How would you like to see a photo of your pet on a bottle of Aloe & Oatmeal Shampoo?

Here’s how:

1.  Submit a photo of your pet to our Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/citycreatures

2.  Have all of your Facebook friends “like” your pets photo

3.  The pet with the highest number of “likes” at the end of the month wins their picture on a shampoo bottle AND 10% off a case of shampoo!

Aloe and Oatmeal Shampoo is a sweet and soothing formula that can be used on a variety of pets.  It makes a great gift for friends and family!  It is made by Sogeval USA, a company specializing in prescription shampoos and skin treatments for animals worldwide.

You can order as much as you want for family & friends, but the order minimum is one case (12 bottles.)

GOOD LUCK!

Hello City Creatures Fans!

Just a quick announcement regarding some changes we are making here to help better serve everyone in the future. As always, your feedback is appreciated! We are experiencing the usual late-summer busy times, and we have been trying ideas to make our small clinic work better for you. To make our schedule work better, there might be a slight delay for routine procedures, to make way for those that cannot wait a few extra days.  We have worked with ThinkPets, the company that provides you with your email and standard mail appointment reminders, to make sure you get them to your inboxes and mailboxes with plenty of time to set up routine appointments. We will always be revisiting these ideas as we evolve and the seasons change, so that we may always provide the best in patient care for your furry children and the most exceptional customer care for you.

Heartworm Prevention

And unfortunately all the bugs and parasites are about as well!  With the weather warming up and the ground thawing, we will start to see fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes again until the late fall.  There are also intestinal parasites like roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and whipworms about, and their eggs can survive through even the worst Buffalo winter!  The time is upon pet owners in Buffalo and WNY to consider starting (or resuming,) prevention for their furry children.

We offer a myriad of different products that will suit you and your pets needs for parasite prevention.  A sampling of those products can be seen below:

From bottom left to bottom right:  Trifexis, Iverhart Max, Vectra 3D for cats, Vectra 3D for dogs, and Comfortis.

Trifexis:  A monthly pill which kills and prevents fleas, prevents heartworm disease, and prevents three intestinal parasites: roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.  Heartworm testing for dogs over 7 months and older is required before starting this medication.  (Canine only.)

Iverhart Max:  A monthly pill which prevents heartworm disease and three intestinal parasites: roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.  Heartworm testing for dogs over 7 months and older is required before starting this medication.  (Canine only.)

Vectra 3D for cats:  A monthly topical solution which kills and prevents fleas.

Vectra 3D for dogs:  A monthly topical solution which kills and prevents fleas, five species of tick, and other biting flies that can lead to skin problems.

Comfortis:  A monthly pill which kills and prevents fleas.  (Canine only.)

Trifexis is a brand-new product for 2011, and it combines two previously marketed products, Interceptor and Comfortis.  Trifexis, as well as Comfortis are proven to have the fastest kill time for fleas.  All fleas are dead within 24 hours, but the vast majority of fleas are dead within just a few hours after dosing.  These oral flea preventatives eliminate the need to use topical products, and are ideal for households with small children, other animals, or animals with sensitive skin/skin problems.  The only recommendation for the oral medications is that they are given with a meal.

Additional reading on heartworm prevention:  Veterinary Partner – Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm Testing

Heartworm testing is also a very important part of disease prevention.  We recommend heartworm testing for all dogs, and require the test before heartworm prevention is to be given with dogs 7 months or older.  This is because if for some reason a dog were to test positive, treatment would need to be started right away, and giving prevention could interfere with the treatment process.  Heartworm disease is rare, especially in the northern United States, but we still do see a few cases every year.  Treatment is costly and can be painful, and requires a month or more of strict cage rest!  Weigh the options and see if testing and prevention are right for you and your dogs.  Your veterinarian definitely recommends them!

We use a very fast and effective test for heartworm disease, it is a table-top test that requires a small amount of blood, usually from the dog’s front leg.  This blood is mixed with a conjugate and the test is run, it usually takes 20 to 30 minutes.  The test also tests for Lyme disease and Erlichia, two diseases carried by ticks.  Below is an image of one our tests about to be started.  Note the tiny amount of blood required!

Additional reading on heartworm testing:  Veterinary Partner – Heartworm Testing

Additional reading on heartworm treatment:  Veterinary Partner – Heartworm Treatment

And remember, you can always call us at the office with your questions and concerns.  Happy Spring!