|
|
 |
Welcome To The Veterinary Insider Pet Blog
The Veterinary Insider Pet Blog offers a glimpse into the dynamic and ever-changing world of veterinary medicine and pet health care. In addition, our pet blog offers money saving advice and tips for the frugal pet owner in all of us!
| Wednesday, Feb 03, 2010 |
| A New Distemper Epidemic? |
| By Dr. Chris Pinney |
| Wednesday, Feb 03, 2010 12:28 |
No doubt you've already seen it on the news, but canine distemper
is making a comeback, prompting a high alert among animal
shelters and veterinarians across the country to be on the watch for this highly
contagious and lethal viral disease of dogs. I myself have treated three
cases of the disease in the past month; unfortunately, all three of
these puppies died. All three were recently adopted from shelters. Some experts worried that a new strain of the virus had appeared, but in
fact, this is not the case. The epidemic is being caused by
a growing canine population that either has not been vaccinated
or has poor immunity against the disease. As a result, be sure your dog has been properly vaccinated against this
virus. Some veterinarians now only vaccinate for distemper every three
years, others don't even recommend it for dogs over two years of age.
I myself vaccinate my dogs every year. The reason? The vaccine is safe
and the disease is deadly. In my mind, its a no-brainer. If you plan on adopting a new puppy from a shelter, be aware that
it could be harboring the virus, which may not rear its ugly head for
up to two weeks. As a result, keep the pup quarantined from your other
pets for at least two weeks, and notify the shelter immediately if the puppy
exhibits any digestive or respiratory signs during that time.
|
|
Permalink
|
| Saturday, Jan 30, 2010 |
| Obesity and Arthritis: It's A Double-Edged Sword |
| By Dr. Chris Pinney |
| Saturday, Jan 30, 2010 12:32 |
| No doubt you're aware of the correlation between obesity and arthritis; that is, how excess pounds can place an undo strain on joints and can exacerbate arthritis and arthritis pain. But did you know that the relationship is not just mechanical?
Fat cells produce large numbers of inflammatory chemicals, which can add to inflammation within nearby joints. Its a double whammy! It goes without saying then that helping your pet lose weight will not only relieve mechanical stress on the joints but will also help lessen the inflammation that occurs secondary to arthritis.
The result: Improved comfort,mobility, and joint function, as well as a significant decrease in inflammatory pain. So start cutting that caloric intake and increasing the amount of exercise your pet gets each day. You'll be amazed how much your pet's quality of life will improve! |
|
Permalink
|
| Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 |
| Five Trends Driving Up The Cost Of Pet Health Care: Trends 4 & 5 |
| By Dr. Chris Pinney |
| Wednesday, Jan 27, 2010 11:57 |
Trend 4: The Skyrocketing Cost of Pet Pharmaceuticals It seems as though every six months, a notice comes from a drug
company telling me that they're raising prices on their more popular
medications. Lately, veterinary distributors seem to be bumping
their own fees with disturbing regularity as well. Consequently, veterinarians are forced to grapple with the age-old
decision: Do they raise fees to stay up with the price hikes, or do
they "eat" the increases and watch their bottom lines shrink?
Unfortunately, those bottom lines can only shrink so much before
the practice starts gasping for air. Like death and taxes, rising prices are inevitable. But the steady
increases over the last five years have pressed hard on the
pocketbooks of pet owning consumers. The internet has certainly
eased the burden somewhat on the cost of pet medications, but those
online pet pharmacies will be forced to eventually raise their
prices as well. Here's some good news though: Several popular pet medications (such
as Frontline) are scheduled to go generic within the next several
years. When this happens, prices on these products (including the
brand name products) should drop as competition increases. Let's
hope. Trend 5: The Rise Of Pet Insurance I've written about this previously, but it's worth mentioning
again. As pet insurance takes hold, veterinarians may start to
believe that they can charge more for their services; after all,
its not money out of the client's pocket, right? Wrong. Check out the blog "Lessons From The Nation's Health Care Crisis: Part 5"
at http://www.veterinaryinsider.com/public/department32.cfm?StartRow=34&;id=2 to see why. |
|
Permalink
|
|
|
Home Pet Remedies
