The following information is provided by Pope Animal Clinic, 5189 Winchester, Memphis, TN 38118, (901) 365-1979:

R.A.O.T. NOTE: Although the following article does not address the issue, it is generally NOT advisable for owners to vaccinate their own animals. If a veterinarian vaccinates an animal, the company producing the vaccine will generally stand behind the product should something go awry, sometimes even reimbursing an owner for the entire bill when problems occur. The company will not do so if an owner administers the product. Further, be advised it is practicing medicine without a license for anyone other than your veterinarian, or his/her staff, or an owner, to administer vaccinations to an animal.

CHECKUPS AND VACCINATIONS FOR DOGS
CHECKUPS AND VACCINATIONS FOR CATS
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Canine Vaccines, what are they for?

On top of a complete and thorough physical examination each year, there are many diagnostic tests available that provide us with vital information about your pet’s overall internal and external health. Each year we recommend your pet receive its annual vaccinations, stool checks, a heartworm test, CBC (complete blood count), serum chemistry and urinalysis. These are especially important for older pets.

Vaccinations:

Many canine diseases can now be prevented through vaccinations. A vaccination scheduled prepared by your veterinarian starting at 6 weeks of age can greatly contribute to good health and a longer life span. Listed below are the most important diseases for which vaccines are currently available.

Canine Distemper: Canine distemper is a widespread, often fatal disease. Distemper is a highly contagious multi-systemic viral disease. It can affect the respiratory system causing coughing, eye and nasal discharge, high fevers, poor appetite, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. In advanced stages, it affects the central nervous system causing both seizures and death. There is no cure for distemper, symptomatic treatment is recommended, but often unsuccessful.

Canine Adenovirus Type 1 and 2: Adenovirus can cause infectious hepatis and respiratory infection. Hepatitis caused by Adenovirus type-1 may cause severe liver damage or death. Adenovirus type-2 is an important factor in kennel cough.

Canine Bordetella (Kennel Cough): Canine Bordetella is a highly contagious infectious disease of the canine respiratory tract. The mild form of kennel cough produces an acute dry-sounding, hacking cough, fever and some eye and nasal discharge is seen occasionally. The severe form can lead to secondary pneumonia.

Canine Parainfluenza: Parainfluenza can be another cause of upper respiratory disease. Although parainfluenza is often a mild respiratory infection in otherwise healthy dogs, it can be severe in puppies or debilitated dogs.

Canine Parvovirus: Canine Parvovirus is an acute, highly contagious intestinal virus in dogs. It causes poor appetite, depression, fever, severe dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea that can be very fluid and bloody. Parvovirus also suppresses the immune system making dogs more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections such as pneumonia. Parvovirus is especially dangerous in puppies under 6 months of age.

Rabies: Rabies can infect virtually all warm-bloodied animals. It primarily attacks the nervous system. Rabies is transmitted in saliva from the bite of an infected animal. Death usually, occurs within 3-7 days from the onset of clinical signs. Rabies is also transmitted to people.

Canine Corona virus: Corona virus is a highly contagious intestinal disease causing poor appetite and depression followed by vomiting and diarrhea. The diarrhea can vary from soft to watery and contain mucus and/or blood.

Stool Checks and Heartworm Checks: Dogs can be plagued by a wide variety of internal and external parasites. No matter how clean an environment your pet lives in, they are often exposed to internal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, coccidia and tapeworms. Severe parasite infestations can cause weight loss, anemia, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes death. Annual heartworm checks are important to ensure your pets stay heartworm free. Even indoor animals can be exposed to mosquitoes and contract heartworms; outdoor pets are at a higher risk. Pets that are infected with heartworms may not show signs until there has been significant damage- to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys by these worms. There is an expensive treatment for heartworms, but without the treatment, heartworms are often a fatal disease. Heartworm. preventives can keep all dogs heartworm free when they are started on prevention at an early age. Older dogs can be kept heartworm free by putting them on a preventive after a negative heartworm check. Once they are started on a heartworm preventive, dogs should be kept on the preventive year round.

Urinalysis: A yearly urinalyses checks to make sure the kidneys are functioning property and that there are no signs of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). From a urinalysis, we can monitor an animal for early signs of kidney and liver disease, diabetes, and kidney stones. UTI can cause excessive water intake, urinary incontinence, strong urine odor and blood in the urine. Urinary tract infections are quite common in dogs and are treated with appropriate antibiotics.

CBC (Complete Blood Count): A CBC can be a vital tool for monitoring the quantity of red and white blood cells and the overall health and regeneration of cells. A CBC consists of 3 parts.

PCV (Packed Cell Volume): This is used to measure the amount of red blood cells in the body and used to determine levels of anemia in pets. Anemia can be caused by loss of blood from trauma, toxins, parasites or the body’s inability to produce new blood cells. The second part of the PCV measures the plasma protein. Plasma levels and color can indicate dehydration in pets and can be indicators of diseases such as liver, kidney, thyroid and Cushing’s disease.

White Blood Cell Count: This is used to monitor low or elevated levels which can be indicators of leukemia or infections in the body. Blood Smear - This allows us to monitor the amount of red and white blood cells Vin the body. It checks for healthy regenerative cells over toxic non-regenerating cells. A blood smear also checks for normal platelet (a clotting component in Mood) numbers, and blood parasites.

Serum Chemistry: This is also referred to as a general health profile and is used to monitor different electrolytes and enzyme levels in the body. It is used to determine abnormal functioning of the body organs. Serum chemistries are used to evaluate calcium and cholesterol levels; to check for diabetes, proper liver and kidney function, pancreatitis, thyroid disease, Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease, and adequate hydration level in the body.

A complete and thorough annual can be an early detention for sickness and disease. Since animals can be born with glands and organs that do not function properly, pets of any age group can benefit from CBC’s, serum chemistries and urinalysis.

If you have any questions regarding your pet’s health, do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian.

MORE VACCINE AND OTHER HEALTH AND MEDICAL INFORMATION

CHECKUPS AND VACCINATIONS FOR CATS

On top of a complete and thorough physical examination each year, there are many diagnostic tests available that provide us with vital information about your pet's overall internal and external health. Each year we recommend that your pet receive its annual vaccinations, stool checks, CBC (Complete Blood Count), serum chemistry and urinalysis. These are especially important for older pets.

Vaccinations: Many feline diseases can now be prevented through vaccinations. A vaccination schedule prepared by your veterinarian starting at 6 weeks of age can greatly contribute to good health and a longer lifespan. Listed below are the most important diseases for which vaccines are currently available. Since many feline viruses can live for days to years in the environment and be picked up and transmitted on human clothing, it is important to vaccinate all indoor and outdoor cats. Many cats have direct contact through window or door screens and can also become infected.

Feline Herpes virus-I (FHV-1): FHV-1, also known as Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR) and Feline Calicivirus (FCV) are highly contagious and the major cause of infectious upper respiratory disease in cats. Typical signs of feline upper respiratory infection (URI) include poor appetite, depression, fever, nasal and ocular discharge, sneezing, coughing and loss of voice. With FCV, ulcers on the nose, mouth or foot pads can occur. Both FHV and FCV can survive from I to 10 days in the environment and can be transmitted from direct contact (oral, nasal or ocular discharge) or by human hands or clothing that has had contact with the virus. Cats that have recovered from FHV and FCV infection remain carriers for months to years.

Feline Chlainydiosis: Feline Chlamydiosis is a non-viral cause of mild upper respiratory infection. Symptoms include acute or chronic conjunctivitis, mild nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing and mild pneumonia.

Feline Panleukopenia Virus: Feline Panleukopenia Virus (FPV) is a severe, highly contagious parvoviral infection in cats. FPV is shed in all body excretions and can survive for a year or more in the environment. FPV is transmitted by direct contact or by human hands or clothing that has had contact with the virus. The incidence and mortality rate are highest in young kittens. Symptoms include poor appetite, depression, high fever, persistent vomiting, diarrhea and progressive dehydration. Vomitus is usually a yellow to green color and stool may be watery with mucus and blood.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis: Feline Infectious Penitonitis (FIP) is a progressive and fatal immune-mediated disease of cats caused by a coronavirus. FIP is a worldwide virus in cats. FIP is transmitted in oral and nasal discharge, feces and possibly in urine and can survive for days in the environment. Symptoms 'include high fever, poor appetite, inactivity, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and anemia. Fluid and swelling of the abdomen and Icterus (yellow skin, eye and gum discoloration) may be seen. FIP is a fatal virus that has no cure, only symptomatic treatment.

Feline Leukemia Virus: Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a highly contagious retrovirus that is the major cause of death in domestic cats. Fel_V is transmitted through oronasal contact, saliva or through the mother's milk for nursing kittens. Cats infected with FeLV shed the virus in most body secretions. FeLV causes anemia resulting from the destruction, suppression or abnormal growth of red blood cells in the bone marrow. FeLV suppresses the immune system thereby increasing susceptibility to all types of infections. Other symptoms include: poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, enlargement and dysfunction of the liver, kidneys and spleen, seizures, blindness, respiratory infections, diarrhea, skin infections, non-healing sores and abscesses, urinary incontinence, etc.

FeLV and FIP Tests: All cats over the age of 6 weeks should be tested before being vaccinated for Feline Leukemia. The test requires 3 drops of blood and takes about 10 minutes to run. The FIV test should be run for all cats over 6 months of age.

Rabies: There are new rabies vaccines available for cats. The non-adjuvanted vaccines are slightly more expensive than the old traditional vaccines but they reduce the chances of vaccine reactions in cats and are less likely to cause Fibrosarcornas (a type of quick growing tumor affecting the skin and muscle. These tumors enlarge and grow very rapidly and are very difficult to remove.) Rabies primarily attacks the nervous system. Rabies is transmitted in saliva from the bite of an infected animal. Death usually occurs within 3-7 days from the onset of clinical signs.

Stool Checks: Cats can be plagued by a wide variety of internal parasites. No matter how clean an environment your pet lives in, they are often exposed to internal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, coccidia, and tapeworms. Severe parasite infestations can cause weight loss, anemia, vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes death.

Urinalysis: A yearly urinalysis checks to make sure the kidneys are functioning properly and that there are no signs of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). From a urinalysis, we can monitor an animal for early signs of kidney and liver disease, diabetes, and kidney stones. UTI can cause excessive water intake, urinary incontinence, strong urine odor and blood in the urine. Urinary tract infections are quite common in cats and are treated with appropriate antibiotics.

CBC (Complete Blood Count): A CBC can be a vital tool for monitoring the quantity of red and white blood cells and the overall health and regeneration of cells. A CBC consists of 3 parts.

PCV (Packed Cell Volume) - This is used to measure the amount of red blood cells in the body and used to determine levels of anemia in pets. Anemia can be caused by loss of blood from trauma, toxins, parasites or the body's inability to produce new blood cells. The second part of the PCV measures the plasma protein. Plasma levels and color can indicate dehydration in pets and can be indicators of diseases such as liver, kidney, and thyroid disease.

White Blood Cell Count - This is used to monitor low or elevated levels which can be indicators of leukemia or infections in the body.

Blood Smear - This allows us to monitor the amount of red and white blood cells in the body. It checks for healthy regenerative cells over toxic non-regenerating cells. A blood smear also checks for normal platelet (a clotting component in blood) numbers and blood parasites.

Serum Chemistry: This is also referred to as a general health profile and is used to monitor different electrolytes and enzyme levels in the body. It is used to determine abnormal functioning of the body organs. Serum chemistries are used to evaluate calcium and cholesterol levels; to check for diabetes, proper liver and kidney function, pancreatitis, thyroid disease, and adequate hydration level in the body.

A complete and thorough annual can be an early detention for sickness and disease. Since animals can be born with glands and organs that do not function properly, pets of any age group can benefit from CBC's, serurn chemistries and urinalysis.

If you have any questions regarding your pet's health, please do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian.

MORE VACCINE AND OTHER HEALTH AND MEDICAL INFORMATION