Miss Alli

One of the most important responsibilities with a pet is making sure he or she is spayed or neutered. When veterinarians encourage an animal to be spayed or neutered it is not only for the benefit of stopping overpopulation (which is indeed critical), but it is recommended for the health and longevity of life for your pet as well.

What is often not understood is the health problems that may arise from leaving your pet in tact. These health problems can be serious and even lethal if not treated immediately. Not spaying females will often, if not always, result in Pyometra, an infection in the uterus. This is a very painful illness for the animal. As a result of this infection "pus" fills the uterus. Sometimes it can drain out just enough for some relief, but often it remains closed inside, and as a result becomes life threatening. Surgery to remove the uterus is required....resulting in a forced, painful, life threatening and expensive Spay...and possibly even death.

In males the result is prostate disease. This, too, can become acute and life threatening. An intact male can have a testosterone build up which causes swelling, infection and a great deal of pain. It can then lead to more serious and fatal illnesses.

Spaying and neutering can also help with many behavioral problems. Often a more hyper dog will be calmed down, resulting in a more mature and obedient pet. Old myths and wise tales like to encourage that this changes the true personality of an animal. This is indeed false. A way to look at this is to realize that it is simply a stressor that is taken away...not a personality factor. Dogs are not cheated out of their true personality. Instead they are given even more opportunity to show their true dispositions without added factors that can cloud them.

Overpopulation is indeed an important benefit with spaying and neutering as well. Literally THOUSANDS of animals are put to sleep weekly as a result of irresponsible owners not providing proper care, by allowing their animals to roam and mate with others, by thinking they want a dog but not the responsibility, and by backyard breeding and puppy mills. This is a serious problem that has plagued our nation. Sweet, loving animals that could make a child very happy are euthanized b/c they needed kennel space for another one. They have no choice, no escape and no hope. What makes it worse is that it's not their fault....it's ours.

PLEASE.....SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PET. SAVE A PET'S LIFE AND ADOPT FROM A SHELTER OR RESCUE. ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

Heartworms

Are you convinced yet?

Imagine YOUR heart looking like this. Imagine the pain...the eerie feeling...the thought of those worms moving around inside your heart, feeding off of your heart, living in your heart, and slowly killing your heart. THIS is what an animal goes through when they suffer from heartworms...and the death from the disease is horrendous and excruciating. Heartworms are SERIOUS and potentially DEADLY.

So how does an animal get Heartworm Disease? Heartworms come from Mosquitoes. One, simple bite of a mosquito and your dog or cat could be infected. It starts with a mosquito biting an infected animal and becoming infected themselves with microfilariae, the worm's young. The mosquito then bites another dog, cat, etc and the microfilariae travels into the animal via the bloodstream. In 6mths they mature, living in the bitten animal from 5-7 years. The worms live in the arteries of the lungs and in the right side of the heart, causing tremendous injury. In addition, the disease can also end up causing severe problems in other organs, such as the liver and kidneys.

These adult worms also produce more microfilariae which travel throughout the animal's bloodstream. When a mosquito bites your animal the process starts over; the mosquito lands on another unsuspecting animal, starts feeding, and the microfilariae are transferred. Now this animal is infected.

A monthly preventative can prevent any of this from happening. It is also much cheaper to put the animal on preventative than it is to treat the infected animal. Not to mention, you're not causing undue harm to your animal. It is definitely worth it, as treatment is also very hard and painful on the animal.

An animal getting heartworms is unnecessary and preventable, only costing $6-$8 a month. You can buy 6 or 12 months worth at a time which saves repeated trips to your veterinarian for the medicine. It's not fair and it's unkind to let your animal suffer this horrible disease, or to cast him/her aside because it is infected. Treatment and prevention are available and accessible. Think long and hard before disregarding preventative. It's not a "What are the chances of my animal getting it?" or " I'll not worry about it" kind of thing. The numbers of infected animals are skyrocketing. Do not act with negligence and allow your animal to be one of the statistics.

Please visit The Heartworm Society to learn even more about Heartworms.

Flea & Tick Preventative:

It is always important to use flea and tick preventative for your pet. Not only are fleas and ticks aggravating, but they are potentially dangerous! Fleas often cause problems such as irritation of the skin at the site of the bite, many times resulting in "hot spots." These can require anything from topical medications to antibiotics. Fleas can also lead to more intense problems such as anemia. An overabundance of fleas can easily lower the blood supply for the animal, causing weakness, lethargy, and even lead to other health issues. Ticks can not only withdrawal blood from an animal, also causing anemia, they can carry infectious diseases. Rocky Spotted Mtn Fever and Lyme's Disease are only a few of the illnesses that can lead to the need for SERIOUS medical care for your pet.

It is always urged to use products that your veterinarian recommends. Over the counter preventatives, such as Hartz, BioSpot can lead to DEATH for your animal. Visit www.epa.gov to learn more about these products, their warnings and destruction, as well as sites such as Medical Alerts .

Veterinary Care for your Animal:

When our pets get sick or injured it is important to receive proper veterinary care for both small problems and those life threatening. Animals suffer from the same diseases and injuries as humans, therefore requiring the same medical attention...and then some. These medical treatments have to be performed by a doctor...a Veterinarian.

What is often forgotten is that a Veterinarian is the same as an M.D. They have the same schooling, the same requirements, and the same credentials. In addition, a veterinarian has to learn multiple species as well as the diseases, traumas, and requirements of each. They have to practice as an internist, as surgeon, and be every specialist...obstetrician, cardiologist, oncologist, orthopedist, ophthalmologist, and many others. In addition, despite what many may think, they do not receive the same salaries as each of these specialties...they don't receive the salary of even one...yet they are required to know it ALL.

These same surgeries, tests, etc require high tech equipment, supplies, nurses and assistants. Once a diagnosis is made the problem requires medication, just like human illnesses do, many being the same as what we humans are prescribed.

When upset about a high bill at your veterinary clinic, consider what this would cost in human medicine...4-5x as much in many cases. Consider, then, that a doctor deserves to be paid for his/her services due to the knowledge, schooling, and the care he/she gives your animal...as well as the fact that he/she can literally save lives...the same way a human doctor does.

Again remember...a Veterinarian is equal to a human Medical Doctor...but is not given the same salary and does not charge the same amount as those in human medicine. Consider whether or not this is fair, think about how your pet deserves quality care, and try to understand the reasoning behind the bill. Then know that without doubt they are grateful that you love your pet and want quality care.