Q&A with MAH: Heartworm

Q&A with MAH: Heartworm

Mosquito season is here, so make sure your dog is on heartworm prevention!

Q. What is Heartworm?
A. Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm (Dirofilaria immitis) that is spread from animal to animal by mosquitoes.  Though they can infect multiple species of mammals, even in rare cases humans, their definitive host is the dog.  Once infecting an animal, heartworms live in the heart and pulmonary arteries and can travel through the blood stream to other organs of the body.  Heartworms enter an animal as a tiny microscopic larva, but once mature, they can reach lengths of more than a foot!  These parasites cause terrible disease that can be fatal.

Q. What kind of heartworm prevention is available for my dog?
A. We recommend that your dog gets heartworm prevention year-round because this avoids error, and many products provide protection from other intestinal parasites as well.  The most common heartworm prevention is a flavored chewable pill that is given once a month.  At MAH, we offer Sentinel, which also controls flea populations, adult hookworm infections, and removes and controls adult roundworm and whipworm infections.  However, another option we now offer is the Proheart heartworm vaccine that lasts for 6 months!  This option is becoming more popular because it is quick and convenient.  It can be administered at your dog's bi-yearly check-up and also protects against hookworm.  With Proheart, you never have to forget to give pills ever again!

Call us at (516) 627-0057 to schedule an appointment at MAH and discuss the best hearworm prevention for you.

~Your friends at MAH

Q&A with MAH: Senior Care

Q&A with MAH: Senior Care

Q. How can I prepare for my pet's senior years? 

A. We recommend laboratory testing during our senior exams. This can be invaluable in revealing additional information concerning your pet’s overall health above and beyond what can be detected by physical examination and your personal observation.

Diagnostic screening can prevent your pet from serious medical problems. We highly recommend that your “best friend” have a complete physical exam twice a year once he is 7 years old. By establishing a baseline of normal values before the senior years, we can detect any changes that might indicate health problems.

Data from senior health screening exams shows that more than 22% of senior dogs, and 17% of cats that appear healthy, have been found to have significant subclinical disease.

If you are a cat owner, there are a few things you should know:  

• According to the AVMA, cats are brought to the veterinarian only about HALF as often as dogs. 
• Cats hide illness better than dogs, and many times owners may not realize there is a problem. 
• Behavioral changes can be early signs of illness in both cats and dogs. These changes are often less obvious in cats. 
• Cat owners may not notice subtle changes in appetite, elimination, or other behavior until an illness is advanced. 
• The risk of cancer, periodontal disease, obesity, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and diabetes increases with age in cats.

Q. What can I expect during my pet's senior years? 

A. As your pet grows older, his nutritional needs change; intestines lose the ability to absorb nutrients, and the liver and kidneys process waste products less efficiently.  Feeding special diets designed for your pet’s needs can be very helpful.

Dental disease is common as your pet ages. Bacteria can enter the bloodstream and weaken the liver, kidneys, and heart. It is important to practice good dental care, especially in your pet’s old age. 
As your pet ages you’ll notice subtle changes. It’s important to understand normal aging versus abnormal changes in your pet’s health.

·       Sleeping more

·       Graying coat, especially around the mouth

·       Dental & gum disease    (veterinary care required)

·       Deterioration of hearing & vision

·       Joint inflammation & discomfort (arthritis)

·       Muscle shrinkage and body weakness

·       Decrease in skin elasticity

Arthritis in pets is very similar to the disease in humans. It is a condition where the joints become inflamed and become swollen; this results in pain, stiffness, and immobility.  Don’t attribute initial arthritis signs to “old age”. We have advanced arthritis medication and treatments to keep your pet happy and healthy.

~Your friends at MAH

A Day in the Life of Poca

A Day in the Life of Poca,

Manhasset Animal Hospital's Resident Cat

Hello Everyone!
I'm Pocahontas, but most of you know me as just Poca.  I'm a princess, just like my namesake, and I definitely get treated like one.  I'm 20-years-young, so I've been around.  I've found nothing beats the pampered life of Manhasset Animal Hospital's mascot and resident cat. 

Hanging out with Grace in reception, I get endless praise, loving, and petting from the clients that stop by.  When I'm tired of all the attention, I love to get in some beauty sleep in a sunny window, on a cozy cushion, or even on the cool floor.  I may be a princess, but I'll sleep just about anywhere, as long as I'm not disturbed. 

After my cat nap, I usually go on the prowl for a snack.  There is never a shortage of food here, but I love the thrill of sneaking around to find something delicious left over from the cage of a cat visitor who has just left.  Other times I will just bother the staff for morsels of kibble, and of course, they must oblige.  However, I especially love to pester Grace for a few bites of her scrumptious lunch.  How can she deny me such a delicacy?  I can't complain about my life here at my castle, the place you call Manhasset Animal Hospital.  After all, I am the pampered Princess Pocahontas.

Stem Cell Therapy: A New Treatment Option for Injured Pets!

Stem Cell Therapy: A New Treatment Option for Injured Pets!

Stem cell research may still be controversial in human medicine, but in veterinary medicine we already have the option and ease to use stem cells to help cure our pets of a number of ailments! Veterinary researchers have developed a simple procedure to obtain stem cells from your dog or cat and return them back to their bodies for healing injured areas.  There is no worry of the body rejecting foreign material because the stems cells used to treat the animal come from the animal itself!  

Stem cells are such important cells because they are versatile cells.  They are found throughout the body and are able to divide and differentiate into many different specialized cell types.  They are also able to renew themselves to produce even more stem cells.  This means that each stem cell has the potential to become any cell in the body!

Veterinary researchers have found that in cats and dogs, there is a high concentration of stem cells in their fat tissue.  Just 3 tablespoons of fat is enough to obtain a sufficient amount of stem cells for stem cell treatments.  A veterinarian can perform a procedure to obtain these 3 tablespoons of fat in just 12 minutes!  The fat sample can then be sent to a special laboratory that isolates the stem cells and activates them by using laser light and protein rich plasma (PRP).  The stem cells are prepared and sent back in a vial.  A veterinarian can then inject the prepared stem cells back into the animal's body intravenously.  The stems cells then make their way to the injured tissues of the body and begin to repair the tissues.  Researchers were able to make sure the stem cells made it to their destination by tagging them with special markers and viewing them under the microscope on slides containing tissues of the injured sites.  Research has shown that stem cell therapy can repair heart, muscle, and joint tissues.  Stem cells can also help cure ailments such as pancreatitis, hepatopathies, allergies, migraines, and kidney disease in dogs.  The great thing is that it only takes one injection for this treatment to work!  And, for a fee, the lab will store your pet's stem cells so that they will be available for future ailments during his entire life!

Visit us at MAH to find out more about stem cell therapy!
~Your friends at MAH