Frequently Asked Questions

The ideal time to spay or neuter your pet is between 3 and 6 months of age, prior to sexual maturity.

The primary benefit is not having to worry about reproduction, over population and unwanted sexual behaviors. Spaying and neutering your pet is also very beneficial to their health. It will drastically reduce their chances of developing health problems including; mammary cancer in females, pyometra (a life-threatening infection of the uterus that generally occurs in middle-aged to older female dogs in the six weeks following heat), prostate enlargement or cancer in male dogs, prevention of certain types of hernias and tumors of the testicles and anus in male dogs, and many more.

• A dog is typically in heat for about 21 days. The first 10 days include bleeding from the vagina; then your dog is ready to accept the male.
• A cat is completely different from a dog, they go in and out of heat all year round until they are either bred or spayed.

• Pregnancy in a female dog usually lasts 9 weeks or 63 days. Some dogs will whelp (deliver their puppies) anywhere from day 59 to day 63.
• Pregnancy in a female cat also usually last approximately 9 weeks and they will typically whelp anywhere from day 58 to day 65

Puppies and kittens should begin a vaccination regiment 6-8 weeks of age with the last booster of the set given between 12-16 weeks of age. Boosters are needed to maintain health protection.

• Dogs should be vaccinated against Distemper, Parvo, Corona (Distemper Combination Vaccine), Rabies and Lymes. Dogs should also be on a monthly heartworm preventative and screened yearly for Heartworm and Lymes Disease.
• Cats should be vaccinated against Feline Distemper, Respiratory viruses, Leukemia, and Rabies.
• Both Dogs and Cats should be dewormed at least once a year.

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a fairly large worm, up to 14 inches long, that in adulthood lives in the heart and pulmonary arteries of an infected dog.

Dogs acquire this infection through mosquito bites as mosquitoes readily pick up larval heartworms from infected dogs and carry them to new dogs.

Some geographic areas have severe heartworm problems while other areas virtually none.

There are many medications available to prevent your dog from developing heartworm. These medications are given once a month and come in both Oral and Topical formulas.

It is recommended that pet owners give these preventatives during the spring and summer months, typically starting April and going through November.

Although many clients chose to use these products year-round because most of these products also can be used to deworm your pet on a monthly basis.

Ticks are one of the most common external parasites to cause infectious disease in our pets.

Ticks can carry: Lyme Disease which can be found in every U.S. State and Canadian Province and dogs are 50% more likely to get Lyme disease than humans: Anaplasmosis, an emerging disease, that is surpassing Lyme disease in some areas in North America and very common in Minnesota: Ehrlichiosis is the second most common canine infectious disease in the U.S. (after parvovirus).

These tick-borne diseases are very harmful to your pet and usually go undiagnosed until symptoms are present and the pet is already in harm.

Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil, and Excedrin are extremely toxic to both cats and dogs and should not be used.

However, you can give dogs Aspirin for moderate pain relief and inflammation, at a dose of 10 mg per pound of bodyweight every 12 hours.

Aspirin can NOT be used in cats. If there is no relief or the condition worsens you should schedule an appointment to have your pet seen by a veterinarian.

Benadryl can be given to dogs for relief from allergies and itching at a dose of 1 mg per pound of bodyweight every 8 hours.

The use of Benadryl may cause a slight sedative effect. If there is no relief or the condition worsens you should schedule an appointment to have your pet seen by a veterinarian.

The night before the scheduled procedure, remove all food after 8:00 pm. You may continue to give limited water throughout the night.

Bring your pet into our clinic between 6:30-8:00 am. Our staff will go over the paperwork and the procedure. Surgery will be done sometime early morning and your pet will be ready for pick-up after 3:00 pm the same day.

At that time, post-surgery care will be discussed by one of our Technicians. A declaw surgery will require an overnight stay.