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  North Hoffman Veterinary Clinic

NEws/BLog

Mystery Canine Respiratory Illness
To date we have not seen any unusual cases or respiratory illness in any of our patients.  We are monitoring the situation and will post updates of any reliable information that we can find.
You can find the latest update from the University of Illinois School of Veterinary Medicine on the current situation and steps you can take to protect your pet at the link HERE.
Heartworm- Prevent it so you don't have to treat it!

A common question I get is whether or not it is really necessary to give dogs heartworm preventative.  Usually the owner is concerned about overmedicating their dog.   This simple answer is: Yes.  It really is necessary to prevent heartworm.

How likely is your dog to get heartworm if they aren't on preventative?  In Cook County they track the prevalence of heartworm in coyotes, and the prevalence is about 41%.  Coyotes of course are not on heartworm preventative.  So if your dog isn't on heartworm preventative, you might imagine that there is about a 41% chance they could contract it.  Of course most dogs don't spend 24 hours a day outside like coyotes do.  But mosquitoes find their way into houses too.  I have diagnosed dogs who allegedly are seldom and only briefly outside with heartworm disease.

Let me describe what happens if you don't use the preventative.  Heartworm is transmitted via mosquito bites.  From the transmittable larval stage it takes about 6 months to develop to the adult stage.  It is the adult stage that we are able to test for.  So if your dog tests positive for heartworm, it already has adult heartworms living in its pulmonary artery.  Hearworms are in the nematode family, the same family as earthworms, and they are large enough to see with the naked eye.
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They are also large enough to damage the heart and cause heart failure.

At that point, we have to kill the adult heartworms, and using heartworm preventative will not isn't enough.  First we treat the
dog with a month antibiotics to weaken the heartworms.   Then we can give the medication that will kill the heartworms.  This medication contains arsenic and must be injected deep into the muscles that run along the spine.  As you can imagine, these injections are painful.  A series of 2 or 3 injections is required.

Once that is complete, the heartworms should die, but they don't just disappear.  Now your dog has dead heartworms in their heart, which isn't much better than live ones.  As the dog's immune system slowly breaks these dead worms down and  removes them, there is a risk that these small bits will cause a blood clot in the lungs which can be fatal.  In order to prevent that from occurring, we recommend continued cage rest with minimal activity until the dog is rested as negative for heartworms, usually 4-6 months after the treatment has been concluded.  So cage rest for about a 5-9 month period altogether.

The moral of the story here is: it's much better to prevent heartworm disease with a monthly medication of some kind, than it is to have to get rid of these worms after the fact.
Raw Food Diets

Raw food diets have become more and more popular over the last several years.  Pet owners are either feeding their pets diets entirely consisting of raw foods, or often supplementing more conventional diets with raw animal products as treats.

The question is:  Are these raw diets beneficial for your pet?

There is, as of right now, no scientific study that shows that feeding raw diets will benefit your pet in any way compared to regular pet foods.  There is no study that shows that raw diets will lead to improved health or longer life for your pets.

There are a number of studies and case studies, however, that have shown that there are some health risks associated with feeding raw diets.  Using a raw diet exclusively or even feeding raw diets as treats, can potentially cause an imbalance in the diet (for example, too much fat).  More importantly, raw foods have an increased risk of being contaminated with harmful organisms such as Salmonella.  These harmful bacteria can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or even death in your pets.  And they also pose a risk to the human members of the family who have handled the raw foods, or who have handled the pets after they became ill, or in some cases, just carriers of Salmonella or one of the other pathogens associated with raw foods.

For more information, check out this link to the Tufts University vet school's nutrition department:
​ ​http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/01/raw-diets-a-healthy-choice-or-a-raw-deal/



Dental Cleanings for Your Dog or Cat

12/27/2016

11 Comments

 

Sooner is better than later....

Most people would rather not have their pet undergo a dental cleaning.  They worry about the cost and the anesthesia, and they try to wait until absolutely necessary (smelly breath, bleeding gums) to have their pet's teeth cleaned.   But dental health is very important for your pet's overall health and comfort level.  Bad teeth are associated with increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and, worst of all, pain and discomfort.
Here is why it is bettter to get your pet's teeth cleaned sooner rather than later: First of all, it will be less expensive.  Less tartar to remove, less periodontitis to treat, fewer (hopefully no) teeth to remove - the procedure won't take as long, and consequently we don't charge as much.  
​Secondly, it will be safer.  A shorter procedure means a shorter period of anesthesia which will be safer.  Also, the pet will be younger if you do the procedure now than they would be if you wait until later to do the dental.  In general, a pets health deteriorates as they age (especially if they have significant dental disease), so doing the dental sooner rather than later means they are healthier, and so, again, it's safer.
It will be less painful.  Even though we do everything we can to keep dentals procedures from causing pain, such as giving pain meds beforehand and using nerve blocks, a simple cleaning and polishing is always going to be less painful than periodontal treatments and tooth extractions would be.
Your pet's mouth will be healthier.  Mild gingivitis is reverible.  Gingival recession and periodontitis is not.  So if you wait too long, your pet will still have significant gum, bone, and potentially  tooth loss, even after cleaning and periodontal treatment.  Do it sooner and your pets mouth will be "like new."
Lastly, if you have your pet's teeth cleaned sooner, the cleaning will last longer.  If the teeth are still healthy but just have some tartar, when we clean the teeth your pet will be left with nice healthy smooth enamel.  Enamel is the hardest substance in the body and is relatively resistant to the accumulation of tartar, so tartar will not develop as quickly.  If you wait until the enamel has been damaged and underlying dentin is exposed, or if the gums have receded and the cementum of the roots is exposed, those two substances are much less resistant to the accumulation of tartar, and you will see it begin to develop on the teeth again within months of having them cleaned!  Teeth that are compromised will  need to be cleaned again much sooner than teeth that are healthy.  If you begin dental cleanings at an earlier age and an earlier stage of dental disease, you will have a pet with a healthier mouth, a healthier body, and one which will not need as many dental cleanings over the course of it's lifetime compared to a pet who had to wait until later to have it's teeth cleaned.
One last note about safety: we screen our patients very carefully prior to dentals with exams and blood tests to make sure it will be safe for them to undergo anesthesia, and we will have a very candid conversation beforehand about the potential risks.  In addition, we monitor them very carefully during anesthesia both with machines and by continually examining them for any signs of problems. Consequently to this date, having done hundreds of dental procedures, we have a 100% success rate.  We have never lost a patient due to a dental procedure.

11 Comments
service quality essay link
5/12/2017 05:43:25 am

I always clean my Dog's teeth. I make it a habit to make sure that her teeth is clean as new. I've read some research about the negative effects that dirty teeth can cause your dogs. I'm glad that I've been doing this practice ever since. I should also instruct my friends to clean their dog's teeth daily.

Reply
Koutney link
6/29/2017 08:11:39 am

I've noticed that my dogs breath smells and when I looked in his mouth, he has brown stuff on them, which probably means he needs them cleaned. I appreciate that you said bad teeth can cause an increase of heart, liver, and kidney disease as well as pain. I want my dog to be as healthy and comfortable as possible, so I'll be sure to call my vet as soon as possible.

Reply
Alexandria Martinez link
11/21/2017 07:43:52 pm

My fiance and I wanted to celebrate getting our first house together by getting a puppy named Boomer. We want to make sure that he grows up to be a healthy pup so we want to learn more about dog dental cleaning. It is good to know that the earlier you start your dog's cleaning, the healthier their teeth will be.

Reply
Joe Newton link
12/25/2017 06:43:51 am

I personally believe that healthy dental condition can produce healthy pets. Oral organs are quite sensitive. And any dental disease can cause bad breath, painful drooling, tooth loss, reduction in appetite etc. In fact, the oral germs or bacteria can also travel to heart, liver, and kidneys. Periodontal disease is very common in all pets- which is nothing but the main cause of early tooth loss. Therefore, a professional dental cleaning is needed to remove the brooch and encrustation from your four-legged adorable family member's teeth and also to access the physical condition of the mouth. And make sure this dental cleaning is performed by an experienced vet- who is efficient enough in protecting your pet's teeth without causing any injury.

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Alex John link
4/17/2018 11:36:31 pm

Thanls for your useful article

Reply
Sam Li link
3/26/2019 03:54:05 pm

I love what you said about dental cleanings and how they will be less painful for your animal as time goes on. Visiting a trained vet is essential when it comes to the oral health of your pet. If my dog had a dental infection, I would make sure to find the best vet around.

Reply
Jessie Holloway link
1/4/2023 04:12:20 pm

I find it really interesting that raw food diets are so popular when it can pose a risk to other members in the house. My cat is old and doesn't like to switch up her routine but I'm worried about her because she's not eating. I'll have to look into finding an animal clinic I can take her to have her looked at.

Reply
Victoria Addington link
1/14/2023 07:04:15 am

It is good to know that dental health is very essential for our pet's comfort. My friend told me that his pet has smelly breath. I think it's best to bring his dog to a pet dental care service near their place.

Reply
Daisy James link
1/26/2023 12:47:44 pm

I'm really glad you said that your pet will have a healthier body if you start dental cleanings at an early age. My husband and I want to look into getting a dog for our family sometime next month, so I wanted to make sure we knew how to take care of his health properly. We'll have to look into taking our dog to regular dental cleaning appointments once we get one.

Reply
Eli Richardson link
9/20/2023 08:48:39 pm

Not long ago, my sister adopted a dog from her neighbor because she couldn't take care of her anymore. My sister told me she's concerned about the dog's oral health because her breath is bad and her gums are red. She'll benefit from reading your intake on dental cleanings for pets with mild gingivitis.

Reply
Multimedia link
3/15/2025 05:38:17 am

Why is it important to give dogs heartworm preventative, and what are the potential consequences if they don't receive it?. Greeting : <a href="https://dsm.telkomuniversity.ac.id/blogs/">Multimedia</a>

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