A Magic Moment-The New Puppy and Kitten Exam
The New Puppy and Kitten Exam
A Magic Moment that You Will Never Forget
Dr. Don DeForge
DonDeForge100@gmail.com
SilverSandsVeterinary.com
The New Puppy and/or Kitten Exam is a Magic Moment for the individual pet owner or the entire family. It is the same as bringing a new baby for the first time to your pediatrician.
As veterinarians, we follow the life stages of all of our patients. We start as Veterinary Pediatricians and follow our furry friends into their Geriatric Years as Veterinary Internists in Geriatric Medicine. It is a privilege to take that journey.
Dr. Don DeForge, Medical Director at Silver Sands Veterinary, [SilverSandsVeterinary.com] advises that all new puppy and kitten owners to come to the visit prepared.
"Sit down the night before your appointment and make a list of all of the questions that you want to ask. No matter how insignificant that you feel the question is write it down. Dr. DeForge tells all of the new fur baby parents that if you have a question in mind write it down even though you may feel it will be a waste of the doctor's time to answer the question."
Here is the fact: if you have a question, another one thousand new puppy and kitten owners have the same question and are just afraid to ask.
After you write down all of your questions, help your veterinarian with a simple upload. When you fill out your entry form on the hospital website, upload all of your questions at that time for Dr. DeForge and his nurses to review before you reach the doors of Silver Sands Veterinary.
This will allow the doctors and his nurses at Silver Sands Veterinary to have time to prepare very important information in a printed form ready for you to read and save time in your visit for further discussion.
The nurses may also have special print outs ready for you such as the one on Toxocara [Roundworm] as a serious zoonosis that you must understand as a new pet parent.
Below are areas that the doctor and nurses will discuss with you during your first visit:
1] Nutrition
Proper feeding schedules and proper foods based on age; size; and breed will be reviewed!
The doctor[s] will supply information from veterinary nutritionists to be sure the new member of your family gets a head start in growth and development.
2] Worms-Worms-Worms-How to diagnose and remove intestinalis worms from your puppy and kitten is always discussed. Always bring a fecal [stool] sample to your first visit so that your pet can be examined for worms. Remember some worms in puppies and kittens are zoonotic and can be passed from the pet to the family.
3] Ticks and Fleas-these common parasite pests on your pet will be reviewed. You will be shown what are the best veterinary prescription products to keep your pet flea and tick free.
4] Vaccines-Preventing disease is a lot better than treating diseases that can be life threatening. No matter what you read on Doctor Google vaccines are essential to prevent loss of life in pets and people.
Dr. DeForge and his staff will summarize the American Animal Hospital Association Core vaccines that are important to protect all pets from serious life threatening infections.
Your pet's pediatric vaccine program start at 8 weeks of age which is the perfect time for the first puppy or kitten visit to our hospital's pediatric clinic.
Your new puppy and kitten can be seen before that time if ill and the vaccine program can be started after 8 weeks if you have adopted or purchased an older puppy or kitten.
5] Heartworm and Lyme Disease. These two medical conditions are very serious. The doctor[s] at Silver Sands Veterinary can prevent your dog from developing these two serious diseases.
Heartworm preventive medicine is available by prescription and will be discussed by our team. It is given 12 months per year. Your dog's first heartworm test is at 5-6 months of age. Yearly heartworm testing is continued throughout your pet's life and is needed for refills on your heartworm preventive medicine.
Lyme Disease is prevented with a Lyme Vaccine and prescription tick control medicines. We want to answer your questions about Heartworm and Lyme Disease!
6] Cats can be infected with Bartonella by contact with fleas. This is a zoonosis. There is a blood test to check if your cat has Bartonella Disease and if identified it is treatable! Thirty percent of all cats carry Bartonella showing no clinical signs of disease. The disease can lead to loss of life and is a serious zoonosis.
You can develop Bartonella disease by even the most insignificant scratch or bite of a playful kitten. The nurses will supply you with information about the National Veterinary Lab website to read all about Bartonella in cats! Remember Bartonella is a zoonosis.
7] As your pediatric visits continue, separate discussion will occur by doctor and/or nurse concerning bathing; nail cutting; and preventing dental disease in your new arrival.
8] Dr. DeForge will describe, as a Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, what toys and treats are safe to give puppies and kittens. This knowledge is important throughout the growth and development of your puppy to prevent trauma to your pet's baby teeth and permanent dentition.
9] The nurses will explain the importance of a Pet Emergency Kit to allow you to help your pet at home and away in case of a minor emergency.
Silver Sands Veterinary has a Pet Emergency Kit that has been created just for you. Keep it in a safe place at home and always bring it with you when traveling or vacationing with your fur baby.
Major problems should be reviewed with Dr. DeForge or another Animal ER doctor before initiating treatment!
10] The nurses will give you the phone number of Pet Poison Control Centers in case of the accidental ingestion of a household item that is toxic to dogs or cats. Many poisons lie under a sink cabinet or in your yard unsecured awaiting ingestion by a mischievous puppy or kitten. First rule-----be a pet detective; find these potential poisoning items; and lock them up! Second rule-----do not leave a puppy or kitten unsupervised in your yard to prevent ingestion of a toxic or poisonous plant or other material in the yard. Pick up feces after defecation and do not allow access to wild animal defecation that is within or outside of your property.
Leptospirosis is another zoonosis that is life threatening and can be contracted through a pet drinking the urine of infected wildlife. The Leptospira bacteria can be found in stagnant water; puddles; streams; or water reservoirs in and around your property. There is a vaccine to prevent your puppy or kitten from getting Leptospirosis.
11] Rabies, a zoonosis, is a life threatening problem if contracted through the bite or scratch of any infected wildlife species. Animals most likely to transmit rabies in the United States include bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks. Infected stray dogs and cats can spread rabies to people. It is a state law in Connecticut mandating the vaccination of all companion pet dogs and cats against Rabies. The first vaccine is given at 12 weeks of age and repeated annually or as directed by the manufacturer of the vaccine that your doctor uses in their hospital. There is no test on a live animal that can be employed to detect Rabies. Stay safe and do not allow your Rabies Vaccine booster to be forgotten exposing your pet to the development of this deadly disease. Vaccine is mandated for all pets-indoor pets and outdoor pets.
Enjoy the new member of your family!
Follow the direction of Dr. DeForge, his nurses, and other doctors you may meet at Silver Sands Veterinary. Most importantly, take multiple digital photos and send some to the Silver Sands Veterinary APP Photo Gallery. Download the Silver Sands Veterinary APP from the APP Store as a gift from Dr. DeForge and his staff.
Congratulations-you are now an informed NEW Pet Parent! Let your knowledge grow with continued communication with the doctor[s] and nurses at Silver Sands Veterinary.
Addendum: Take a few moments and review this common zoonosis of Roundworm in pets that can not only affect your pets but also infect your family.
Roundworm-The Hidden Zoonosis
Roundworm a Serious Zoonosis
Toxocariasis
Toxocara
Roundworm
A Serious Zoonosis
Roundworm infection, or Toxocariasis, is a zoonotic disease — a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Dogs and cats are the definitive hosts for the roundworm species that commonly cause human disease.
Zoonotic Potential - Roundworm Infection
Roundworms can cause disease in humans. People can become infected by ingesting eggs; handling fecal material without gloves during disposal; toddlers and adults being licked in the face by the puppy, kitten, or adult infected pet; and children playing with fecal material and then eating without washing.
These see far fetched but infections occur each year, especially, in young children from poor hygiene and lack of parental supervision of pet with child. The pediatrician has a responsibility to discuss this zoonosis with parents.
Toxocara can also be spread by other animals called paratenic hosts. Eggs consumed by another animal, such as a rodent, can hatch and produce larvae that continue their development into adult worms when consumed by the primary host—a cat or a dog
Because roundworm infection of humans is not a reportable disease, the exact number of persons affected each year is difficult to determine
Children are infected more commonly than adults. Because humans are dead-end hosts, the larvae do not become infective and do not encyst but continue to migrate through the body tissues. Somatic migration of roundworm larvae in humans can cause visceral larval migrans (migration through internal organs) or ocular larval migrans (migration to the eye), which usually renders that eye blind. The round worm can also affect the Central Nervous System.
As with dogs and cats, preventing exposure is key to preventing infection. Preventing roundworm infection depends on routine handwashing after playing with puppies/kittens or being exposed to dog/cat feces, regularly removing dog/cat feces from the yard and public areas, and routinely treating companion dogs/cats to prevent egg shedding in the environment.
For Your Information:
- Roundworms are among the most common parasites that infect dogs and cats.
- Roundworms steal nutrients from growing animals.
- Female dogs/cats can become re-infected during pregnancy, which can lead to infection of puppies before birth or during nursing. Thus, females should receive treatment before breeding, and dam and puppies/kittens should receive treatment after delivery.
- Treatment medications are very effective but only when given consistently and on schedule. Do not use over the counter dewormers but consult with your pDVM concerning prescription products that are safe and effective.
- People can become infected by handling infected puppies/kittens and adult dogs/cats or their feces or directly from the environment. Risk is highest for families with young children or immunocompromised adults.
- There must be a triad composed of your family pediatrician; your veterinarian, pDVM; and yourself to protect your family from roundworm exposure and infection.
- Remember, even though this zoonosis is most common in children because of poor hygiene practices, it can occur in adults.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council-Update
General Guidelines for Cats and Dogs
Parasite Control
One of the most misunderstood areas of concern by the public is simple parasite control in companion animals.
Toxocariasis-Roundworm-is a very serious parasite that can be spread from pets to people.
Parasite Testing and Protection Guided by Veterinarians
- Conduct preventive physical examinations at least every 6 to 12 months.
- Conduct annual heartworm testing in dogs; test cats prior to placing on heartworm preventive and thereafter as indicated.
- Test annually for tick-transmitted pathogens, especially in regions where pathogens are endemic or emerging.
- Conduct microscopic fecal examinations by centrifugation at least four times during the first year of life, and at least two times per year in adults, depending on patient health and lifestyle factors.
- Based on sample size, clinical signs, suspected parasites and skill and experience of the clinic or laboratory, alternative diagnostics and screening with advanced technologies, such as fecal antigen, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and AI (Artificial Intelligence), may be preferred.
- Prescribe control programs to local parasite prevalence and individual pet lifestyle factors.
- Adapt prevention recommendations to address emerging parasite threats.
- In areas where Lyme disease is considered endemic or emerging, vaccinate dogs against Borrelia burgdorferi.
- Confirm pets have been both recently tested for parasite infection and are current on broad-spectrum internal and external parasite control prior to boarding or visiting shared space animal facilities
Every Pet, All Year Long
- Administer year-round broad-spectrum parasite control with efficacy against heartworm, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks. Control of parasites with zoonotic potential is essential.
- Administer anthelmintic treatment to puppies and kittens starting at 2 weeks of age and repeating every 2 weeks until regular broad-spectrum parasite control begins.
- Maintain pregnant and nursing dams on broad-spectrum control products.
Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Pets, Healthy People
- Feed pets commercial or cooked food (not raw diets) and provide fresh water.
- Cover sandboxes when not in use, and protect garden areas from fecal contamination.
- Pick up feces immediately when walking a dog in a public area and from the yard on a daily basis.
- To prevent roaming and limit predation, keep dogs on a leash or behind a fence and keep cats indoors.
- Permanently identify dogs and cats through microchip implantation.
- Do not handle animal feces or urine with bare hands, and wash hands immediately after incidental contact. This recommendation is particularly important for children and individuals at increased risk.
- Properly dispose of animal waste according to local municipal regulations.
- Spay or neuter all pets not intended for breeding.
If Year-Round Broad-Spectrum Parasite Control Cannot Be Maintained
- For puppies and kittens, administer anthelmintics starting at 2 weeks of age, repeating every 2 weeks until 2 months of age, monthly until 6 months of age, and quarterly thereafter.
- Treat all adult pets four times a year with a broad-spectrum anthelmintic with efficacy against intestinal parasites.
- Appropriate fecal diagnostics performed at least 2-4 times a year.
- Encourage annual testing for heartworm and other vector-borne infections in dogs and routine, year-round use of heartworm preventive, monthly intestinal parasite control, and flea and tick control in all pets.
- Questions: Call Dr. DeForge [203-877-3221] or email: DoctorDeForge@yahoo.com
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