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Bi-Monthly Newsletter
February & March 2011 Newsletter
Dental Month
February is pet dental month and a good time to learn a few tips on how to keep your pet’s mouth healthy and clean.
Puppies have 28 baby teeth that erupt about three to four weeks of age and have 42 adult teeth. Kittens have 26 baby teeth that begin to show at about two to three weeks of age and have 30 adult teeth that begin to erupt at three to four months.
Dogs can show signs of gum disease by the time they are four years old, and bad breath is often the first sign of dental disease. Symptoms of dental disease in dogs and cats include yellow and brown build-up of tartar along the gum line, inflamed gums and persistent bad breath.
To help prevent dental disease in your pet, ask your veterinarian if your pet needs to have a dental cleaning or if there is a type of food that would help with plaque and tartar buildup. Also, although it may be tough, trying to brush your pet’s teeth is also a good idea.
If you are planning to board your dog or take them to a kennel, most kennels will require an intra-nasal or injectable bordetella vaccination.
Bordatella
The bordetella vaccine immunizes dogs against some common causes of kennel cough a highly contagious illness characterized by the inflammation of the respiratory system. Symptoms of kennel cough are dry hacking cough, retching, sneezing, snorting, gagging or in some cases vomiting.
The bordetella vaccine immunizes dogs against some common causes of kennel cough a highly contagious illness characterized by the inflammation of the respiratory system. Symptoms of kennel cough are dry hacking cough, retching, sneezing, snorting, gagging or in some cases vomiting.
If you are planning to board your dog or take them to a kennel, most kennels will require an intra-nasal or injectable bordetella vaccination.
The Birds and The Bees and The Dogs
The female dog comes into heat about every 6 months and the heat period lasts about 3 weeks. When a female becomes pregnant, her gestation period ranges from 60-67 days, averaging 63 days. The mother should be examined 4 weeks after breeding to confirm pregnancy. A pregnant dog should be fed puppy formulation dog food the last 2 weeks of pregnancy and through the nursing period.
The female dog comes into heat about every 6 months and the heat period lasts about 3 weeks. When a female becomes pregnant, her gestation period ranges from 60-67 days, averaging 63 days. The mother should be examined 4 weeks after breeding to confirm pregnancy. A pregnant dog should be fed puppy formulation dog food the last 2 weeks of pregnancy and through the nursing period.
Most dogs will go through delivery without complications. For further questions about breeding, pregnancy and whelping, call Alpine Veterinary Hospital at 509-493-3908.
If your pet has ingested any type of mushroom or is exhibiting any of these side effects, notify your veterinarian as soon as possible for treatment.
Mushroom Maladies
The extensive rainfall that we get in The Gorge makes it a perfect climate for mushrooms to grow and thrive seasonally. Ingestion and exposure to some of these mushrooms in animals can affect the liver, kidney and nervous system causing vomiting, excessive salivation, diarrhea, lethargy, and seizures. Generally gastrointestinal distress is seen within 20 minutes to three hours following ingestion. The size of the pet and the amount of mushrooms ingested also can change the severity and length of the episode.
The extensive rainfall that we get in The Gorge makes it a perfect climate for mushrooms to grow and thrive seasonally. Ingestion and exposure to some of these mushrooms in animals can affect the liver, kidney and nervous system causing vomiting, excessive salivation, diarrhea, lethargy, and seizures. Generally gastrointestinal distress is seen within 20 minutes to three hours following ingestion. The size of the pet and the amount of mushrooms ingested also can change the severity and length of the episode.
If your pet has ingested any type of mushroom or is exhibiting any of these side effects, notify your veterinarian as soon as possible for treatment.
| December 2010 & January 2011 |  |
| Fall 2010 | |
| (509) 493 - 3908 |