner will help to dry your dogs ear out preventing bacteria and fungus from getting trapped inside. Trapped bacteria and fungus is all of the makings for a really good ear infection. The antimicrobial and antifungal properties in this ear cleaner are also beneficial since it will clear and help get rid of minor starts to ear infections before they become bad enough to see your veterinarian. Ear cleaning can be easily done with this ear cleanser and a pile of cotton balls. No Q-tips needed! When in doubt, don’t wait! Chronic ear infections can result in permanent hearing loss and ear damage for Fido.

Not seeing a preferred canine product that you need? Comment below!