Dog Care

 

Yearly Examination
Dogs should be examined by a veterinarian once a year to help them stay in tip-top shape. A yearly examination should include:

• Getting information about the dog's health since its last examination.
  
• Weighing
  
• Listening to the heart and lungs with a stethoscope.
  
• Palpation of the abdomen and lymph nodes.
  
• Examination of the skin and coat.
  
• Examination of the eyes with an opthalmascope.
  
• Examination of the ears with an otoscope.
  
• Microscopic examination of a stool sample, to check for internal parasites.
  
• Yearly vaccination.

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Heartworm

Strickland Veterinary Clinic recommends that all dogs in the Tucson area receive heartworm preventative. Heartworm larvae are transmitted from dog-to-dog by mosquitoes, and the larvae develop into adult worms within a dog's heart and lungs. Treatment at this point is potentially dangerous and is costly. Heartworm preventative chewables are a safe and simple way to protect your dogs.

• Heartworm preventative may be given monthly between April and November. Each year, before giving a dog its first chewable, a blood test must be taken by your vet to check for the presence of larvae.
  
• If you forget a dose of preventative by more than two weeks, call your veterinarian's office to find out if your dog needs a blood test before giving the next chewable.
  
• Heartworm was once unknown in certain parts of the United States, including Tucson, but has now become a nation-wide problem.

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Spaying and Neutering

All dogs not intended for breeding should be spayed or neutered to avoid unwanted litters and unwanted behaviors. Puppies should be spayed or neutered between four and six months of age; your veterinarian should recommend the right age for your puppy's surgery during one of its vaccination exams. Adult dogs can and should be spayed, but there are usually additional charges if the dog is in heat or over 6 years of age.

Canine Vaccination

The development of vaccination against infectious diseases has dramatically improved the health of pets. All puppies and kittens should begin a series of vaccinations at six to eight weeks of age, and should receive boosters annually. Young animals must receive vaccines in series because the immunity transferred through the mother's colostrum (first milk) interferes with the vaccine's potentially permanent immunity. The Strickland Veterinary Clinic vaccination recommendations for dogs are as follows:

Combination Shots

Puppies are given a distemper-measles combination shot if they are six weeks old. In such young pups the distemper vaccine is 50% ineffective, but the measles vaccine is effective short-term protection against distemper. Pups between six and eight weeks of age are given their first DA2LPPC combination, protecting against distemper, adenovirus-2, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, parvovirus and corona virus. This "distemper combination" shot must be repeated every three to four weeks until the pup is past 16 weeks of age, when the colostral interference subsides. A single DA2LPPC vaccine is given as a booster annually thereafter. Unvaccinated older dogs must initially receive a series of two DA2LPPC vaccinations, three to four weeks apart.

Rabies

A single vaccination against rabies should be given to a puppy when it is 12 to 16 weeks of age. Annual revaccination is required by state law the first year, then revaccination every 3 years.

Kennel Cough

Infectious tracheo-bronchitis, or "kennel cough," can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Frequently, a combination of disease agents is causing the persistent coughing. Although not all kennel cough can be prevented with vaccination, a single vaccine protects against two of the prime culprits (Bordatella bronchiseptica and parainfluenza). Bordatella/parainfluenza vaccine can be given either intranasally (in the nose) or by injection. The intranasal vaccines are usually preferred because only a single vaccination is needed, while two doses of the injectable version are required. To be effective, this vaccine should be given more than one or two weeks prior to kenneling. Most boarding facilities require that dogs receive bordatella vaccination.

Other Dog Vaccines

• Corona virus is an intestinal virus which usually causes a mild gastrointestinal illness.
  
  
• Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which has not been reported in the state of Arizona. Dogs that are being moved out of state may benefit from the vaccine, which Strickland Veterinary Clinic can special order.